ML20118D225
| ML20118D225 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Bodega Bay |
| Issue date: | 08/05/1963 |
| From: | Kornblith L US ATOMIC ENERGY COMMISSION (AEC) |
| To: | Case E US ATOMIC ENERGY COMMISSION (AEC) |
| Shared Package | |
| ML093631134 | List:
|
| References | |
| NUDOCS 9210120011 | |
| Download: ML20118D225 (6) | |
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UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT Memorandum To
- gdeon G. Case, Assistant Director.
pare: AUG S 1963 for Facilities Licensing.
Division of Licensing and. Regulation FROM L. Kornb11.th, Jr., Assistant Director Di ei 11ance.
/N PACIFIC GAS AND E12CTRIC.COMPANT - BODEGA BAY REACTOR
SUBJECT:
DOCKET No. 50-205 Attachod is a report by our field inspector of a recent visit-.to the subject proposed facility site.- The principal-results of.the visit have been discussed with yon previously.
Based on considerable discussion and observation, our inspectors-reported the following impressions of the U. S. Geological Survey-geologists Schlocker-'and'Bonilla:
- 1.. They seemed to be completely. objective in that their discussions were not related to the Bodega Reactor application, but were limited to factual observations they had made-of:the geology of the site.
- 2. -They were extremely cooperative and explained in considerable detail the significance of their. findinge to the inspectors and.the.other interested participants.
3.
They appeared to be methodical' in that they spent. the entire
. day making minute (and sometimes Icroscopic) observations of details associated with the geology of thL excavated areas.
Attachment:
?.pt by G. S. Spencer dt3 7/24/63
-Distribution:
.J. R.' Sears, Region I M.-L. Ernst, Region II H. D. Thornburg, Region III 8
J.-it._ Flora, Region IV-.
R. H. Engelken, Region V.
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U.- S.. AT(Rf1C ENERGY COIGGSSION
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REGION Y a-DIVISION W-COMPLIAECE i
.' July 24, 1963 l-By:
G. S. Spencer, Reactor Inspector Region V, Division of Compliance PACIPIC CAS AND EIECTRIC COMPANY - BODEGA BAY RLiCTOR
Title:
l DOCKET No. 50-205 -
- SIDenRY i
a T'as proposed site of the Pacific Gas and Electric-Comipany's Bodega Bay ; Reactor, l
Bodega, California,' was visited-on July 17,1%3. lThe prpose' of _ the visit was - to accompany and observe the activities of the U.15. Geological ~ Survey I
team assigned to study _and evaluate the excavated areas of the site for--
l evidence of seismic faulting.
i l-A 180-fe. square by 20-ft. deep excavation around the proposed reactor center.-
E===feation of line had progressed. to 5 feet above mean low water level.
l-the west and east faces of the excavation indicated-that the relatic,nship l
between the weathered quartz diorite observed ~in.the north face and the p
well-bedded clay-sand sediment in the south face wasione of-gradual tran-l sition rather than a distimee desarkation due to faulting.
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l Abundant faults were observed-in the vaathered quarts diorite exposed on the north face of.the excavation. from elevation +5 to the top of tne' face l-(elevation +25)'. = The faults had; offsets from approximately 2. inches to =
2 feet as revealed by the offset and displacessat of. pegmatite dikes and L
clay containing _ gouges.: : The age of the quarts diorite -is consi'ered to i
be on the order of several millions of years in, contrast to the considerably _
l younger: age (tens to possibly hundreds-of. thousands of years) of the over-
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Examination'of the-overlying _ sediment from elevation +5 fe.-
lying sediment.
[i in the reacter' hole; area to the. cop of the face of the main yard excavation--
j-at elevation +50 ft'.' revealed no evidence'of high angle faulting in th vicinity of the reactor hole. ' The sediments observed. during this v?s2 -
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vere approximately 45 feet lower than the sedimentary layers-examined ~
' on a previous visit by the U. S. Geological Survey _. team, and which -had.
been age dated (by Carbon-14 method) at 38,000 years.
