ML20116G048

Lpdr Update.Spring 1996.Volume 8,Number 4

ML20116G048
Person / Time
Issue date:	05/01/1996
From:	Linton T, Souder J NRC
To:
References
NUREG-BR-0057, NUREG-BR-0057-V08-N4, NUREG-BR-57, NUREG-BR-57-V8-N4, NUDOCS 9608070271
Download: ML20116G048 (4)

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Monitoring Environmental i

Impact of Nuclear Plants E

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Background

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The discharge of radioactive effluents from the routine operation a

y of nuclear power plants can result in environmental impacts.

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These impacts can be on man, animals, plants, and sea life.

During the licensing of a plant, a final environmental statement is

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issued by the NRC which details the potential impacts resulting from the routine operation of each nuclear power plant. NRC i

regulation 10 CFR 50.36a," Technical Specifications on Effluents From Nuclear Power Reactors," requires that licensees (1) keep u

releases of radioactive material to unrestricted areas during i

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j normal operation as low as is reasonably achievable and (2)

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comply with " Radiation Dose Limits for Individual Members of i

E the Public," Subpart D of 10 CFR Part 20. These and other NRC

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regulations require NRC licensees to have in place various efflu-

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g ent and environmental monitoring programs to ensure that envi-i ronmental impacts are minimized.

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Monitoring Environmental Impacts z

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y The NRC requires licensees to report plant discharges and re-A sults of environmental monitoring around the plant. Additional-ly, as part of the quality assurance program for the measure-l ments made for the environmental monitoring program, licensees i

are required to participate in an Interlaboratory Comparison l

Program. This program provides an independent check of the E

accuracy and precision of the measurements of radioactive mate-

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rial in environmental samples.

E Radioactive effluent releases and their associated doses are l

E reported by licensees in annual radioactive effluent release (RER) j reports, while radioactivity levels in various environmental media j

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are reported in the annual environmental operating reports (AEORs). The RER reports include the amount ofliquid and i

E airborne radioactive effluents discharged and the calculated l

j doses for the period of release. The AEOR report gives the O /

6 results of an environmental sampling and analysis program, Z

9 which is focused on the radiation exposure pathways specific to I

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the given plant. Typical sampling programs include an inner and 1g j

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outer ring of TLDs (thermoluminescent dosimeters) around the p

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plant; airbome radiciodine and particulate samplers; samples of j

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surface water, groundwater, and drinking water and downstream s

2 shoreline sediment from existing or potential recreational facili-

%[j ties; and samples of ingestion pathway sources such as milk, fish i

s and invertebrates, and food products, including broad-leaf vege-l

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tation. The results of the AEOR are used to supplement the ef0uent monitoring program to ensure that potential environmen-tal impacts do not go undetected.

9608070271 960501 PDR NUREG BR-OO57 R PDR

Regulations The radioactive effluents released from nuclear power plants have decreased significantly. The The regulations that are presently in place to limit collective annual radiation dose to the public has 1

offsite releases and their associated radiation decreased from 1,300 person-rem in 1975 (the ini-doses are much more restrictive than those initial.

tial year for which such evaluations were pub-ly issued and those that the first licensed nuclear lished) to 47 person-rem in 1992. The collective power plants (during the period of the 1960s) were dose represents the sum of doses to individuals required to meet.

within 50 miles of each facility. A significant con-tributor to the reduction in airborne effluents has In 1975, the NRC amended its regulations (10 been the addition of augmented offgas systems in j

CFR 50.34a and 50.36a and new Appendix I to 10 boiling-water reactors, which process some of the CFR Part 50) to provide numerical guides for de.

n neondensible gases formed in the reactor pro-sign objectives and limiting conditions for opera-cess to limit the radioactive gases released to the tion to meet the criteria of "as low as is reason.

environment. Recuctions have also resulted from i proved fuel performance and the improved j

ably achievable." Adoption of these regulations requires that plant releases be kept to doses be-effluent control programs of licensees.

low limitations in 10 CFR Part 20.

(Editor's Note: The preceding media briefing pa-An additional regulatory requirement was placed per was provided by the NRC's Office of the Ex-on uranium fuel cycle licensees by the Environ.

ecutive Director for Operations. The purpose of mental Protection Agency (EPA) on December 1, the media briefing papers is to support regional 1979. These requirements established total body, admmistrators and agency representatives in their thyroid, and other organ dose limits for all efflu.

need for background and current technical infor-ents and direct radiation, except radon and its mation when conducting periodic press briefings daughters. The NRC incorporated the EPA regu.

on topics thought to be of public interest. Title 10 lations into 10 CFR Part 20 in 1981.

f the Code of Federal Regidations (10 CFR) is available m paper in all local public document 1

room collections. The NUREG and NUREG/CR Current Status reports described above are available in the power reactor and high-level waste LPDRs on NU-In addition to these requirements for licensees, DOCS microfiche. For further information on the NRC currently contracts with some 35 States these reports, contact the NRC LPDR Program to participate in a program to independently mea-staff at 800-638-8081, toll-free.)

sure radiation levels around nuclear power plants and to establish background radiation levels t LPDR in Charlestown, Rhode Island, i

assess the radiological impact of an unusual con-dition such as an accident. After requesting pub-Closed lic comments in April 1995 on an NRC plan to eliminate a portion of these contracts, the agency NRC closed the LPDR at the Cross Mill Public has decided to give additional consideration to Library in Charlestown, Rhode Island, effective the matter. The NRC also conducts periodic aeri.

