ML19345G425
| ML19345G425 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | 07000754 |
| Issue date: | 02/20/1981 |
| From: | Book H, Cooley W, Thomas R NRC OFFICE OF INSPECTION & ENFORCEMENT (IE REGION V) |
| To: | |
| Shared Package | |
| ML19345G422 | List: |
| References | |
| 70-0754-80-06, 70-754-80-6, NUDOCS 8104070223 | |
| Download: ML19345G425 (5) | |
Text
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U. S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION OFFICE OF INSPECTION AND ENFORCEMENT REGION V Report No.
70-754/80-06 I
Docket No.70-754 License No.
SNM-960 Safeguards Group Licensee:
General Electric Company Vallecitos Nuclear Center F. U. box 4bU Pleasanton, California 94566 Facility Name:
Vallecitos Nuclear Center Inspection at:
Pleasanton, California Inspection conducted:
December 29-31, 1980 Yhl <
1//7/?/
t Approved by:
W. J. Cooley, ruel tac ty inspector Ifate' Signed Accompanied by:
A. J. Mateo, Philippine Atomic Energy Commission
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$ SO $
Approved by:
R. D.
homas, Chief, M terials Radiological Protectior / Da(e Signed 2
ON/
Approved By:
H. E. Book, Chief, Fuel Facility and Materials Safety Date signed Branch g
Inspection on December 29-31, 1980 (Report No. 70-754/80-06)
Areas Inspected: Organization; modifications and changes to facilities and systems; internal review and audit; maintenance; employee tiaining; change cuthorizations; operations review and radioactive waste management. The inspection involved 18 inspector-hours on site by one NRC inspector.
l-Results:
No items of noncompliance or deviations were identified within the subject areas inspected.
RV Form 219 (2)
- 810 40gog23
DETAILS 1.-
Persons Contacted
- R. A. Moschner, Manager, fluclear Safety and Quality Assurance R. C. Gebhart, Mar,ager, Advanced Fuels Laboratory Opccations
- P. S. Webb, Manager, Radiological and Environmental Protection
- E. J. Strain, Engineer, Nuclear Safety Technology D. J. Barbee, Acting Supervisor, Radiological and Environmental Protection
- Denotes those attending the exit interview.
2.
Organization Two individuals have been acquired in the Radiological and Environmental Protection unit to assist in the training and retraining of employees and visitors. One individual is assigned to the administrative work of training including scheduling and recording. The other individual, a mechanical engineer with six years in the nuclear field, has conducted sessions in the New Eraloyee Orientation, Respirator Training, and Radiation Safety i t Vallecitos Nuclear Center courses.
A licensee represente.ive stated that in the year 1980 four different employee training courses were taught and 231 students attended them.
The approximate employment at Vallecitos Nuclear Center is presently 300 people. Three additional classes in each of three different courses were scheduled for the month of January,1981. Those classes are New Employee Orientation, Respiratory Protection, and Radiation Protection Fundamentals.
A Mr. R. E. Gest became Environmental Specialist as of September, 1980 within the Radiological and Environmental Protection unit.
A Mr. D. J. Barbee was Acting Supervisor, Radiological and Environmental Protection, during 'the temporary absence of Mr. C. A. Hooker. The R&EP unit presently employs six health physics monitors.
3.
Modifications and Changes to Facilities and Systems Tha only modifications to facilities and systems have been those efforts in the decontamination and decommissioning of the Advanced Fuels Laboratory. The licensee had accomplished the removal of equipment from all, except two, of the laboratory glove boxes and i.addecontaminatedthogeboxes. Those boxes had been decontaminated to a U mit of 2 (direct reading). The. interiors of the boxes.
will be painted.pCi/cmA silicone material has been applied around all windows of the boxes.
A special wooden container has been tested (normal conditions of transport) with dummy load and will be used to transport the boxes to retreivable storage at Department of Energy Richland, Washington fac lities.
The two glove boxes which have not entered into the decommissioning effort are the mixed oxide coprecipitation box and the mixed oxide scrap recovery box. The decontamination of those boxes will be a complicated matter because of the size of the boxes and the numerous pieces of equipment within them. No effort will be made at this time to begin the low level surveys of floors, walls and fixtures. The decommissioning effort is presently scheduled for completion approximately March or April, 1982.
4.
Internal Review and Audit A review was made during this inspection of radiological safety audits conducted by the Nuclear Safety Technology unit of +he Nuclear Safety and Ouality Assurance Section. The inspection review covered the months of October and November,1980. During that time eight such audits were made by the licensee's Compliance Engineer.
Four of the eight audits completed were addressed to the use of radiation work permits in Analytical Chemistry, Facilities, Radioactive Products and Services, and the Advanced Fuels Laboratory. A recommendation common to all four of the groups audited included
-establishing lists of employees exempt from the use of radiation work permits by establishing those employees' qualifications thrcagh training records and experience. Other recommendations included finding a missing radiation work permit, the issuance of an operating procedure, and the recording and maintenance of maximum allowable exposures and exposure timekeeping by individual employees.
