ML20059D242
| ML20059D242 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Issue date: | 10/22/1993 |
| From: | Scarano R NRC OFFICE OF INSPECTION & ENFORCEMENT (IE REGION V) |
| To: | Paperiello C NRC OFFICE OF NUCLEAR MATERIAL SAFETY & SAFEGUARDS (NMSS) |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 9311020175 | |
| Download: ML20059D242 (9) | |
Text
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UNITED STATES y"
l NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
,i REGION V 1
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1450 MARIA LANE WALNtJT CREEK, CAUFORNIA 94596-5%8 October 22, 1993 MEMORANDUM FOR:
Carl J. Paperiello, Director Division of Industrial and Medical Nuclear Safety, NMSS FROM:
Ross A. Scarano, Director Division of Radiation Safety and Safeguards
SUBJECT:
REGION V REVIEW OF LIST OF TERMINATED SITES IN THE ENCLOSURES TO NMSS MEA 0RANDUM 0F MARCH 8, 1993, UPDATE We have performed an evaluation of the potentially contaminated sites and missing sources contained in your March 3, 1993, and August 6, 1993, memoranda.
as requested.
This memorandum is the second of three scheduled Region V responses for the closure of our actions, as requested in the above noted memoranda. to this memorandum provides an update to our comments and recommendations made in our September 29, 1992, and June 30, 1993, responses.
Two previously released facilities discussed in the above responses:
Aerojet Nucleonics, San Ramon California, and US Navy's NRDL facilities at Hunter Point Naval Shipyard, California, will require further review. updates our re-review to date of these two licenses.
i Based on the August 8,1993, revised NHSS/IMDB listings, we have added the U. S. Army Laboratory (License No. 46-12754-01) at Fort Lewis, Washington, to our list and revised the scores of several other sites. Two such sites that had increases in their scores were McDonnell Douglas (SNM-01016, score increased from 580 to 11,768) in Richland, Washington and U. S. Nuclear Corporation (SNM-01002, score increased from 257 to 2,520) in Burbank, CA.
Our preliminarily review of the licenses indicates that all termination '
activities were appropriately conducted and the licenses terminated. contains a listing of all sites for which we have completed our review (including those contained in previous submittals) and are considered closed.
Documentation for individual closures will be included in the original license file or, if such a file does not exist, one will be created.
Files will be returned to ORAU upon completion of all work.
The conclusion i
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4 that any particular license requires no further action will be made due to one or more of the following attributes:
ORAU records or regional records contain sufficient information to lead us to believe that the facility would be of no hazard to the public based on the radioactive materials authorized, operations, and/or the last radiological surveys or inspection findings for the facility.
The license was verified to have been transferred to an equivalent agreement state license.
Documents have been acquired from the licensee or agreement state files that document the proper closeout of the license and the facility, and the release criteria was compatible with current release criteria.
At this time, we do not anticipate encountering significant issues associated with the licenses assigned to Region V.
If you have any questions regarding our evaluation, plea contact Jim Reese or Dean Chaney of my staff.
WW Ross A. Scarano, Director Division of Radiation Safety and Safeguards
Enclosures:
(1)
Update of Licenses Under Continued Review (2)
Reviewed Licenses - Considered Closed cc w/ enclosures:
B. Faulkenberry, RV J. Greeves, NMSS/LLWM&D R. W. Cooper R1 J. P. Stohr, RII W. L. Axelson, RIII L. J. Callan, RIV P. F. Goldberg, NMSS/IM08 D. Chaney, RV G. Yuhas, RV J. Reese, RV G. Cook, RV J. Hornor, RV State of California, Department of Health Services, Radiologic Health Branch State of Washington, Department of Social and Health Services, Radiation Control Section 1
A ENCLOSURE 1 UPDATE OF LICENSES UNDER CONTINUED REVIEW The below noted licenses remain under regional observation.
Extensive discussions on the history of these licenses have previously been documented in the following memoranda:
(1)
Memorandum from R. Scarano, RV/DRSS to R. Cunningham, NMSS/IMNS; Subj:
Region V Review of Oak Ridge National Laboratory (CRNL) List of Potentially Contaminated Sites, dated 9/29/92.
(2)
Memorandum from R. Scarano, RV/DRSS to R. Cunningham, NMSS/IMNS; Subj:
Region V Review of List of Terminated Sites in Enclosure 3 of NMSS Memorandum of March 8, 1993, dated 6/30/93.
