ML19350E324
| ML19350E324 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Wood River Junction |
| Issue date: | 05/07/1981 |
| From: | Garrahy J RHODE ISLAND, STATE OF |
| To: | Hendrie J NRC COMMISSION (OCM) |
| Shared Package | |
| ML19350E321 | List: |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 8106170301 | |
| Download: ML19350E324 (4) | |
Text
i
.a T.=>
State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations Exec.m cawstW.CENcE
%g'.~u s w
J. Joseph Garraby Governor May 7, 1981 The Honorable Joseph M. Hendrie Chairman United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission Matomic Building 1717 H Street, N.W.
Washington, DC 20555
Dear Mr. Chairman:
I am writing concerning the decontamination and decommissioning of the uranium recovery facility operated at Wood River Junction, Rhode Island by UNC Recovery Systems, a division of United
~
Nuclear Corporation.
As you know, UNC ceased cperations at this facility in July, 1980 and has been dismantling and de-contaminating the plant and grounds since that time.
As you also know, since July, 1980 my office has been working closely with yo.ur agency to ensure that the site is decontaminated as completely and quickly as possible.
During this time, you and your staff have been highly cooperative and responsive to our requests and a productive relationship for which I am personally appreciative has been forged.
However, as the licensee proceeds with his program of decon-tamination toward decommissioning, the condition in which he leaves his property on license termination has become an increas-ingly important and sensitive issue with the citi: ens of Ehode Island.
There is a growing and deep conviction among Rhode Islanders' that environmental contamination caused by operations and accidental releases at the UNC Eecovery Systems plant should be cleaned up by the United Nuclear Corporation prior to license termination and that all costs for such cleanup should be borne solely by the Corporation.
This has been my consistent position in past dealings with UNC and with your agency as well.
510617e301
The Hencrable Joseph M. Hendrie Page Two May
, 1081 There is a parallel concern among Rhode Islanders that ad-ditional sources of contamination may be identified after known sources are corrected and the NRC license terminated.
This could well leave Rhode Island taxpayers with the financial burden of supporting expensive cleanup efforts or the equally onerous and time consuming task of seeking relief through the courts.
We are also concerned that the current UNC license as it is now written could be terminated before the aquifer beneath the UNC site has purged itself of the radioactive contamination caused by the release of radionuclide contaminantsfrom UNC's storage lagoons.
If-this were to occur then both licensee and licensor would be in a position to depart Rhode Island leaving one of the State's largest untapped potential drinking water
-sources contaminated by radioactivity.
It has been our clear understanding throughout the course of our dealings with your agency that the United Nuclear Corpor-ation's NRC license and their fiscal responsibility for site decontamination will not be terminated until decontamination standards acceptable to both the State and the NRC have been agreed upon and complied with.
We further understand that NRC regulations require these standards to be sufficiently stringent as to allow for immediate and unrestricted use of the site for other purposes.
In order to avoid possible misunderstandings and inspire public confidence that unforeseen contamination problems will not-jeopardi e futur,e use of the site, I would propose at this time that we formalize these understandings in writing.
I propose, then, a written agreement with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission which contains the following points:
a)
Agreement that NRC and the State of Rhode Island
.will_ develop and NRC will impose mutually acceptable standards for decontamination of UNC Recovery System's Wood River Junction site and the ground-water aquifer beneath that site.
b)
Agreement that these standards should be sufficiently stringent to allow for inmediate release of the site and the groundwater beneath it for general unrestricted use prior to termination of the license.
l
o i
The-Honorable Joseph M. Hendrie page Three May
, 19S1 c)
Agreement that UNC Recovery Systems' NRC license and its oblications under that license will not be terminated unless and until NRC and the State of Rhode Island jointly determine ths: decontamination standards have been complied with by the company.
d)
Agreement that a licensee-regulator relationship be-tween UNC and NRC be retained until the aquifer underlying the plant site has purged itself or been purged of radioactive and nitrate contamination.
It is also my understanding that an NRC consultant team will be at UNC on May 6 to conduct a preliminary evaluation of the site with the objective cf developing an appropriate survey strategy.
As you may know, existing survey information for areas cutside.the fenced security zone is limited to 1979 aerial overflight data which we have found to be totally in-adequate and unacceptable and the results of which are ques-tionable to NRC.
Absent a reliable data base we, therefore, find ourselves largely in the dark as to the present condition of most of the 1,000-plus acres owned by UNC Recovery Systems.
This is a cause of understandable anxiety to area residents and represents an intolerable situation from the State's per-spective.
I must agair, therefore, urge NRC to move expedi-tiously and to press i:: consultants to move expeditiously in both designing and implementing an overall site survey.
The State will participate in the May 6 evaluation and stands i
ready to assist in moving this matter to a quick resolut.on.
Finally, we remain deeply disturbed by UNC's apparent reluc-tance to ship more than token quantitles of waste to the Beatty, Nevada burial site despite the fact that their Nevada disposal license has been reinstated.
We are not convinced that this reluctance is justifiable ca technical or safety grounds although these may be considerations and are not sym-pathetic to arguments based on the costs involved.
Kaste material-should not be allowed to accumulate on site and should be removed to licensed burial facilities as soon'as it is properly processed and containerized.
I urge you to bring the full weight of NRC's regulatory authority to bear to en-sure that this happens.
{
t g.
The.Hencrable Joseph M. Hendrie lPagc Four May 7,.19S1 Again',-my thanks.to you,and.your staff'for your cooperation i
~~
in this matter.
I will look forward-tc your early response to these propcsals and'a continuation of our cordial relation-
' ship.
I am prepared to' discuss these issues with you at any time.
1!'
- h...itn best wisnes, I remain f
Sincerely,
. (
J. Joseph Garrahy GO ERNOR 4
j i
T i
i t-4
}
J l
,I 4
i 5
4 m-t 4
i 4
i
+
1 4
e e
t h