ML19348A049
| ML19348A049 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | 02700039 |
| Issue date: | 10/20/1981 |
| From: | Seifken D NRC OFFICE OF NUCLEAR MATERIAL SAFETY & SAFEGUARDS (NMSS) |
| To: | Foster J INTERIOR, DEPT. OF, GEOLOGICAL SURVEY |
| Shared Package | |
| ML19348A050 | List: |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 8111020280 | |
| Download: ML19348A049 (2) | |
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Mr. James B. Foster
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United States Geological Survey Champaign County Bank Plaza l
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- Fourth Floor 4' 4 [ g BMenczer, IE-Reg.III 102 East Main Stmet j
Urbana, Illinois 61801 S. Sekuler, IL St.
K. An.spach, IL St.
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Dear Mr. Foster:
i This letter is in response 'to a, letter.. dated September' 30,.1981,;that:I m mceived from Mr. Larry Toler, District Chief, conceming NRC approval of.
i two pmposed field studies at the Sheffield Low-Level Waste Disposal. Facility.
This letter confims discussions on this subject during our meeting in Silver Spring on Wednesday, October 14, 1981.
The studies wem initially proposed in a June 19,1981 letter from Mr. Phillip -
Cohen, USGS Chief Hydrologist, to Mr. Charles Eason, Director for Govemmental l
Affairs, U.S. Ecology..Inc. _The first study deals.with the movement of water, l
through the unsaturated zone and the second deals with measurement of the rate l
of erosion from the site surface. Both studies will rely upon meteorological j
data collected at a pmposed on-site meteorological station. The fomer study.
will supplement the tunnel study which is already undemy.
The measurement of the movement of water through the unsaturated zone, specif1-cally through trench caps, swales between trench caps, and undisturbed site i
soils, represents a major contribution.to the ability to establish a water s budget for the site, to detemine the amount of. infiltrating water.that may.
contact the buried waste, and to predict the migration of radionuclides. leached from the buried wastes. The NRC strongly. endorses this study..However,.this endorsement is contingent upon a constitment from the USGS that this additional study will not interfem with, nor draw necessary technical staff away from.
the on-going NRC-supported study on evaluation of locations and rates of ground-water discharge from the Sheffield site-(B-6967).
Please provide. assurance that such interfemnce will not occur.
With respect to the ension study, the study, appears to be very dependent upon the availability of a suitable control. area. Since U.S. Ecology, Inc. has indicated they will use the knoll to the immediate south of the site 1for borrow.
material, a suitable control area may not be available. However, if.a suitable.
control area can be located, the data from.the erosion study may be useful in,
detemining both the erosion rates for the current site conditions and any charps in emsion rates as the vegetative cover _ becomes more established or as.other 811102OJ8DI A
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moedial measums am taken.
Given the highly erosive nature of the re-worked ioess and the continued problems in certain portions of the site with establishing a stable surface drainage system, the erosion. study appears to be potentially fraught with minor difficulties and aggravations, particularly if U.S. Ecology, Inc. needs to perform additional mmedial activities in or adjacent to the proposed study a mas. Please note that several of the proposed study areas am not curmntly stabilized with respect to emsion. The NRC would take the.
position that stabilization of the site takes pmcedence over the erosion study, and the proposed. study should not pmclude U.S. Ecology, Inc. fmm perfoming necessary site maintenance.
Please contact me if you have any questions.
Sincerely, OrtgTnal signedBE David L. Siefken Low-Level Waste Licensing Branch Division of Waste Management f)
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