ML20043B971
| ML20043B971 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | 07000033 |
| Issue date: | 05/16/1990 |
| From: | Bores R, Roth J NRC OFFICE OF INSPECTION & ENFORCEMENT (IE REGION I) |
| To: | |
| Shared Package | |
| ML20043B970 | List: |
| References | |
| 70-0033-90-01, 70-33-90-1, NUDOCS 9006010124 | |
| Download: ML20043B971 (5) | |
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4 U. S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION REGION I Report No. 70-33/90-01 Docket No. 70-33 License No. SNM-23 Pricrity 1 Category UHFF Licensee: Texas'Instrume$tsIncorporated lfO orest Street.
Attleboro. Massachusetts 02702 Facility Name: HFIR project Inspection At: Attleboro Massachusetts Inspection Conducted: April 24, 1990 Inspectors:
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J. Aph,' Project Engineer, Ef fluents Radiation
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Prd14ction Section, Facilities Radiological Safety and Safeguards Branch, Division of Radiation Safety and Safeguards Accompanied by:
A. M. Huffert Health Physicist, Low-Level Waste Management Division, Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards Approved b :
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Bores. Chief.EffluentsRfoiation date Pr ection section, Facilities Radiological Sa' ety and Safeguards Branch, Division of Radiation Safety and Safeguards Inspection Summary:
Inspection on April 24, 1990 (Report No. 70-33/90-01)
- Areas Inspected:
Special, announced inspection by a region-based inspector to examine the status of.the facility and to provide the licensee with information regarding additionail actions required to complete decontamination of several outside areas of the site.
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Results: No violations-or deviations were identified. The licensee committed to provide the NRC.with a schedule for providing a written plan and contemplated actions to be taken to remediate the identified contaminated areas by May 15, 1990. The licensee will also provide the NRC with definitive information concerning the disposition of the radioactive material that was buried on the site.
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Details 11 Individuals Contacted 1.1 Texas Instruments R. L. Churchill, Program Manager, Industrial Metals Department R. W. Sorgel, Facilities Manager F. J. Veale, Jr., Manager, Environmental Engineering / Industrial Hygiene J. O Donnell, Corporate Health Physicist M. J. Elliott, Manager, Environmental Engineering N. Weiss, Manager, Employee Relations 1.2 Nuclear Regulatory Commission l
J. Roth, Project Engineer, RI A. M. Huffert, Health Physicist, Low Level Waste Management, NMSS 2.0 Backgrotad The Attleboro, Massachusetts site was owned and operated by Metals &
Controls, Inc. (M&C) until 1959, at which time M&C merged with Texas Instruments, Inc.
Processing of nuclear materials began in 1952, and included the fabrication of uranium foils for reactor experiments and. fuel components, and complete reactor fuel cores for the U.S. Navy. After the merger in 1959, Texas Instruments continued fabricating reactor fuel cores, primarily for research and production reactors. Also, source-material components, i.e., natural uranium and thorium, were fabricated for sale to various corporations. A 1964 Texas Instrument's health and safety manual states that uranium and thorium - contaminated noncom-bustible scrap material and machinery were collected in.55 gallon steel drums end were disposed of through authorized agencies, or were buried on site in compliance with 10 CFR 20.304.
But,'als were made from 1958 to 1961, and the burial site was closed in 1967. Work witir nuclear materials was gradually reduced beginning in 1968 and was~ terminated in 1983. The interior of the facility was decontaminated and released for unrestricted use by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) in 1983.
Two outdoor areas were identified as contaminated:
the burial site situated near Building 12, and soil around the-loading dock of the main processing area adjacent to Building 10.
A survey to assess the radiological conditions on the property was
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conducted by Texas Instruments personnel from December 1981 through I
October 1982, and a report was released in January.1983. Texas i
Instruments has requested termination of NRC License No SNM-23. At the l
request of the NRC, a radiological survey of portions of the Texas Instruments site was conducted during April and May 1984 by the i
Radiclogical Site Asr.essment Program of the Oak Ridge Associated Universities (0RAU), Oak Ridge, Tennessee.
3 The purpose of this current inspection was to review the results of the ORAU survey with the licensee, to provide the licensee with information on the current NRC guidance with respect to facility release for unrestricted use criteria, and to obtain commitments from the licensee with regard to remedial actions to be taken to eliminate the residual contamination in excess of the NRC guidance values as identified during the ORAU survey.
3.0 NRC Independent Measurements The inspector conducted a survey at randomly selected locations within the suspected confines of the burial site and on the east side of Building 12.
The survey was conducted using a Ludlum Model 19 Micro _R Meter and a Ludlum Model 16 Analyzer equipped with a one-inch x one-inch sodium iodide scintillation detector. Measurements at'one meter above the surface did not exceed background levels of 10 to 11 micro R per hour (900 to 1000 counts per mint.te).
Surface measurements did not exceed background levels t
except on the east side of Building 12 where radiation levels in small selected spots were about twice background. These measurements were t
consistent with those reported by ORAU, who indicated that there was no evidence that the surface in the areas surveyed had'been disturbed since conduct of the ORAU survey in 1984.
4.0 Licensee Discussions i
The inspector provided the licensee with a copy of the January 1985 ORAU survey report and general background information on the status of NRC actions with regard to decommissioning and decontaminating the facilities and the site.
The licensee was also provided with information l
concerning the status of NRC actions with regard to "Below-Regulatory-l Concern" (BRC) issues and new facility decommissioning criteria. The licensee was provided with copies of the new interim NRC facility criteria for release for unrestricted use and was informed that they would be required to meet the guidance criteria specified in DRAFT NUREG-5512
" Residual Contamination From Decommissioning", which was available from the National Technical Information Service, Springfield, Virginia.
The contents of the ORAU report were discussed'and those areas of the licensee's site which required remedial action were pointed out. As a result, the licensee was requested to provide the NRC with a remediation plan and schedules.
During the ORAU' survey, considere.ble effort was 1.
expended through the use of ground penetrating radar and the drilling of.
l boreholes to delineate the location of the formerly authorized burial site. Since the location of the burial site could not be verified, the l
licensee was requested to provide the NRC with information regarding the i
I disposition of the burial site and contained radioactive materials.
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Through discussions with the licensee representatives the inspector determined that the licensee has continued to obtain groundwater samples for analyses. The licensee has also conducted studies of groundwater flow and hydrology at the site and will make them availchle to the NMSS-Low Level Waste Management Personnel.
5.0 Licensee Commitments During the course of this inspection, the licensee made,the following t
commitments with regard to the conduct of remedial actions at the site.
L 5.1 The licensee will provide the NRC with a letter stating what actions-will be taken to remediate the NRC-identified contaminated areas on I
the site and the schedule for conduct of those actions. This-letter will be provided by May 15, 1990.. This was identified as a commitment (33/90-01-01).
5.2 The licensee will provide the NRC with definitive _information concerning the disposition of the radioactive material that was buried on the site. This was also' identified as a commitment (33/90-01-02).
5.3 The licensee will pvvvide the NRC with available. groundwater flow and direction studies and will install additional monitoring wells around the burial site 'ocation, if required, to monitor for radioactivity present during the remediation activities. This was i
identified as an Inspector Followup Item (33/90-01-03).
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