1.0 AEROJET GENERAL NUCLEONICS Listed Address:
Aerojet-General Nucleonics P. O. Box 77 (3300 Crow Canyon Rd)
San Ramon, California License Number:
SNM-31 and SNM-119 Date of Issuance: July 1956 i
Closeout Date:
May 1970 Docket Number:
70-38 & 70-138 1
Ranking:
11,902 BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF LICENSEE ACTIVITIES Fabrication of breeder reactor and highly enriched uranium fuel elements / pins, and nuclear research, and development activities.
i Operations included weighing, mixing, heating, pressing, trimming, j
alloying, casting, and gamma irradiations.
GENERAL INFORMATION The license covered production and research/ development programs at the facility for approximately fourteen years. AEC inspections conducted' during the term of the license suggested that the licensee may not have had a strong health physics program. The files indicate that releases below 10 CFR Part 20 limits were originally made to a drain pond that-was located adjacent to their production facility or what referenced-to as the " Butler Building," (north of Building 1A).
Releases of below 10 CFR Part 20 limits were subsequently made to a sewer system after the permanent City of San Ramon sewer system was installed.
i ORNL CONCERNS I
See References (1) & (2).
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REGIONAL COMMENTS While this site was released on the evidence of both state and NRC surveys (1970), there are concerns that the subterranean leach field and associated piping used for radioactive releases may not have been adequately surveyed or decontaminated prior to the release of the site.
The area in question has been paved over and offices built on part of the site. Some of the old buildings that housed laboratories still exist, but are not under licensee ownership.
Previous release surveys, conducted in 1969/70, showed that contamination was left when termination of both state and NRC licenses. Release limits used to release the facilities were higher than allowed at this time. The original licensee Aerojet General is still in business in California.
REGIONAL RECOMMENDATION 1.
Conduct an interview with Mr. Hugho Simens (former RSO at the site and Operations Manager of Aerojet Operations, Inc. ) about specifics of the old site release.
Status: Completed 2.
Conduct, with the state and former licensee, radiation surveys of the formally released site to include core samples of floors and outside grounds.
Status: Completed I
Limited alpha, beta / gamma, and gamma radiation surveys (scanning, and direct) and soil / floor sampling were conducted in early September 1993, in concert with the State of California. Out of the many individual facilities surveyed and the soil sampling of the old leach field, one facility (the old EBR fuel processing laboratory) showed moderate levels of fixed radioactivity (cobalt 60 and cesium 137).
No alpha contamination was detected. This contamination was above the current release limits, but was I<
limited to several small areas.
The facility is currently occupied by Aerotest Turbine (no relation to Aerojet Nucleonic Corporatien), a jet engine repair and testing business. The current occupants are in the process of i
moving their operations to Stockton, California. Due to the limited amount of contamination identified, the Region will wait until the current occupants depart, at which time more extensive surveys will be performed. The current owner is in agreement with this proposal.
It is also possible that since the State of California licensed byproduct material at the facility that this pe activity will revert to state control /remediation.
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2.0 U.S. Navy. Naval Radiological Defense La_boratory (NRDL)
Listed Address:
Department of Navy U.S. Naval Radiological Defense Laboratory Hunt'ers Point Naval Shipyard San Francisco, California License Number:
04-00487-03 Date of Issuance: 1950 Closeout Date:
October 1969 Docket Number:
NA Ranking:
3,230 BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF LICENSEE ACTIVITIES From 1950 to 1969, the Hunters Points Naval Shipyard (HPNS) supported a series of NRDL research projects which were designed to evaluate methods of protection for personnel and properties from the affects of nuclear weapons. These projects included chemistry, biological, and physics studies of animals, materials, and instruments.
Camp Parks (U.S. Army Base in Pleasanton, CA) was also used for evaluation of decontamination methodologies for materials, land surface areas, buildings, and humans using short half life isotopes).
In 1955, the NRDL finished construction of buildings 815 and 816.
Building 815 (7 stories tall) was their main research building and staff' offices. All liquid waste products generated in the buildings were held in a tank and monitored prior to release.
Solid wastes were generated and packaged at HPNS, and other radioactive wastes were received from local Department of Defense facilities. Approximately 13-15 buildings or sites are thought to have been used at HPNS.
Cobalt, fission products, linear accelerator created isotopes, cesium, tritium, and transuranics were utilized at HPNS. These isotopes were in both sealed and unseal forms. Spills were documented involving many of the sites.
For additional information see June 30, 1993, memorandum, reference (2).
OML. CONCERNS See June 30, 1993, memorandum, reference (2).
