ML20091Q430

NPDES Noncompliance Notification:On 911218 Cooling Tower Blowdown Water Discharged to Possum Hollow Creek Resulting in Unpermitted Discharge Due to Failure to Identify & Revise All Appropriate Procedures.Procedure GP-3 to Be Revised

ML20091Q430
Person / Time
Site:	Limerick
Issue date:	01/23/1992
From:	Doering J PECO ENERGY CO., (FORMERLY PHILADELPHIA ELECTRIC
To:	Bauer R PENNSYLVANIA, COMMONWEALTH OF
References
NUDOCS 9202040390
Download: ML20091Q430 (3)

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D PHILADELPHIA ELECTRIC cot 4PANY .

1.t h40HCK Gt'NER ATJNG S T ATION l' P. P 80X A .

S AfinTOG A. PEN,19 YLV ANI A l'sd64 (215) 327 8200 mit, tonn L OOEMIN A, M,

...,. Z '.Tt/.E "...' " January 23, 1992  :

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Mr. Robert Bader ,

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.Dep1trtment of InC.ronmental Redources h[

~ Bureau of Water Quality Management 1875 New Uopa Street .-'

Norcistown, PA 19401 n

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Subject:

Noncorpilance with NPDES PorMt No. ?A-00$1926, l-Limrtrick Gen 2 rating Station; Coullng Tower Blowdown M i

' Hannole Overflow to Possum Hollow Creek

Dear Mr,

Bauer DP. SCRIPT 70N OF TPE L' VENT fr On December .8,1991, a noncompliance of the NPDES permxt for the E

Limerick Geaorat.ing Station occurred then cooling tower blowdown -

wate; van discharged to Posttu:n Hollow Creek maulting in an '

unpumitted discharge. . .

Cn December 18, 1931, at 1950 hours0.0226 days <br />0.542 hours <br />0.00322 weeks <br />7.41975e-4 months <br />,-a Unit .1 shutdown vos i n.i t ia ted . ' Operations personnel tegan making preparatior.s for }

cold weather coerations of the Unit 1 cooling tower by p1heing the y coolism tour.t in the " Winter Bypass Mode." System procedure 'i S09.0.B, " Cold Weather Oceration of the coolints toser," ma used -

to Lredirect cooling watter f rom tae tower raceway directly to the 1

-tower basin,. Tulu aligrmont in required to prevent the build up '

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-of danaging ice because or reduced heatic+.d as a result af a Unit shutdoan. 71 11, change in operating mode prevents tne evaporation-J oss of water normally exoerienced in standard cooling tower

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y operation. The eiisi.natico of time evapcaative loss of water along with a evoling toutr basin makeup flow xate cet for full power -

operaticn reaulted ,i.n an increase in *.be Uait 1 cooling tower b, win water Am'el and an increace in blowdown flow rate.- This li additior.ai flow, cerabined with blowdown f rom the Unit 2 ccoling i tower, it. creased the total coaling tower blcadown rate to above j the discharge pipir.g capaci'y. g Altapproximately'!130_Souro,nainterancepersonnelobservedwater j werf..oaing thtough a vented manhole, upstream of the no rmal \- i dicenar,3e point (001) for the cooling tower blowdown. Maintenar.ce j p9raonnel immediately nutified Malu Control Doom cporations )

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1 l '~ _ personnel ofLthla conditic'.. Whp operations-personnel arri Wd to 1

, R T Investigater the-water dinnharge had stopped. The ecoling tower

, Jbloudown~ water that .overflowei f rc.n the VeM.ad manhole entered the  ;

L Possum Hollow Cr en.t roughly 100 yards upstroom l' rom the SchuyM11 j River. An catin ted 125,000 gallons of water was discharged to

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-Possum Hollow Creek before ths water level _ .in the Uni t.1 con ing_

% tfser basin Sas retu.*ned to _ a narre) level. Che.uistry personnel reviewed chemistry analyticar dat s f or: December . lu, D91, and ,

9 i t fetermived .that- no NPDES: Petmit limitaffor outfall 001 were itxceeded._ ~ Since the overflow water was ropresentative of the Z[

C w, diacharge : flos going: to Citf all_00), it wan concluded that this discharge-to Possum Hollow Creek also did not exceed any of-our

permit,1. Nits.

