ML20126C371
| ML20126C371 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Issue date: | 03/03/1980 |
| From: | Wu G NRC OFFICE OF NUCLEAR MATERIAL SAFETY & SAFEGUARDS (NMSS) |
| To: | NRC OFFICE OF NUCLEAR MATERIAL SAFETY & SAFEGUARDS (NMSS) |
| Shared Package | |
| ML20126C375 | List: |
| References | |
| REF-WM-38 NUDOCS 8003310399 | |
| Download: ML20126C371 (5) | |
Text
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@jectFile MEMORAtiDUM FOR:
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RFonner FYoung THRU:
Hubert J. iiiller, Section Leader ro. a p Uranium Recovery Licensing Branch F Rd". -
George Uu Uraniun Recovery Licensing Branch SUDJECT:
liEETII G SUI!!ARY F0T: VISIT TO A!:AC0!iDA SITE, CORPUS CHRISTI, TEX.AS i
>cte:
Februa ry 14, 1980 i
i Place:
Corpus Christi, Texas and nearby Anaconda
!:ill Site
Participants:
l'.eeting between Anaconda Crpany, Texas State organizations, and liF.C Anaconda:
Elen Davis Ste%en Uillims I'.ich Moorc Robert Hill Jesoph '!right
'lilliam tray David Shearer, Carp, Dresser & i1cKee (CDU)
Douglas Sethness, CD.':
i Texes:
I Edgar Sailey, Texas Department of Health (TDH)
John Haygopd, TDH Joscph Gorrel, TD5
'illien lielluns, TDM Donald Spraggins, Texas Rail Road Comission (TRRC) i Kenneth Launius, TRRC Barbara Stanton, Texas General Land Office (TGLO)
Mark Thor.pson, TGLO L
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Hubert liiller,1'l1UR j
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Purpose:
s Under the Uraniun tiill Tailings Radiation Control Act of 1978 (UMTRCA),
j-ownership of sites used for permanent tailings disposal is required to be transferred to the Federal Government.
Anaconda has proposed to dispose of tailings in underground mined out pits at the Corpus Christi
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mill site.
Anaconda states the tailings will be essentially dry and the mines are at least sixty feet deep. Anaconda has requestec to be exempt from the UMTRCA requirement for transfer of ownership based upon the claim that this transfer is not necessary to assure tailings impoundment stability and a need for continued nonitoring.
The State of Texas has requested i!RC assistance in evaluating Government o.:nership of the site.
Under UPTRCA, only i RC can make a determination that the land ownership j
requirements of the Act can be dispensed with.
The purpose of the neeting was to discuss the scope of f1RC review and l-associated schedules, review the porposed Anaconda tailings disposal procran, and to conduct a -site visit to the_mine and mill areas.
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t Summry:
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The following is a surrery of the important points discussed and agreenents reached during the necting:
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t:RC (H. Piller) stated that in making a determination on land ownership, I;RC uill need to document its independent assessment of the issue; the issue which will essentially be addressed is: h'ill continued ronitorino of the disposal site be required following completion of reclamation to protect public health I
and safety and the environment? If not, land ownership by a govern.ent agency would not be necessary.
j i.
The deternination would be conditioned on Anaconda meetina the technical design and perfort.cnce specifications presented'in their Treposal (e.g., noisture content of tailings going into i
the pits) and other conditions determined to be required by
!RC in its assessment. The scope of the MRC technical review (leading to a detcrmination on land ownership) will focus primerily on geohydrologic aspects of thc proposed tailings disposal node, the final depth of burial (distance from surface to top of tailings), and the mill process and tailines disposal i;
methods; broader short-term environnental impacts will be
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addressed by the mill licensing process.
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2.
IIRC stated one aspect to be dealt with in its review is the h
provision in Section 83 of the l'fiTRCA that, where there is no F
government ownership of the disposal site, possession of the tailings shall be pursuant to an I;RC license.
If it is determined F
no i, on. ori r.;, coe,
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..................i license with.......................e.ssenti..al..ly fe..v or no condit ions.
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NRC (H. fiiller/R. Fonner) stated it would need a direct request from Anaconda, which it agreed to do, for a determination on the subject issue. The request should be addressed jointly to the State and URC. This should include a title abstract i
including opinion of counsel concerning the ability of Anaconda to transfer title of the tailings area to the government.
is URC stated it would complete an assessment as requested by Anaconda; however, the fact that the applicable section of
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UTRCA (Section 83) is not effective until Hovember 1981 will-
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make it necessary for NRC to reaffirm the determination after
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Hovember 1901.
