ML19347C811

Ao:On 731220,3,400 Gallons of Contaminated Radioactive Chromated Water Spilled.Caused by Crack in Drain Line Due to Severely Cold Weather.Contaminated Water Pumped Into Ground Containers.Shallow Wells Being Drilled for Analyses

ML19347C811
Person / Time
Site:	Oyster Creek
Issue date:	01/03/1974
From:	Ross D JERSEY CENTRAL POWER & LIGHT CO.
To:	Giambusso A US ATOMIC ENERGY COMMISSION (AEC)
References
NUDOCS 8103040806
Download: ML19347C811 (4)

Text

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MADIS_ON AVENUE AT PUNCH BOWL ROAD

• MORRISTOWN, N.J. 07960

• 201-539-6111 p,.,, _

.. .- a m General Public Utilities Corporation

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- January 3,1974 -

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Mr. A. Giambusso fk IjE f Deputy Director forbeaMjpProjects -  %},,,4/('((\-\ (t l Directorate of' Licensinp~~ t N f

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Dear Mr. Giambusso:

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Subject:

Oyster Creek Station

- Docket No. 50-219 Spill of Chromated Water On December 20,1973 at 7:00 a.m. , a spill of approximately 3400 gal-lons of lightly contaminated radioactive chromated water occurred at the Oyster Creek Nuclear benerating Station. Mr. Caphton of the Region I Regulatory Oper-ations Office was notified at 9:00 a.m. on December 20, 1973 of this incident and requested that a letter of explanation be forwarded for their review.

The spill occurred as a result of a drain line from a temporary storage tank containing the water freezing and subsequently cracking during the severe cold weather over the past several days. Warm weather on December 20 thawed the drain line and allowed a portion of the water stored in the tank to drain onto the ground inside the plant security area. Upon discovery by oper-ating personnel during a routine plant tour, the leak was stopped and the water l contained in a relatively small area (40' x 150') adjacent to the radwaste building. Immediate efforts to clean up the spill were made by pumping the water laying on the surface of the ground into containers. A total of approxi-mately 1300 gallons was recovered in this manner. The remaining water in the storage tank was pumped into containers. A total of approximately 1300 gallons was recovered from the tank. The amount of water that leaked into the soil amounted to approximately .'100 gallons, containing a total of 1.7 pounds of Cr03 This water also contained approximately 5.17x10-4 pCi/cc or a total of 0.004 Ci of activity.

Shallow wells are being drilled to permit subterranean water analyses, core samples taken, and puddle water analyzed to determine the extent of the contamination and establish the best means of completing the clean up efforts.

On December 22, four new shallow wells were drilled in the area of the spill. Samples from these wells and an existing well in the nearby vicinity were analyzed for chromate. The well samples indicated that chromate was not present. .

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n Mr. Giambusso January 3,1974 On December 20, representatives of the USAEC, State of New Jersey, Department of Environmental Protection and the Federal EPA were advised of this event. The following day, a news release was mailed to area newspapers, copy of which is attached.

Mr. David Longstreet of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection came to the site on December 20, 1973 and obtained samples of the water in the leaking tank, the water underneath the tank, ti.e soil underneath the tank and background soil and water samples some distance from the area of concern. Mr. Fisher of the New Jersey Bureau of Radiation Protection also came to the site and took a sample of water from the tank and a sample of the soil underneath the tank. Analysis results from these samples have not been made available as of this time.

Plans are being made to install some temporary heating in the remain-ing eleven tanks until a rubber liner can be properly set up which will eventually be, capable of containing the water presently stored in temporary tanks. Because of unanticipated difficulties in developing an acceptable chromate disposal method, we intend to proceed with an alternate storage method to replace the temporary tanks. This will cohsist of a 50,000-gallon rubber bag placed in a trench. This trench will be lined to prevent water seeping into the ground in the unlikely event of a leak developing in the rubber bag. Our original approach was to use a precipitation method for the ultimate disposal of this chromate.

This method has not been able to meet the State of New Jersey, Department of Environmental Protection's requirement of 0.05 mg/l concentration prior to dis-charge. The Jersey Central Power G Light Company's Generation Engineering Department is presently investigating the feasibility of an activated charcoal absorption method to meet the State's discharge requirements.

Enclosed are forty copies of this report.

Very truly yours,

/W Donald A. Ross Manager, Nuclear Generating Stations cs Attachment r

cc: Mr. J. P. O'Reilly, Director Directorate of Regulatory Operations,, Region I

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,,c.,, GEN. o;n. ttuct ce ntctivta D r C :.'fi 19 K ROLic CO.V I O SUBJECT--Oyster Creek Chromato Leak RELEASE: Upon Recci d* W '- _b.

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LACEY T0tt! SHIP--Some 3,000 gallens of chremate water stored at Jersey Central Pot cr & Light Company's Oyster Creek fluclear Generating Station leaked from a tank truck onto the frozen grcund early today. (Dec. 20)

The water was pumped frca the ground into storage containers and will be shipped from the site with other low level radioactive waste rnaterici .

As a pre eutionary t:+eere, the errth ereund the tankcr t '!! 50 dug up tc remove any possible traces of chromate and radioactivity and also will be shipped from the plant site.

Soil semples have bcon taken for analysis by JCPL and represenistivos of the federal Environmental Protection Agency and the state Ocpartraent of Environmental Protection. The Atomic Energy Comission has been notified of the incident and the action taken.

Meanwhile, officials have determined that the chromate water has not posed any chemical or radiation hazard to the environment.  !

The tanker was located near the waste treatment plant which is several hundred yards from the south ' branch of the Forked River, the closest body of water.

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I--cdd chro.ete A leak in the tanker's drain line and two of its valves was discovered at 7 a. m. today during a routine icur of tho genarcting stotion security area, investigation revccled that tho drain lino and valves had fro;:en and cracked and iho thaw earl'y today resulted in the water leaking from the cracks onto the ground. The cracks ucro ropalred and the remaln-Ing water in the tanker was pumped into other storago containers. Other chren.:te sicrego facilities on the site wore rot damaged.

JCPL is working closoly with the stato DEP in the design of a chromato treat.mont plant that will be located et Oyster Creek for the cisposal of some l10,000 gallons of water now stored at the sito.

Chronete is a rust inhibitor used in ihc plant's prescure seppression pool. This is a 30-foot in diamcier steal pipo around the base of the containment vessel which is tho housing for the reactor. 'The pool is partially filled with water end any storm that might leak f rom

, system.s w!1hin the containment vossol is disch:rged into the pressuro suppression pool and is condensed.

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Nevis re enr,o to bc railCd to ncy;apapcra..G: ?Lul 'j" copy is for yotw intcr:catica.

E. J. Sherratt