ML20004D765
| ML20004D765 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Salem  |
| Issue date: | 05/22/1981 |
| From: | Schneider F Public Service Enterprise Group |
| To: | Grier B NRC OFFICE OF INSPECTION & ENFORCEMENT (IE REGION I) |
| References | |
| IEB-81-03, IEB-81-3, NUDOCS 8106090743 | |
| Download: ML20004D765 (6) | |
Text
.
6 Frederick W. Schneider Public Service Electric and Gas Company 80 Park Plaza Newark, N.J. 07101 201/430-7373 Vice Pres dent Production May 22, 1981 s
Mr. Boyce H. Grier, Director
's 'e cr '\\j "
Office of Inspection and Enforcement
- " {"'
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission
-9 Region I
};
fjl O 31931 ** f j L
631 Park Avenue e
o.,. c,y.ma:s d(/
King of Prussia, Pa.
19406 ew-L
4
Dear Mr. Grier:
'I,
' ]\\ v s.-
- /
~L L -y NRC IE BULLETIN NO. 81-03 FLOW BLOCKAGE OF COOLING WATER TO SAFETY SYSTEM COMPONENTS SY CORBICULA SP.
(ASIATIC CLAM) AND MYTILUS SP. (MUSSEL)
SALEM GENEP.ATING STATION UNITS NO. 1 AND 2 DOCKET NOS. 50-272 AND 50-311 In accordance with the requirements of' the subject bulletin, we hereby submit the following response:
A review was performed of the existing ecological studies results to determine if either organism was present in any of the samples in'the vicinity of Artificial Island.
No Asiatic clam, Corbicula sp., or mussel, Mvtilus sp. have been collected in the Delaware River. tear Artificial Island (RM 40-60) in the benthos sampling conducted since 1969 as part of the Salem Environmental Monitoring Program (See An Ecological Study of the Delaware River in the Vicinity of Artificial Island, 1969-1976, and Annual Nonradiological Environmental Operating Reports 1977-1978).
Sampling from 1969 through 1971 was conducted over a wide range of substrate primarily with pocar dredges.
Since 1978 no specimens have been observed in samples collected as part of the ongoing Radiological Monitoring Program.
Additionally, no Asiatic clam or mussel have been observed in intake entrainment and impingement sampling at Salem Unit 1 since the initial startup of Salem Unit 1 in December 1976.
Although the 3/8 inch mesh traveling screens located in the CWS intake structure sample only the larger, therefore older mollusks, they are an important secondary sampling method capable of detecting established populations.
Although bivalves are not presently included among the designated taxa in the impingement monitoring program, the occurrence of an unusual bivalve or group of bivalves greater than 3/8 inch would have been noted.
Since no Corbicula sp. or Mytilus sp. were found, Steps 2 and 3 of the bulletin are not~ applicable.
\\gl(iP \\
g 8106090 7463 g
a Mr. Boyce H. Grier, Director U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission 5/22/1981 The potential for intrusion of the Asiatic clam and the mussel into the local environment, and into the Salem intakes, is largely de-pendent upon river flow which is necessary for organism transport and which determines the salinity.
The salinity and thermal toler-ances and/or preferences of the indicated species must be met before intrusion and colonization can occur.
Based on the salinity tolerance of the mussel, Mytilus sp., no intrusion into the local environment would be expected.
- Further, in the unlikely event that a " stray" did invade the local environ-ment and/or Salem intakes, it could not survive and reproduce in the low salinity regimes (6 to 8 ppt mean, 1 to 18 ppt range) which occur during much of the year.
Mytilus edulis, the blue mussel, has been reported by Maurer et al. (1974) to occur in the Delaware Bay at salinities of 20-35 ppt.
Salinity levels near Artificial Island only reached the lower end of this salinity range once, during a l
period of unusually low fresh water runoff.
-The potential for intrusion of the Asiatic clam into the local en-vironment is not expected to be high.
The closest known established populations are presently located in the tidal freshwater reaches of the Delaware River between Burlington and Trenton, New Jersey (RM 118-132) (Crumb, 1977).
Transport into the local environment from this region would most Jtkely occur as a result of high runoff (low salinity) conditions.
(grbicula sp. have been reported in low salinity regions of the James River, Virginia (Diaz, 19 74) in 5-7 ppt salinities (Brirton 1981A, personal communication) and elsewhere (Evans et al., 1979).
Corbicula sp. has spread throughout North America, principally south of 40* Latitude (Britton and Morton, 1979).
tts distribution range is primarily dictated by its low tolerance to low water temperature.