One audit was addressed to a review of the x-ray producing machines located at the Vallecitos Nuclear Center.
An audit of radicsctive waste handling methods resulted in recommendations to further train employees in low level waste handling responsibilities, to operate the waste handling facility with ALARA in mind, and to continue to resolve waste handling problems in the areas of. liquid organics and toxic chemicals.
An autiit of the Building 400 Chemical Testing Facility resulted in the recommendation of developing an operating procedure and additional employee instruction in exposure timekeeping.
Additionally a visual inspection of 50 High Efficiency Particulate Air filters was made. Two HEPA filters were found damaged.
The
-dimensions, squareness, labels, and sealing gaskets on all were found -
to be correct.
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+
One Change Authorization addressed to the sorting of low level radioactive waste in building 102 was approved. The Change Authorization addressed the hazards of airborne activity, glass in 'the waste, need for local shielding, preparation of procedures, and control of smearable activity in the vicinity of the sorting operation.
5.
Maintenance The licensee has made some minor adjustments in calibration frequencies of portable dose rate and alpha detection instrumentation. Those changes were done on a very selective bases providing adequate calibrated instrumentation for alpha detection, neutron dose rates, and beta and gamma dose rates by portable instrumentation. A licensee representative gave the opinion that the net effect of the change could be an improvement in an instrument capability in the sense that some instruments would be less vulnerable to damage during pickup and return after repair and calibration.
6.
Operations Review This inspection included visits to the General Electric Test Reactor Control Room and Containment Vessel, Advanced Fuels Laboratory, Building 102 Radioactive Materials Laboratory, Building.105 Physics Laboratory and the Nuclear Test Reactor, and the Building 103. Chemistry and Metallurgy Laboratories. Visits to the GETR containment vessel and the Building 103
. Chemistry and Metallurgy Laboratories were made only by the accompanying philippine Islands representative. The NRC inspector, accompanied by
. the Philippine Islands representative, visited Building 102,' Building 105, and -the Advanced Fuels Laboratory.
7.
Radioactive Waste Management This inspection included a review of radioanalysis results of water
.obtained from wells in proaimity to the Radioactive Materials Laboratory storage pool. The data reviewed dated from July.1975 through March 1980.
That data consisted primarily of alpha and beta-gamma analyses between July,1975 and December,1979.
In December 1979 analysis for tritium was begun for those well samples. That data indicate minimal alpha activity and quite positive beta gacom activity in the well water. That activity is ascribed by the licensee to a leak which~ occurred in the RML pool about July,1975.
The alpha and beta-gamma activities discovered in wells just north and just south of RML pool may be. ascribed to communication between those two wells as a result of the original pool leak. Results of tritium analytical work performed between December,1979 and March,~ 1930 indicates, similarly, communication between those two wells.
u
Similar sampling and analysis for alpha and beta-garra activity has been performed by the licensee, the California Water Quality Control Board, and the State of California Department of Health Services in wells to the south and southwest of the Vallecitos Nuclear Center Site.
Those samples have never indicated significant alpha or beta-gamma activi ty.
Those samples have indicated positive concentrations of tritium. That tritium was found in one shallow well.
i All of the analytical results obtained indicate the licensee has remained
'in compliance with 10 CFR 20.106 radioactivity in effluents to unresticted areas in that he has not exceeded the limits specified in Appendix B, Table II, for discharges of liquids to unrestricted areas.
Tritiated water discovered by the licensee and other agencies in a well to the-southwest of the licensee's site was ascribed to the discharge of tritiated water from retention basins on the Vallecitos Nuclear Center Site. About May,1980 the licensee voluntarily ceased discharge of tritiated water and subsequent well samples have indicated no tritium in the ground water.
Independent samples of retention basin water were obtained by an NRC inspector during the inspcction of July 7-10, 1980 (NRC Inspection Report No. 70-754/80-04, Section7). Similar water samples were obtained at the same time by a licensee representative. All those samples were
~
analysed for alpha and beta-gamma activity as well as for tritium. The analytical work. for the licensee was performed by an independent laboratory.. The analytical work for the NRC was performed by the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory. The results of those two sets of samples were in agreement and indicated no significant alpha, or beta-garna activity or tritium.
Those analytical results for wells and basins indicate there has not been any ec.:munication between onsite ground water and offsite ground water. The results of the various tests made. indicate there has been communication _ between retention basin surface water discharge and one shallow well offsite. There is no evidence that the licensee was ever in noncompliance with the NRC regulations governing the discharge of l
liquids to unrestricted areas.
8.
Managenert Interview The scope and results of this inspection were discussed with licensee representatives on December 31,1980. _ - Mr. A. J. Mateo attended those L
discussions. The licensee representatives were informed that no items of noncompliance were observed within the scope of the inspection.
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