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In the opinion of the U. S.' Geological-Survey team, there was no evidence-of nearly-vertical or steep faults' occurring.in the past 38,000'orx However, since the existence of low angle faults possibly 50,000 years.
cannot be determined until the reactor hole 11s dug deeper, the U. S.
geologists plan to examine the excavation as 'it_ progresses down to - the -
-73 foot level.
(continued) w,
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-2 Summery (continued) i b6, Dye tests to evaluate the mixing action of the ocean in the proposed vicinity of the effluent outfall were started in March 1963. One hundred hour dye runs are conducted once a month and water samples collected at 10 different locations. Analyses of the samples are performed in PG&E's locally estab'.. esd laboratory, pETAII.S, I.
Scoo* of Visit On July 17, 1963, G. G Spencer and R. H. Engelken, Region V, Division of Compliance, accompanied two geologists from the U. S. Geological Survey, Engineering Geology Branch, Henlo Park, Calif 0rnia on a visit to the proposed site of the Pacific Gas and Electric Company's Bodega Bay Raactor, Modega Bay, California. The U. S. Geological Survey team was assigned to study and evaluate the excavated areas of the site for evidence of seismic faulting. The visit included:
Observation of the acti icies and methods employed by the U. S.
a.
geologists in con;;rting their study, b.
Discussion concerning the seismic and geological history as veli as the current observations and findings relative to the seisa*J activity of the site with both Federal and several State geologists also present at che site, Observation of dye tests in progress at the proposed location of c.
the effluent outfall.
d.
A visit to PG&E's locally establish *d laboratory where the dye semples are analyzed.
Principal contacts during the visit were:
Mr, J. Schlocker - Geologist, E. S. Geological Surs ey Mr. H. C. Bonilla - Geologis t, U. S. Geological Survey Mr. J. B. Koenig - Geologist., Calif. State Div. of Mines & Geology Mr. S. J. Rice - Geologist, Calif. State Div. of Mines & Geology Mr. F. Mautz - Chief Engineer, I4'E Hr. C. Joslin - Construction Supt., PG&E (continued)
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II. Raggits of Visit A.
Status of Sjla Prensration 1
Mr. Schlocker ttsted that the north, west and south faces of the site excavation were essentially completed, and that the floor of the ex-I A 180 ft.
i cavation was approximately 25 feet above mean low water level.
square hole around the proposed reactor center line had been excavated from the floor level (elevation +25') down to elevation +5 ft. The north, vest, and east facas of the reactor hole were sloping and the south face nearly vartical. Mr. Schlocker said that his objective during this visit was to examina the exposed well-bedded sediment and weathered quarts diorite overlying the solid granite formation more thoroughly, by having.
the faces of the reactor hole excavstion washed off.. He explained that during his previous visit he had observed stratified sediment in the south face j
j 2xposure, whereas the north face had the appearance of weathered decomposed l
diorite. He said that by washing off the west and east faces of the excavation, he hoped to be able to see the relationship between the 1
materials in the north and south faces and to determine whether the transition was gradual or a distinct demarkation due to faulting.
j B.
Examination of the Excavfd 2R To11owing washdown of the reactor hole excavat0 : faces, the inspectors accompanied Messrs. Schlocker and Bonilla down to the +5 f t.
elevation where the following observations were made, as pointed out by the U. S. geologists.
i l-Weathered quarts diorite was exposed from the bottom to the top i
of the north face of the reactor hole. At the bottom of the excavation (elevation +5 f t.) it appeared 6 f t, east of the proposed center line of the reactor, rose to the top of the face (elevation +25 ft.) and-continued over to the east end of the north face. Abundant faults were observed in the quartz diorite. The faults were markad by clay souge zones % - 2 inches thick, although some appeared to be clean breaks with no goege at all. The faults had offsets from approximately 2 inches to 2 feet as revealed by the r
Ord6ata-displacement ->f pogratite - dikes and the clay containing gouges.
tion of the faults varied from due east-west to due north-south, dipping east and south. The weathered quarts diorite appeared to be moderately l
sound incompressible material, according to Schlocker. At the west half of the north face the quartz diorite graded.into residual soil (green-
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gray sandy clay), 4 - 6 f t. thick lying of the quar diorite. This appeared to grade into washed soil on the west end,.radually losing its -
weathered rock characteelstics with sediment interbedded with fairly clean sand, i
(continued)
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-4 Results of Visit (continued)
The south face consisted of well-bedded reddish-brown clay sand l
sedLment. Examinar. ion of the west face of the exenvation, indicated that the reddish-brown clay sand observed on the south fr:e was interbodied with On the more massive greenish-gray clay sands exposed on the north face.
the east face of the excavation, the reddish-brown clay sand from the j
south face appeared to be interbedded with gray material exposed at the north and of the east face. There was no evidence of faulting on the east face, according to Schlocker.