February 2,1996. The LPDR was established in al surveillance of nuclear power plants to deter-1980 for the proposed decommissioning of United mine if there is any accumulation of radioactive Nuclear Corporation's (UNC's) Wood River June-materials associated with radioactive effluent tion site located near Charlestown.

releases during routine operation of the plant.

The Wood River Junction facility reprocessed The NRC documents the results of its indepen-radioactive scrap fuel materials in order to recover dent monitoring and assessment efforts in reports enriched uranium. The reclaimed uranium was such as NUREG/CR-2850, " Dose Commitments reused as fuel for nuclear reactors.

Due to Radioactive Releases from Nuclear Power Plant Sites," and NUREG-0837,"NRC TLD Di-The UNC site was listed in the NRC's Site De-rect Radiation Monitoring Network." The NRC commissioning Management Plan (SDMP). The also compiles effluent reports from licensees and NRC staff developed the SDMP to identify and publishes the results in NUREG/CR-2907, "Ra-resolve issues associated with the timely cleanup dioactive Materials Released from Nuclear Power of more than 40 nuclear materials sites that the Plants."

Commission had identified as being contaminated 2

with radioactive materials and that warranted facility began in June 1992 and were completed in special attention by the Commission.

August 1994. NRC issued an order terminating the facility license on April 11,1995, releasing the Results of the radiological surveys and analysis site for unrestricted use. The order was published performed indicate that after remedial actions, in the Federal Register on April 17,1995.

residual radioactive material in building surfaces, soils, and groundwater at the site was less than NRC Annual Report for 1994 that specified in the criteria in the NRC's " Action Plan to Ensure Timely Cleanup of Site Decom-The NRC Annual Report for 1994 (NUREG-1145, missioning Management Plan Sites," published in Volume 11) has been released. LPDR libraries the Federal Register on April 16,1992.

with NUDOCS microfiche can find the annual report on microfiche 84671, frames 1 through 330.

The special nuclear materials License for the LPDR libraries interested in obtaining a paper Wood River Junction site was terminated on Oc-copy of the annual report may contact the NRC tober 12,1995, and the site was released for unre-LPDR staff at 800-638-8081.

stricted use. However, nonradiological onsite groundwater contamination will be monitored on Web Sites a continuing basis by the State of Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management and The NRC has established several sites on the UNC. NRC concluded that further remedial ac-World Wide Web, which can be accessed by the tion was not required and that the site was suit-public with Web-compliant software such as Mo-able for unrestricted use with regard to any radio-saic or Netscape. The NRC HomePage site is logical hazards regulated by NRC under the http://www.nre. gov. The NRC Home Page pro-authority of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as vides a gateway to a variety of agency informa-amended.

tion.

LPDR for Shoreham Nuclear Power NRC has a GILS (Government Information Loca-Station Closed tor Service) site that can be accessed through the The LPDR for the Shoreham Nuclear Power Sta-tion was officially closed effective March 16,1996.

URL- <wais:gils/nrc@loki.fedworld. gov > or The LPDR was located at the Shoreham-Wading HTTP- <http://loki.fedworld. gov /gils/nrc.html>

River Public Library in Shoreham, New York.

The library had served as the LPDR since Janu-NRC GILS describes information available from ary 1979, maintaining documents on the construc-the agency and tells the user where the informa-tion through the decommissioning of the facility.

tion is located and how the user can obtain access to it.

In June 1992, the NRC approved the Long Island Power Authority's decommissioning plan, which NRC at Fedworld (see LPDR UPDATE, Volume described the planned dismantlement and decon.

8, Numbers 2 and 3) can be accessed several i

tamination methods that would be used to reduce ways: direct dial access at 800-303-9672; telnet i

contamination at the facility to meet the unre-access via internet at fedworld. gov (192.239.93.3);

stricted release criteria. Through an agreement File Transfer Protocol (FTP) site access via inter-between the Philadelphia Electric Company and net at ftp.fedworld. gov (192.239.92.205); and the Long Island Power Authority, the slightly irra-World Wide Web at http://www.fedworld. gov.

diated fuel stored in the spent fuel pool was trans-NRC at Fedworld is continually updated with ferred to the Limerick Generating Station in additional agency bulletin boards and systems.

Pennsylvania for reuse. The fuel transfers began in September 1992 and were completed in June There is a site for general nuclear information at

1994, http:// nuke.handheld.com/Welcome.html. Note the capital "W" in "Welcome." For occupational The dismantlement and decontamination tasks exposure and related information, see necessary for decommissioning of the Shoreham http://orve.saic.com/nre_ rad.htm.

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i Recent LPDR Visits

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l Cathy Matthews, Johanna Brown, Virginia Shober, Kay Collins, Goverinnent Documents Department, l

and Gayle Chipman, Government Documents and Main Library, University of California at Irvine, Maps Department, Robert E. Kennedy Library,Cali-LPDR for the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Sta-j fornia Poly technic State University, San Luis Obispo, tion.

j California, LPDR for the Diablo Canyon Nuclear l

Power Plant.

IJ'DR UI'DATE is published by the 1.ocal Ul!

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Public Document Room Program, U.S.

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g Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Was g-t

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ton, DC 20555, 301 815-6876.

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llOTLINE 800-638 8081. Teresa

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Editor.

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g Changes of address or re guests for subscrip-

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tions will he accepted by mail or on the

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Gerald Ward, G-rnment Documents Department, 1

Sacramento Punist i.ibrary, LPDR for the Rancho j

Seco Nuclear Generating Station.

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