REGIONAL COMMENTS HPNS and Camp Parks were both provided with health physics oversight during all NRDL operations.
Periodic AEC/NRC inspections confirmed that radiological protection and surveys were maintained.
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1 In our September 28, 1992, memorandum (Reference (1), we addressed NRDL's SNM license No. 00035 (Score - 664) on which we decided not to take further actions.
Currently, HPNS is on the National Priority List (Superfund site) and the Navy, in concert with the EPA and the State of California and other local health agencies, are conducting both radiological and non-radiological assessments and decontaminations.
REGIONAL RECOMMENDATIONS Maintain our liaison with the other parties involved, and assist in -
their reviews and confirmatory surveys.
Status: The project inspector accompanied the State of California representative on a limited survey and soil sampling visit to Hunters Point.
Sampling and radiation surveys were conducted around Building 816 (laboratory).
These surveys included beta / gamma scans, gamma exposure rate measurements, and fixed beta / gamma and alpha activity measurements. No radioactivity above background was identified in the soil samples (including tritium) or during the other surveys.
The inspector visited a loading dock parking area, adjacent to Building 364 (laboratory / hot cell), where cesium 137 had been identified in the asphalt of the parking lot. This activity was in the upper surface of what appeared to be a relatively new topping of asphalt and did not appear to be from NRDL activities (greater than 20 years ago).
Currently, the Navy and the State of California are proceeding to finalize the release of Parcel "A" to the City of San Francisco. This parcel includes some (Buildings 816, 820, and 821), but not all of the old NRDL buildings.
The Parcel also includes some old Navy personnel housing.
We are continuing to monitor and participate in both Navy and State of California activities concerning Hunter Point and old NRDL facility re-release.
4
l ENCLOSURE 2 LICENSES THAT HAVE BEEN REVIEWED AND ARE CONSIDERED CLOSED I ENCLOSURES 1 & 3 LICENSES WITH SCORES >300 LNCL LICENSE LICENSEE /1TAlf ORAU SCORE 1
SMB-00372 Atomic International, CA 335 1
04-05479-01 California Salvage Co., CA 1,125
'l 04-00424-06 Douglas Aircraft Co., CA 529
~1,3 SNM-01269 Douglas United Nuclear, WA 2,950
'l SNM-00862 General Atomics, CA 3,240
'l 04-05479-02 IT Corporation, CA 457 1
SNM-01016 McDonnell Douglas Astro., WA 11,768 1
04-06953-01 Rad-Science Corporation, CA 779
'l 04-00205-02 Shell Development Company, CA 749
~1 SNM-01034 Torrence Extrusion Corp., CA 500
~1,3 SNM-00103 University of Washington, WA 535 1,3 SNM-01002 US Nuclear Corporation, CA 2,520
'l 04-02561-01 Western Radiation Laboratory, CA 1,619 II ENCLOSURES 2. 3 & 4 LICENSEES WITH SCORES <300 2,3 C-04066 American Brake Company, CA 12 2
R-00224 Crown Uranium Company, CA 190 2
R-00187 Dawn Mining Company, WA 115 2
SMB-00415 General Atomics Corp., CA 10 2,3 SMB-00164 General Electric Company, CA 144 2
SMB-00089 Marquardt Corporation, CA/UT 48 2
04-00748-04 Reed-Curtis Nuclear Ind., CA 164 2,3 C-03330 Sequoia Metalcraft Company, CA 7
2,3 C-04079 South Gate Alum. & Magn. Co., CA 24 2
SUB-00310 US Nuclear Corporation, CA 71 4
46-11974-02 McDonnell Douglas Astro., WA 6
'4 04-00205-02 Shell Development Company, CA 5
4 46-01662-03 University of Washington, WA 14
~4 SNM-00103 University of Washington, WA 5
4 04-05241-08 US Nuclear Corporation, CA 85 4
SNM-00483 US Nuclear Corporation, CA 20
~4 04-02561-01 Western Radiation Laboratory, CA 40 III LICENSES TRANSFERRED TO ANOTHER NRC REGION FOR CLOSE0UT TO REGION II 4
04-01429-02 US Navy - Barstow, CA 3
gI TO REGION IV 4
04-08699-01 US \\ir Force - McClellan AFB, CA 14 2
04-07177-01 US ~1r Force - McClellan AFB 7
2 04-07177-02 US Air Force - McClellan AFB 60 US Air Force - Eielson AFB, AK 60 4
46-15183-01 US Air Force - McChord AFB, WA 225
- Indicates those licenses referenced in previous correspondence.
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