ML20077N292
| ML20077N292 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Beaver Valley |
| Issue date: | 01/05/1995 |
| From: | Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation |
| To: | |
| Shared Package | |
| ML20077N290 | List: |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 9501170127 | |
| Download: ML20077N292 (3) | |
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[eyA UNITED STATES i
j' NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION 4
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WASHINGTON, D.C. SeteHept j
SAFETY EVALUATION BY'THE OFFICE OF NUCLEAR REACTOR REGULATIONi RELATED TO AMEN 0 MENT NO. 65 TO ' FACILITY OPERATING LICENSE N0; NPF 1 j,
DUQUESNE LIGHT COMPANY OHIO EDISON COMPANY THE CLEVELAND ELECTRIC ILLUMINATING COMPANY l
pie TOLED0 EDISON COMPANY 4
1 BEAVER' VALLEY POWER STATION.' UNIT 2 i
DOCKET N0. 50-412 a
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1.0' INTRODUCTION
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By letter dated February 16, 1994, the Duquesne Light. Company (the licensee).
requested an amendment to Appendix B to Facility Operating License No.' NPF-73, l
' Beaver Valley Power Station Unit 2 Environmental-Protection: Plan -
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2 (Nonradiological), hereinafter referred to as BV Appendix 8 Technical _
Specifications (TSs). The proposed amendment would delete _the requirement to perform biennial infrared aerial photography of the area surrounding the
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Beaver Valley-Power Station' (BVPS) as stated in Section 4.2.2 of. Appendix B.-
l 2.0 EVALUATION i
Section 4.2.2 of BV-2 Appendix B TS requires the. licensee to perform biennial infrared aerial photography of the area surrounding the BVPS to ascertain if any vegetative stress has occurred that'could be'attHbuted to salt drift from the cooling towers.
In response to this requirement, the licensee photographs an area of 50 square miles centered on the cooling towers using aerial color i
infrared film.
Field surveys and observations are then conducted in areas i
where photographs indicate stressed vegetation, to determine the cause, I-severity, and extent of the stress.
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On June 24, 1985, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) approved a request to eliminate the requirement to perform biennial infrared aerial photography from Appendix B to Facility Operating License No. DPR-66 Beaver Valley Power Station Unit 1 Environmental Protection Plan (Nonradiological).
The NRC staff justified this change based on a review of past data from j
infrared aerial photography that showed no vegetative stress attributable to j
cooling tower drift. The data used by the NRC staff as a basis for issuing this amendment reflected operation of only Beaver Valley Power Station Unit'l i
(BV-1), since Beaver Valley Power Station Unit 2 (BV-2) did not begin j.
operation until 1987.
i In evaluating the licensee's amendment request, the NRC staff examined:
(1) the proposed Operating License Change Request No. 79, transmitted by.
letter dated February 16, 1994; (2) the licensee's 1992 Terrestrial Monitoring j
Program,. reported in the 1992 Annual Environmental Report - Nonradiological; hDR A
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i I (3) the gross wind roses for the Beaver Valley site shown in the Beaver Valley Power Station - Unit 1 Updated Final Safety Evaluation Report, Revision 11; (4) infrared aerial photographs taken in 1992; (5) the NRC's safety evaluation (SE) attached to Amendment No. 93 to the operating license for BV-1, issued i
June 24, 1985, and referenced licensee correspondence associated with the deletion of the requirement to perform biennial infrared aerial photography; (6) pertinent sections of NUREG-1094, " Final Environmental Statement related to the Operation of Beaver Valley Power Station, Unit 2," (BV-2 FES) dated September 1985; and (7) pertinent sections of the " Beaver Valley Power Station, Unit 2 Environmental Report - Operating License Stage," dated August 1983.
j Infrared aerial photography was specified in the BV-2 FES as an appropriate method to monitor the environment for signs of injury as a result of salt drift from cooling towers. As required in BV-2 Appendix B TSs, terrestrial monitoring by aerial photography followed by ground-truthing was performed in 1986, 1988, 1990, and 1992. The results were presented in the Terrestrial l
Monitoring Program portion of the Annual Environmental Reports -
l Nonradiological for those years. All reports identified vegetative stress within the 50 square miles surrounding the Beaver Valley site; however, none' j
could be attributed to salt drift from the cooling towers. The results of the field surveys indicated that the vegetative stress was due to a variety of causes, including insect infestation, disease, wild fire, logging' and erosion.
The data collected from 1986 to 1992 reflects operation of two units. As discussed in the SE for Amendment No. 93 to Facility Operating License No.
DPR-66 Beaver Valley Power Station Unit 1 Environmental Protection Plan i
(Nonradiological), results of terrestrial monitoring presented in the Annual Environmental Reports - Nonradiological for 1976, 1978, 1983, and 1984 also indicate there is no evidence to suggest that vegetative stress is caused by cooling tower operation.
Therefore, the staff finds that sufficient monitoring has been performed to establish a reliable data history to demonstrate that operation of the cooling towers has no detectable detrimental effect on the surrounding vegetation.
The NRC staff notes that the objectives for protection of the environment as stated in Section 1.0 of BV-2 Appendix B TS remain in effect, specifically that the licensee:
(1) verify that the facility is operated in an environmentally acceptable manner; (2) coordinate NRC requirements with other Federal, State, and local requirements for environmental protection; and (3) keep NRC informed of the environmental effects of facility construction and operation and of actions taken to control those effects.
The proposed amendment does not affect the safety of the plant, the operation of the cooling towers, or the cooling tower environmental evaluations or accident analyses described in the Beaver Valley Power Station - Unit 2 Updated Final Safety Evaluation Report, Revision 6.
e 0 The NRC staff has reviewed the proposed changes and based on the above discussion can find no evidence that cooling tower operation is causing vegetative stress. Thus, the NRC staff concludes that there will be no detrimental environmental or safety impact resulting from deleting the requirement to perform biennial infrared aerial photography from BV-2 Appendix B TSs, and the staff finds the proposed amendment to be acceptable.
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3.0 STATE CONSULTATION
In accordance with the Commission's regulations, the Pennsylvania State i
official was notified of the proposed issuance of the amendment. The State official had no comments.
4.0 ENVIRONMENTAL CONSIDERATION
This amendment eliminates the surveillance requirement to perform infrared aerial photography every other year to identify vegetative stress caused by salt drift from the operation of the cooling towers. The NRC staff has determined that the amendment involves no significant increase in the amounts, and no significant change in the types, of any effluents that may be released offsite, and that there is no significant increase in individual or cumulative occupational radiation exposure. The Commission has previously issued a proposed finding that the amendment involves no significant hazards consideration, and there has been no public comment on such finding (59 FR 34663). Accordingly, the amendment meets the eligibility criteria for categorical exclusion set forth in 10 CFR 51.22(c)(9).
Pursuant to 10 CFR 51.22(b) no environmental impact statement or environmental assessment need be prepared in connection with the issuance of the amendment.
5.0 CONCLUSION
The Commission has concluded, based on the considerations discussed above, that:
(1) there is reasonable assurance that the health and safety of the public will not be endangered by operation in the proposed manner, (2) such activities will be conducted in compliance with the Commission's regulations, and (3) the issuance of the amendment will not be inimical to the common defense and security or to the health and safety of the public.
Principal Contributor: R. Nease Date:
January 5, 1995 l
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