- the discharg7 ended-at or befort 2220 hours0.0257 days <br />0.617 hours <br />0.00367 weeks <br />8.4471e-4 months <br /> with a

1. m iduration of % pproximately:pne-hour. Sirme the- discharge us very

close to wheru Possuw 11ollo9 'Crbek enters the Schuylkill River, '

Anen : was no enviroreental damage % tved to be caused-by the  ;

e Loverflov conditi6n< Therefore, tne enviroamen'.a1 impact ot this M ,

,unpormitted_ discharge ucn. determined to be minimal.

S :CM15E ' OP: Tile ' E'/ENT - i Z

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' 'The cause of this event was inadequate couec eve attions--(1 e.,

f ailure _to iderrtify and revise all- appropriate procedtues) p' ,  ! implemented:for- a ~ previons 'similar cccurrence reported on December gm 7', a9892: In - bothL this :evknt; att the pr f or = eveat, the causo was fl ;dw cesuk of #eficient proceduren thct provided less than f' - Q _ adequate gui.dande for responding to a reduced rooling tour makeup

, water demand during planned unit sh..tdowns, coinc.1ent with :the l if need to enter-ccid Westher cooling tower cperation. Following the priot ;cver.Gow events System picc ) dure SO9.0.B vaa revised to-l cautiCn: oprations penonnel tAna!ntain the total -blowdown flow  :

? ace of. both cc'.Gingitowers - below - 10,000 gpm._ However, in ,

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prepa(ation'for a5 planned unit shuJoun, advanced operater_ actions ar e necessary .to ;rnduce the. cooling towerrbasin level to a W minimum,j prior La implementation of. syst s procedure -SO9.0;B. -l f Therefor e, Jproc9du re -GP-3 /- "Nural Pl ant Shutdow9 t,hould have W been gevle.f to instruct operations personnet on the actions R4 'necesary to by taken prior .to initiating. 'a plannsd. shutdown d '

faring cold'wedtherroperation ensuring-trat'the Sotal coolsng 7 tO togr blowdown ' flow rate of 10,000 gpm Dist not e):ccedtd.

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S Additlonally, (potential derign defi':lency etir.s in that durihg1

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0 y c andrMnuned. unit snutdown, operations c.fr.sonnel would not de able ' s y to?ru pond quick)y enough to reduce cooling townr~maPeup f1 x and

-preventa n overflow condition to occur while in cold weatner  ;

Ml 3 operc ion .

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s[ ' dMNINTJd3 CF. NIJRE OCCdHRENCES.

. Procedure GP-3 ls expectvi-to be revisod by hbruary .L3,

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, oL 1992, pm n Tl-is tevision will provlh procedura1 guidance t.) operations FL versonnel .for redac wg coolit.g. tower makeup flow dur)ng -

,,,y' planned: unit shutdowns in preparution for the reduced water dorwod. - 'Ih ii1 procedure revluion 9111 also inelude a step for' .

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use.during periods of cold weather which requires realigning the'aoprepriate cooling tower _to the winter bypass 1100.

l= o A review of' the coolli 13 tower level makeup system will bo  ;

--enaducted by_ April 30, 1992. This review will determine if a l modification of the cooling-tower level makeup system decir,;n l is requ! red or whether a change in operational work practrees  :

" or proceduren can be made to ensure that this evet.ilow '

condition can be avoided during an unplanned unit rhutdown.

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M /Q. t._s WGS:cah ,

l cc: U.S. Nuclear Regulatory-Commission Document Control Desk Docket Noo.-50-352/50-353 Washin@on, D.C. 20555

'7 T. T, Martin D Administrator, Region I, USNRC >

DocketiNos. 50-352/50-353 e

T. J._ Kenny USNRC Senior Hen! dent Tnspector, LGG p . Docket Non. 50-352/50-7 3 ,

i I Program' Management Sectiva (3WMS2)

L Permits 2nforcement Branch +

!. Wa ttir: Mnags.nent Div j sion -l l . Envi rot: mental - Prot ec* :.on1 Agency

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hter. Pe rmits - Seet 'on Begloa-III ~

a l 8 41 '.Che9 t nu t 11u!1 ding _

l.L . Philadelphia, PAz19107

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