ML20055A346
| ML20055A346 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Trojan File:Portland General Electric icon.png |
| Issue date: | 07/06/1982 |
| From: | Thomas L Federal Emergency Management Agency |
| To: | Dircks W NRC OFFICE OF THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR FOR OPERATIONS (EDO) |
| References | |
| TAC-46275, NUDOCS 8207160184 | |
| Download: ML20055A346 (5) | |
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f f Federal Emergency Management Agency Washington, D.C. 20472 E
" JUL 1982 Mr. William Dircks Executive Director for Operations U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Washington, D.C.
20555
Dear Mr. Dircks:
On December 9,1980, in accordance with the proposed Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Rule, 44 CFR 350, the State of Oregon submitted its Plan and associated local plans related to the Trojan commercial nuclear power station to the Regional Director of FEMA Region X for review and approval.
The State of Washington submitted like plans on March 29, 1981, and Cowlitz County in December 1980.
The Regional Director forwarded an evaluation, dated January 19, 1982, to His this Headquarters in accordance with Section 350.11 of the proposed rule.
submission included a critique of the joint exercises conducted on March 4, 1981, and November 17 and 19, 1981, and a review by the Regional staff and Regional Assistance Committee of the offsite plans in support of the Trojan nuclear power Included in the findings was an evaluation of the potential effects upon plant.
response capabilities with respect to volcanic activity such as ashfall, mudflow, floods, landslides, earthquakes, and future eruptions. Enclosed is that part of the Region X evaluation.
Some observed minor deficiencies which need the following improvements are:
an increased capability to coordinate public news releases during an emergency; prompt activation of Emergency Operation Centers upon declaration of an Alert, Site Area or General Emergency; reentry after an evacuation should be rc3 cognized as a major event and thus receive more attention from State and local nanagers; and radiological monitoring teams need to conduct frequent and periodic drills to maintain proficiency, especially where team participants are not normally field monitors on a daily or weekly basis.
Work and progress are continuing on plan improvement.
The plan or capability weakness should be reevaluated during the next joint exercise. The current status of previously scheduled corrective actions along with the status of recommendations resulting from a health physics drill are being ascertained.
Based on an overall evaluation, the States' of Oregon and Washington and Cowlitz County's plans and preparedness for the Trojan facility are adequate to provide reasonable assurance that appropriate of fsite protective measures can and will be taken in the event of a radiological emergency.
Sincerely,
) w &, m w
A Lee M. Thomas Associate Director State and Local Programs and Support l'Jj
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8207160184 820706 PDR ADOCK 05000344 F
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TROJAN FACILITT NATURAL HAZARDS Special Circumstances.
a.
Geographical (1)
Situation - The Trojan plant site is located in the Oregon Cc,ast Range.
The Coast Range is bordered on the north by the Olympic Range and on the south by the Klamath Mountains.
The Coast Range section is approximately 250 miles long (running along N-S axis) and averages 50 miles wide.
In the vicinity of the site, altitudes me generally below 2,000 feet.
The area is drained by the Columbia River and by numerous small tributaries.
West of the site, there is an abrupt rise in elevation to approximately 1,500 feet along a north-south axis.
Several streams have their headwaters along this divide, and they flow easterly or northeasterly to the Columbia River.
Stream gradients are high until they reach the flood plain of the Columbia River.
Valley profiles are V-shaped.
The Cascade Range east of the facility is marked by a chain of volcanic cones.
The closet cone is Mount St. Helens, approximately 36 miles from t.he site.
It is an active volcano exhibiting a variety of volcanic hazards.
Over the last two years the nature of the volcanic activity spans the range from earthquakes and ash emission to several major explosive eruptions (May 18, 25, and June 12, 1980) and series of non-explosive eruptions.
%e climate around Trojan is typical of the Pacific North sest Coast and is characterized by wet winters and dry summers with mild temperatures all year long.
There is a low probability of snowfall (greater than one inch is less than one percent) or heavy fog (visibility less than one-quarter mile is less than two percent).
l (2)
Evaluation - The Region has been requested to consider, in its evaluation, the degree of planning for and potential effects upon response capabilities with respect to volcanic phenomena (ashfall, mudflows, floods, and landslides).
The Region approached this evaluation along three separate routes.
(a)
Short-Term Hazards - The Region hired Thomas Dunn and Luna B. Leopold (both hydrologists) to conduct a study of the flood and sedimentation hazards in the Toutle and Cowlitz Rivers.
The report was published in January 1981.
It reviewed the potential for:
- 1) Catastrophic breaching of Coldwater and Castle Creek Lakec, 2) mudflows and floods generated by pyroclastic flows, 3) rain and snowmelt floods, and 4) sediment transport, deposit, and channel changes
2 This study was made availaole to Portland General Electric which utilized portions of it in revising their evacuation analysis report and the various procedures for evacuation.
The U.S. Army, Corps of Engineers, performed emergency work to mitigate the potential for catastrophic breaching of Coldwater and Castle Creek Lakes.
The Corps performed several other projects to enhance the dike system of the Cowlitz and improve the ability of the hydrologic system to hold snow and rain ficods.
Revisions were made to flood plain maps and detailed flood evacuation plans / procedures were developed for Cowlitz County.
Other work was performed to enable the river system to more ef fectively handle the sediment transport and potential for channel changes.