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Icutative Findinas Tentative conclusions reached by Schlocker and Bonilla following their examination of the site appeared to be as follows:
1.
Examination of the west and east fae;s of the excavation indicated that the relationship b(e aen the weethered quartz diorite observed in the north face and the well-bedded l
clay sand sediment in the south face, was one of gradual 1
transition rather than a distinct demarkation due to faulting.
l 2.
Examination of the overlying sediment from elevation +5 ft, in the reactor hole area to the top of the face of the main yard excavation at elevation +50 f t., revealco no evidence of high angle faulting in the vicinity of the reactor hole. The sediments observed during this visit were approximately 45 feet lower than the sedimentary layers examined on a previous visit by Schlocker and Bonilla.
The sediments examined during the previous visit were radiocotrically dated (by Carbon-14 method) to be 38,000 years old.
3.
There was no evidence of nearly vertir.41 or steep faults occurring in the past 38,000 or possibly 50,000 years.
4 However, since the existence of low angle f aults cannot be determined until the reactor hole is dug deeper, Schlocker and Bonilla plan to examine the excavation as it progresses down to the -73 ft. level. The U. S. geologists also expressed the opinion that high angle f aulting cannot be entirely ruled out yet until the excavation progresses deeper into older sediment. However, the older sediments i
will not be older than the quartz diorite.
(continued)
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.Results of Visit (continued)
D.
Discussion With State Geolonists Mr. J. B. Koenig and Mr. S. J. Rice, geologists with the California Statw Division of Mines and Geology, were also present at the site during the time of the visit. Judging from discussions between the Federal and State geologists present, and independent discussions the inspectors had with the Stats geologists, there appeared to be substantial agreement barbiem the t:eologists from both governmental agencies regarding their findingt.
C.
Oceanographic Studies The inspectors accompanied Mr. Fred Hautz, Chief Engineer for
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PG&R, to the proposed location of the reactor ef fluent discharge on the i
ocean side of Bodega Head, to observe a dye test in progress. The dye (Rhodamine B) was being pumped into the ocean at a point where the water enters a cove in which the effluent outfall wi*.1 be located. Mr. Hautz stated that 100 hour0.00116 days <br />0.0278 hours <br />1.653439e-4 weeks <br />3.805e-5 months <br /> runs are conducted once a =enth, and that the first run had been initiated during March 1963. He said that PG&F. had hired several boats for the purpose of collecting water simples at 10 different locations. Some of the sampling stations are located out in the ocean area and some within Bodega Harbor, according to Hautz. The inspectors worn also shown through a laboratory which PG&E has established nea: the town of Bodega, in which fluorometric analyses for dye concentration and salinity tests are performed on the collected sazples. A cursory tram-ination of the analytical data sheets indicated that fluorometric detection sensitivities in the range of 0.1 part per billion were being obtained.
Also observed in the laboratory storeroom were drift poles, which Mr. Mautz said were used to study the ocean currents in the vicinity of Bocaga Head.
Mr. Haute stated that in addition to the oceanographic studies, a continuing survey of the ecology of Bodega Head, Bodega Harbor, and vicinity is being conducted under the direction of Dr. Ernest Salo, of Humboldt State College, the Compauy's consultant on Oceanography and Marine Biology.
According to Mautz, these studies will be continued for a period of two years as required by the State Public Utilities Commission. Dr. Salo J
v-s present at the site during the visit by the inspectors.
F.
, Construction Activities i
It was observed that construction activities were confined to those described in the previous report dated March 26, 1963 and that these activities were consistent with provisions of 10 CFR 50.10(b).
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