ML20005A950
| ML20005A950 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | West Valley Demonstration Project |
| Issue date: | 06/09/1981 |
| From: | Haughney C NRC OFFICE OF NUCLEAR MATERIAL SAFETY & SAFEGUARDS (NMSS) |
| To: | Myra Hamilton Sierra Club |
| References | |
| CON-FIN-B-2291, CON-FIN-B-3042, CON-FIN-B-6008, CON-FIN-B-6192, CON-FIN-B-6349, CON-FIN-B-6350, CON-FIN-B-7040, CON-FIN-B-7066, CON-FIN-B-7460 NUDOCS 8107060093 | |
| Download: ML20005A950 (4) | |
Text
I h,gj Nk o
~
M d; I
(@'
s ss -en Distr:
/nnckatfile50-201 S
J g. S 1981 FCAF l-khb Docket No. 50-201 IE HQ (3)
JGDavis RECunningham TFCarter LCRouse RDSmith LBeratan REBrowning TNicholson JBMartin Ms., Mina Hamilton, Co-Director ggg)f Sierra Club Radioactive Waste Campaign JKlusick 3164 Main Street ATClark Buffalo, New York 14214 CJHaughney fS
Dear Ms. Hamilton:
ner I am writing in response to your letter of May 1,1981 in which you asked several questions about the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's (NRC) research programs at the West Valley burial grounds.
I am enclosing a copy of the project descriptive sumary for the research program which briefly describes the program and which provides the budgetary infonnation you requested. You will note that part of the program is being conducted by the U.S. Ged ogical Survey (USGS) and part b,y the New York Geological Survey (NYSS). The NYGS has overall management control and responsibility for the program, and the USGS will conduct the drilling portion. The presently planned drilling program calls for drilling nine to twelve holes, most of which would be in the area l
surrounding the NRC licensed facility burial ground. Three of these l
planned holes would be in the area between the facility burial ground and the stato licensed comercial burial ground.
l The NRC's research program at West Valley is funded and managed through our Office of Regulatory Research. A recent reorganization within the Office of Regulatory Research has resulted in reassignment of this program I
to a new branch within the office that oversees all earth science related l
research. As a result, the West Valley research program is undergoing l
review; and changes in the program may result. The information you have previously sent to me as well as the information we both have obtained from l
the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation is receiving due i
consideration during this program review.
m e
6 Thank you for your interest in these matters.
gn s
-D D
Sincerely, E
j oric# "j[$Ney, 5 E 1 9 I981
- FT-sto706o093 elo Char M
- g ronx
"'s.
yDRADOCK0500 Charles J. Haughney N
4TTif-([
Enclosure:
Advanced Fuel & Spent Fuel N
Project Descripti,ve Summaries.ia Licensinc Branch
~~
omer >
..F.C. AF.
F..C. A..
.....R ES.. { UDivision of' Fuel Cycle and
..Materf al-Safety -
suaamus)CJHaughney:rjb LQ se LBeratan
..... /..... 1
..E...... l. M......T..O
~
~
/
DATEf........[. h
[k '..1 NRC FORM 318 ttoe 80i NRCM 0240 OFFICMt. RECORD COPY
. use o 1980-329 24 )
a.
,a
~...
.~
~
i PROJECT DESCRIPTIVE
SUMMARY
OFFICE: RES PROJECT TITLE:
HYDROGE0 LOGIC RADIONUCLIDE CONTAINMENT AT WEST VALLEY TYPE OF CONTRACT: Unsolicited Proposal CONTRACT 0Ri New York State Geological Survey FIN NO.: B6008, B6350 FY BUDGET (SK):
FY80 FY81 102*
220 SCOPE 0' WORK:
(B7066 and this project are inter-dependent and should be reviewed together as a total program.)
Define the geology and hydrology of the West Valley site with respect to the potential for migration of radionuclides from the shallow land burial area licensed by New York state and the area licensed by the NRC. The research will include work in the following areas:
?
Geology - Stratigraphy, describe the character and distribution of glacial deposits.
Determine the engineering properties of the glacial deposits.
Surface Water Hydrology - Stream flow and suspended sediments transport, including precipitation and snow survey data. To be done in cooperation with the U.S. Geological Survey.
NYG$ will prepare reports.
- Carryover f rom FY 1979 funds from prior contract.
- Includes funds for completing final reports which will carryover into first half of FY 1984.
6/4/81
l
.g_
. B6008, B6350 Ground Water (Geohydrology) - To be done in cooperation with the 7
U.S. Geological Survey. USGS will prepare reports.
Erosion (Geomorphology) - Predict erosion rates from stream erosion and land sliding.
Radiochemical Analyses - Up to seventy samples of stream water and/or sediments; selected samples from cores and water from holes drilled adjacent to the NRC licensed burial area.
BENEFIT:
The information developed will be used to evaluate the long term geologic processes that could affect the containment capability of the West Valley shallow land burial area and the burial area licensed by the NRC. The infomation will also be useful in developing guidance for acceptable tech-niques for determining containment capability by shallow or intemediate depth burial facilities in glacial deposits.
USER NEED:
The information is needed by New York state to make decisions on the disposition of the shallow land burial site at West Valley and is needed 1 by NRC Division of Fuel Cycle and Material Safety to make decisions on the disposition of the hulls and ends burial area.
PRIOR AND CURRENT NRC RELATED PROJECTS:
This project is a continuation of B6008 and B6350, surveys of the shallow land burial area and the hulls and ends burial areas, respectively, will integrate the information from these surveys and from the USGS work under B7066 in addition to providing additicnal information on the overall West Valley site stability.
Other related projects are:
B-2291 Cnemical Characteristics and Migrating Radionuclides in Shallow Land Burial areas B-6192 Burial Ground Survey, Kentucky l
l B-3042 Source Terms of Radionuclides l
B-6349 Subsurface Radar Profiling 1
l B-7460 Metheds for Determining Unsaturated Zone Hydrology at Shallow Land Burials A-7040 Transport of Waste Radionuclides Tt. rough Soils
.-_.,,,__..___....,....._A.._.m
W,,,..... :
e B6008, B6350 INTERAGENCY COORDINATION AND INTEREST:
USGS is directly involved in the project.
DOE has a direct interest relative to their waste solidification program at West Valley.
EPA funded earlier work at West Valley and is interested in following the progress of this project.
JUSTIFICATION FOR SOLE SOURCE:
Being developed with Division of Contracts.
l l
l