ML20127J458
| ML20127J458 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Monticello  |
| Issue date: | 07/11/1968 |
| From: | Price H US ATOMIC ENERGY COMMISSION (AEC) |
| To: | Karth J HOUSE OF REP. |
| Shared Package | |
| ML20127J461 | List: |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 9211190345 | |
| Download: ML20127J458 (3) | |
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, Bonorable Joseph E. Karth -
l'ouse of P.oprecontatives Dear Mr. Karth I am pleased to reply to your lotter of June 25.,1968, concorning s'~'
9 clogram you rocoived from Mr. Leonard L'. Levina.' 1 cm enclosing a 5rief report which doneribes our reguintory review procedure and the ro31olor,1 cal effects to the environo expected as a result of operation.
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of the 1!onticello Nuclear Cenerating Plant.
In our review of the proposed Monticello Uucicar Cencrating Plant, all,..
itenc relovnne to. radiological releacco to the environs vero cohcidered in detail by the regulatory staff and were found to bo in accordance vich the limits set forth in the Commiosion's.resulations,10 CFR*Part 20.
.n addition to the booklet, " Licensing of Power Reactora'," which is referenced in the attached report', I_am sico inclosing a copy _ of Atomic -
', Power Safety," which, describes tha'opaiatifon~of the typical water ~
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cooled and moderated neelear power plants.
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Sincerely,
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Report 2.
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" Atomic Power Safety"
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RADIOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF OPERATING p
THE MONTICELLO NUCLEAR GENERATING PLANT h t
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The application by Northern States Power Company for a permit to construct.,
the Monticello plant was reviewed from the standpoint of radiological -
safety by four bodies in the AEC's process of licensing and regelation,
'i as outlined in the enclosed booklet, " Licensing,of Power Reactors."
These review groups included the AEC regulatory staff, the Commission's statutory Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards (ACRS)', and an. atomic,
safety and licensing board which co,nducted a public hearing in the matt'r on May 28, 1967, at Buffalo, Minnesota. The initial decision of e
the board, granting a provisional construction permit, was then reviewed
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.by the Commission-itself. The construction permit was issued on June 19, 19 J. Each'of these review bodies concluded that the proposed plant could be. constructed and operated without undue ~ risk to the health and-safety of the public.
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When the applicant completes the plant and applies for an operating license, further' safety reviews will be conducted by the AEC regulatory staff and the ACRS.' Thereafter, if an operating license is granted, the plant will be under AEC surveillan'ce and undergo periodic safety
, inspections throughout its lifetime.
Small amounts of radioactive material are permitte'd'by_AEC regulations to be released into the environment at controlled rates and in' controlled amounts from a nuclear power plant. This requires a continuous program-of monitoring and, control to assure that permissible limits are not exceeded. The permissibic limits in AEC' regulations are bas.ed on guides developed by the Federal Radiation Council, a statut'ry body, and o
issued by. the President for the guidance of Federal agencies. These permissible' limits are such that continuous use of' air or water at the point of release from the site would not result in exposures exceeding national and international standards for radiation protection of the public. Permissible, exposure limits reflected in these standards are well below. the level where biological damage has been observed in humans. It is-believed that any biological e,f_f_ects that might be
. produced at such low exposures would.be tdo' infrequent, in comparison
~ with the occurrenee--Tif sTmiliar effects from natural causes, to be observed by epidemiological or other techniques presently'available.
i Thus, the risk to individauls exposed at such levels is so' low as to be negligible in comparison with observable risks from natural and
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.other causes.
The concentrations of liquid radioactive effluents releas'ed from the pl' ant are further reduced by dilution in the body of water'to which they are discharged. A_recent survey of all fourteen, operating nuclear power plants has shown.that the concentrations of radioactivity in liquid releases during 1967 were 'only a small fraction of.t.he permissible limits applicable' to. the radio.nuclides in the effluent.
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In the case of the Monticello plant, the A.;C's evaluations' concluded that the design and operation of the radiological vaste disposal f
system would preclude harmful effects on the water supplies of
,a Minneapolis and St. Paul, the nearest cocaunities using the Mississippi River for potable water.. Nevertheless, during our review of the J, '
i proposed Monticello plant, we considered consequences to the Minneap'olis
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hi and St. Paul water supplies of accidental releases of radioactive j
material to the Mississippi River even though we found no evident way
. that such a release could occur.
is extremely unlikely that an accidental release of large quantities It of radioactive material from the Monticello plant into the river.vould However, if such a r,elease were to occur, the radioactive material oc c ur..
would travel downstream with the river current and sufficient time vould F
be available to close the intakes for the Minner olis and St. Paul water,
j systems before the radioactive material reached.; hem. If such action were necessary, the reserve' supplies of water available in the reservoirs of the two cities vould be sufficient-to maintain full unter supplies to the cities until such timh as the radiation contamination has passed the intakes. When the applicant applies for an operating. license, the'
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procedures to be followed, and the instruments required to monitor any i radioactive release, vill.be ' reviewed in detail to further assura 'that the citizens of Minneapolis and St. Paul as well as other connunities ~
which use the Mississippi for potable water vill not be adversely affected.
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