(b)
Risk Assessment (1)
Automotive - The Region received opinions from the U.S. Department of Transportation, Research and Special Programs Administration; Ford Motor Company, Car Service Engineering Department; General Motors, Service Section; and the U.S. Army, Tank Automotive Command.
The general concensus was that a normal vehicle could be driven at least 50 miles before failure under volcanic ash fallout -conditions of amounts up to one inch in depth.
Amounts of ash in the range of two to four inches could be expected to cause catastrophic failure of passenger vehicles within ten to twenty miles of road travel under these conditions.
This information was made available to the utility for use in their revision of the evacuation analysis report.
(2)
Volcanic eruption and related hazards - The Region received opinions from the U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, Virginia, and the U.S.
Geological Survey, Cascade Volcano Observatory.
Major conclusions are hereby summarized.
The percent of ashfall which might af fect the plume EPZ is two percent to five percent.
Also, the plume EPZ could be affected by ashfall from eruptions on Mt. Hood, which is considered dormant at this time.
Percent of ashfall is based upon the direction of prevailing winds and ash production by the volcano.
Mudflows and floods could eliminate the I-5 bridge across the Toutle River and several other minor roads.
PGE's revised evacuation analysis and the county's flood plan recognize the possibility of this bridge and other roads being eliminated.
The current level of risk as assessed for Mount St. Helens is much lower than it was in 1980.
Risk effects of those hazards on man are even lower because the USGS prediction capability is improving.
The mountain is considered to be in a period of episodic dome growth.
I
3 This non-explosive dome growth could be marked by small ashfalls, and 1
relatively small pyroclastic flows.
It is important to realize that there is vertually no chance of another equivalent eruption like that of May 18, 1980, occurring within the next few years because of the now none existent earth mass that was the mountain top prior to that date.
Since the last explosive eruption (October 1980) all volcanic related potentially lethal effects have been confined to the crater and immediate vicinity.
Since October 1980 the USGS has been able to predict all dome-building eruptions two to four weeks in advance of their occurrence.
l If another explosive eruption were to occur, the USGS believes that monitoring would detect the buildup in time to make a variety of preparations.
It is important to note that dome growth can be a long drawn out phenomenon.
Activity associated with the Goat Rocks dome at St. Helens probably will continue for more thanIdecade in the mid-1980's.
(3)
Non-volcanic hazards - The Region received an opinion from the Department of the Army, U.S. Corps of Engineers, U.S. Department of Interior, Geological Survey, Water Resources Division; and the U.S. Weather Service.
The consensus is that floods and risk of serious floods are much higher as a result of the May 18, 1980, eruption.
Despite the concluded mitigation ef forts, the potential will remain very high through the next decade.
The evacuation anaylsis report, prepared by Portland General Electric, was adopted by Cowlitz County.
The evacuation procedures for Cowlitz County, and the related flood plain, clearly recognize these risks and have considered the implication of the potential damange/ destruction to northern egress routes.
(c)
Long-Term Mitigation / Warning The Region has been active on two fronts in regard to the evolving problems associated with Mount St. Helens.
(1)
The Region chairs an interagency committee under the auspices of the Federal Coordinating Officer for the Mount St. Helens disaster.
This i
committee consists of FEMA USGS, Cascade Volcano Observatory and Water l
Resources Division; U.S. Vaather Service (Regional, Service and Soil Conservation Service) and, U.S. Army, Corps of Engineers.
This committee i
meets several times a yer.r to insure coordination with respect to data collection, risk assessaant, mitigation measures and warning procedures.
I (2)
The Region chairs the r.onstructural Hazard Mitigation Task Force, as specified under Sectico 406 of the Public Law 93-288.
This committee consists of FEMA; USDit; U.S. Army; U.S. Weather Service; DHUD; USGC; Cascade Volcano Observatory and Water Resources Division; DOC; DOT; Small Business Administration; State of Washington; and Cowlitz County, I
The task force prepared an interagency flood hazard mitigation report (11/13/81).
The report was aimed at mitigating l
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future public and private damages from potential flooding along the Toutle and Cowlitz Rivers.
Funding of many of the recommendations will be dependent upon National action and will be one of the decision items of the National i
Hazard Mitigation Task Force.
Socio-Economic Factors.
The Trojan Nuclear Power Plant is located in the northwestern section of the State of pregon on the Columbia River which is the border between the State of Oregon and Washington.
In Columbia County the economy is geared to the timber industry.
Its population is approximately 35,000 with 9,000 located in the plume emergency planning zone.
In Cowlitz County, the economy is a mix of heavy and light industrial processes, port operations, and timber-related harvest and manufacturing industries.
Its population is approximately 80,000 with 59,000 located in the plume emergency planning zone.
Volcanic Contingencies.
The State of Oregon's Tt.cjan Response contains a volcarsic cruption contingency whereby the Oregon Emr egency Operations Plan would be implemented. Damage assessment information would be relayed to Trojan and Columbia County, or if Columbia County's F.nergency Operations Center was made inoperative, the State would assume con tete responsibility.
If key elements essential for execution of the Trojan response are made inoperative due to a volcanic eruption or its affects, Oregon would restore those elements as soon as possible or arrange for other compensatory measures.
The State of Washington has made a commitment to include similar contingencies in their next Fixed Nuclear Facility Plan review.
l Cowlitz County has developed a contingency plan separate from their Trojan Response Plan.
Please note that Portland General Electric has arranged for representation at the Federal Volcanic Coordinating Center.
(Prepared by FEML Region I, Richard Donovan, Off1'H.)
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