HRC stated that careful and complete documentation of the assessment and its determination, and some opportunity for public comment, is called for in view of this.
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HRC will be consulting with the State of Texas in completing its assessment and determination. MRC and the State are j
working out an arrangement for this consulation.
j 4.
URC stated there was, pursuant to 10 CFR Part 17C, a possibility that a licensing fee be charged of Anaconda for making the determination.
5.
Anaconda presented at the meeting an tssessment of the subjec' issue; Anaconda stated that the assessment essentially contained the information promised in the " Work Scope" forwarded to NRC by the State in a letter dated December 12, 1979. Anaconda i
i briefly reviewed for MRC and the State the major points included in their assessment. Two copies of the assessment report were provided to URC. URO stated that its schedules f
for making a determination are subject to the report containing the information stated by Anaconda as being provided in the
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Anaconda "Mork Scope." This would include a description of L
the methods used to establish the parameters which were to be provided under Section 2.1.7.1 of the 'Ucrk Scopt."
i Information regarding mining operations have been described in a report submitted by Anaconda in their mining application to l
the Texas Rail Road Commission.
Anacenda supplied two copies n
of this report to the NRC following the meeting.
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CRC made the following technical points and identified the h
fol, lowing information needs, in response to the limited
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presentction by Anaconda:
p Anaconda should consider options for dewatering of (L.
tailings other than by belt filtering to achieve the I
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by weight). The assessment will be done assuming tailings will be dewatered to this degree or the slurry solution be subjected to dissolved solids removal so that contaminated water cannot nigrate out of the pit via ore zone sands.
Information available on local wells should be provided and should contain, for example, the l
following:
I Location.
I Depth, depth to and elevation of static groundwater i
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levels in wells.
Ilater quality.
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Conceptdal alternatives to disposal in the pit should be evaluated; i.e., those alternatives Anaconda states they would have to pursue if the i
land ownership dispensation is not given. This I
I should include disposal below grade at a location where Anaconda could obtain control of land.
i-Results of permeability tests recently run by Anacond l
on the material beneath the ' ore zone should be provided.
Inforcation concerning the test methods used to gather data on tailings contaninants (raffinate) should be provided.
Information concerning the controls (specifications) which can be placed on replacenent of fill over tl.e i
tailings to avoid recharge of the tailings from l
surface runoff flow should be provided.
The degrec of compaction and permeabilities which will be obtained for the tailin:s cover should be evaluated.
J Informtion should be provided to substantiate the '
Anaconda statement that percolation of rainfall does not penetrate more than a few feet below the surface j
u at the site.
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N 7.
NRC described its schedule for conpleting the assessment b
following submission of needed technical and legal information b
recuired by Anaconda is as follows:
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1-U Following the submission by Anaconda, approximately three months will be needed for liRC to complete the assessment report, at which time a notice must be F
placed in the Federal Register (FR) for public j
notification.
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There will be a thirty day waiting period following f
the FP. notice to provide an opportunity for the l:
public to connent on the action, before the determination can become effective.
V Therefore, there will be about a four month period U
between the Anaconda submission and the effective ir date of the determination.
In the early phase of ji the assessment (i.e., within roughly the first month
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following the Anaconda submission), !!RC will identify
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and attempt resolution of comoents regardin;1 the Anaconda proposal and supporting information.
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Anaconda stated their current schedule for the mill is as C
follows:
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n-June 1900, Anaconda vill complete their feasibility I
i studies on belt filtering and mill.
!;id-19G1, mill construction begins.
Early 1932, mining begins.
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Early 1983, mill construction conplete.
8 L hand ;ritten version of this meeting sumary was completed by the c"
partics involved before ad,iournment. The sumary was read and understood by G. Davis of Anaconda,11. !; iller of tiP.C, and E. Dailey of Texas.
Copics of the hande.ritten meeting sumnary were distribu.ted to Anaconda,
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Texas i:calth Dcpartment, and i:RC at the necting.
l Original Signed bf George Uu Uranium f?ccovery Licensing Branch y
Division of Haste !!e.nagementemeno s
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