Corbicula sp. (Britton 1981B, personal communication) is cold-limited and will perish in winter freezes.
Because winter (December through March) water temperatures in the vicinicy of Salem typically reach levels at or below its lower lethal temperature (i. e., 2*C; Mattice and Dye, 1976) (Table 11, its permanent establishment in the vicinity of Salem (Latitude 39' 27') at levels sufficient for severe fouling is unlikely.
If marginal colonization in the vicinity did occur, population levels would probably be " controlled" by the typically low, ambient winter water temperature.
Detection of the Asiatic clam, Corbicula sp. and the mussel, Mytilus sp. will be assured by a slight modification of our on-going-sampling ~and monitoring programs.
The examination of benthic samples currently collected semi-annually as part of the Environmental Radiological Monitoring Program (six replicated samples, four stations, RM 40-60) is adequate to identify these species, if present.
The impingement monitoring program samples will also be scanned for any evidence of these two species.
In i
Mr. Boyce H. Grier, Director U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission 5/22/1981 addition, normal condenser maintenance requires condensers to be inspected monthly.
The generally unfavorable ambient conditions and the potential rate of heat exchangers infestation, were viable organisms to enter, enable this combination of field and plant monitoring to provide adequate warning.
Evaluation of item Sa revealed that the radiological monitoring program is an ongoing program and the last sample was taken September 23, 1980.
Since the subject clams and mussels have not been found in our plant, items 5b, e and d do not apply.
Due to this absence of Asiatic clams and mussels no corrective actions are required.
Our preventive actions are as previously delineated in this reply.
Sincerely,
.A '
CC Director, Office of Inspection and Enforcement U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Wa1hington, D.C.
20555
Literature Cited Britton, J. C. and B. Morton.
1979.
Corbicula in North America:
The evidence reviewed and evaluated.
Pages 250-287 in Proceedings First International Corbicula Symposium 7 A Texas Christian University Research Foundation Publication.
Edited by J. C.
Britton.
313 PP.
Crumb, S. E.
1977.
Macrobenthos of the tidal Delaware River between Trenton and Burlington, New Jersey.
Chesapeake Sci.
18(3):253-265.
- Diaz, R. J.
1974.
Asiatic clam, Corbicula manilensis (Philippi), in the tidal James River, Virginia.
Chesapeake Sci.
15:118-120.
Evans, L.
P.,
Jr., C.
E. Murphy, J. C. Britton, and L. W.
Newland.
1979.
Salinity relationships in Corbicula fluminea (Muller) Pages 193-214 in First International Coroicula Symposium, A Texas Christian University Research Foundation Publication.
Edited by J.
C.
Britton.
313 pp.
Mattice, J. S.
and L.
L.
Dye.
197,6.
Thermal tolerance of the adult Asiatic clam.
Pages 130-135 in Thermal Ecology II.
ERDA Symposium Series, CONF-750425, Symposium held at Savannah River-Ecology Laboratory.
Esch, G. W.
and R. W. McFarlane, Editors.
- Maurer, D.,
L. Watling and G. Aprill.
1974.
The distribution and ecology of common marine and estuarine pelecypods in the Delaware Bay area.
Nautilus:
88(2) 38-44.
1 1
JB:mlr CLO7/2
s Table 1.
PSE&G, Salem Generating Station mean intake tem-perature data for winter months averaging less than 2.0*C 1977-1980.
1 Month /Yr Mean Temp. (*C) i Jan. '78 1.3 Feb. '78 0.6 Mar. '78 1.8 Jan. '79 2.6 Feb. '79 0.9 s
Jan. '80 2.5 Feb. '80 1.9 4
JB mlr CLO7/1 I
..-m..,..
-d 9
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
)
)
SS:
COUNTY vF ESSEX COUNTY OF ESSEX
)
FREDERICX W. SCHNEIDER, being duly sworn according to law deposes and says:
I am a Vice President of Public Service Electric and Gas Company, and as such, I find the matters set forth in our response dated May 22, 1981 to the NRC's IE Bulletin 81-03 titled " Flow Blockage of Cooling Water to Safety System Components by CORBICULA Sp.
(Asiatic Clam) and MYTILUS Sp. (mus sel) " are true to the best of my knowledge and belief.
A
_f 2
FREDERICK W.
SCHNEIDER Subscribed and sworn to before me n,
'F this. v '-
day of E 1981 0
11/// 'r*,-[(2,jg_
],
. i,
/
.]
Notary Public of New Jersey My Commission expires on
.'r
(.
f
.