ML20128B108

Forwards Insp Rept Re Discharge of 50,000 Gallons of Radioactive Liquid Into Mississippi River,Answering Both Parts of Recipient Question

ML20128B108
Person / Time
Site:	Monticello
Issue date:	08/17/1973
From:	Knuth D US ATOMIC ENERGY COMMISSION (AEC)
To:	Stradinger O US ATOMIC ENERGY COMMISSION (AEC)
Shared Package
ML20128B112	List: ML20128B108 ML20128B149
References
NUDOCS 9212030563
Download: ML20128B108 (5)

Text

.. . . - , . . . , . _ _ _ . _ - _ _ _ . . _ _ _ . _ _ _ . . _ . . _ _ _ - . _ .

- t  ;

'. 4.

-).

s p/C l

AUG ,7 m3 0'  !

Oscar Stradinger Office Congressional Relations DISCHARGE OF RAD 10ACT!YE EFFLUENT FROM THE MONTICELLO PUWT l We assume that the qvestion regarding discharge of 50,000 gallo'is of I radioactlye 11guld into the Mississippi River refers to an occurrence in 1971. Enclosed is a copy of a report of inspection of that matter.

The report answers both parts of your question. Copies of this report were furnished the Honorable Wendell R. Anderson. Governor of Minnesota, with a letter dated December 17, 1971, and Mr. Ed Tonat. Legislative Assistant to Congressman Joseph Karth, with a letter dated January 18.

1972.-

please let es know if we can be of further assistance.

{

D. F. Knuth. Director Regulatory Operations

Enclosure:

As stated cc: L. M. Nntring L. V. Gossick J. F. O' Leary bec: B. H. Grier, R0:III, w/o encl.

J 9212030563 730817 PDR ADOCK 05000263 0 PDR omcr > ......h0. ETB.. . . . ..... RO - ) .....R0 I . ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... . . . . . M19h su= = M.i.99 .am.  : c1, ,.CW.. ....mdn ... ,,,, DF,hn.ut, .D,. , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

i om ., . 4/1.Z/73 . BuflZ3....

ene

...8 /.h)).

.es-a-hus-s s-67s Form AEC-Sl8 (Rev. 9 33) AFCM 0140 I

Enclu ure REPORT rF I1TPTTINT

}tHfrIC EIA D:CiFAit T W 1 rTATION thve-bor 21 - 2% 1971 packground On fioverber 20,1Wl, tir. C. E. Ierson, Cuperintendent of the f6rthern States P:ver C:.epony's Ibnticello Nuclear P:ver Station infor=ed the Division of Conpliance, Ilecion III office, Glen Ellyn, Illinois, by telephone that a planned diccharge of about 10,000 collons of water containir.3 radioactive tuterial had been mde to the l'iccionippi River durina the evening of N:vceber 19,1C/fl. Mr. Larson etntcd that the calculated concentration of radioactivity in the water diccharged to therivervoo745x10-10uci/ml. nio conecntration in leon than 11 of the litit specified in their AID licence for the diccharge of liquid vacte containing unidentified radioicotopes. 11r. Iaroon also stated that he had heard on the nevo media that the 111nneapolis and St. Fmtl vater supply intake gates vould be closed for a period of time becauce of the diccharge, based en the recoczendation of the !!innesota State Health Dcpsrt=ent. Mr. Larson stated that he van informir.g the AEC because of the coverage being given this mtter by the neva cedia.

(The air licence does not require the licensee to notify the AEC of liquid discharges which are planned and vbich have radioactive concen-trations that are belov AID license limits.)

A special inspection was conducted at the Fbnticello rite by inspectors i

from the Region III Ceepliance office during the period of Ibvember 21 i

I through tiover.ber 24 to obtain detailed infor ntion on the discharge of j

liquid vaste from bbnticello. Re inforention voich follovo sum::arizes the findings of the Division of Compliance inspectors baced on their l

selective examiration of recordo and procedures, interviews with plant personnel, and direct observation.

! Inr.pection Tindinas i

l he lbuticello reactor had been shut down on Friday, !bve:ber 12, for l

n planned mintenance period of about three days. As a recult of i eurveillance tents perforned during the first part of this outage, the licensee determined that draining the torus, which normlly contains about 500,000 gallons of water, vas required to permit inopection and l

repair work within the torus. Die necessitated extending the planned

! tainterance period. The major portion of the torus water was transferred to liquid storage space within the plant but the volume of vnter to be stored exceeded the availnble storage capacity by about 50,000 gallona.

- l r /

o m er > , , , , , , . , , , , . . . . . , . , ,, , , , , , , , , , , . . . . , _ , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,_ , , , , ,

sunae > . . . . . . . . , , . . . . , , -_ _ , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

carr > , . . . . . . . . . . . . .

i ,

j '

-t-I 1

i On Friday, November 19, the licensee decided to discharge the excess J

veter to the river.

Procedures for the discharge of the torus water were pretared and approved by the Monticello plant staff. These procedurco required 4 - that t.11 vater being released be proccceed through a Povdex deminer-aliter / filter prior to diccharde. Standard procedures require an analytieni determination of the radioactivity contained in a sample of water to be released prior to its discharge. The procedures 4 followed in dincharging the water from }bnticello were reviewed by the Compliance inspectors and found to be consistent with the plan for handling of liquid vaste described in the Tiral Gafety Analysis Report submitted by the licensee as a part of the application for an AIU operating license.

De initial batch of water dischar6ed frca )tonticello was made up slarast entirely of toruo water and vus released from the plant start-ing at 7:20 p.m. on Friday, !bve ber 19 The licensee's records showed that this batch contained 675h callonn. We licensee analyzed a sample of this batch prior to its diccharge and provided the Minnecota Pollution control Agency with a similar cample for their analysis. A cample was also provided to the Compliance inspectors for indepcodent analycis by the AE. De results of thece sample

analyses are given in Table I. Pased on the licenece's cample

analycic, which is consistent with the other analyses, the total radioactivity contained in the initial batch releaned was determined 1

by the licensee to be 132.4 uC1. The concer.tration of this activity after dilution in the water of the discharge canal was calculated by -

the licencee to be 7.45 x 10-10 uCi/ml. These calculations to determine the activity concentration released to the river were reviewed and verified by the Compliance inspectors. The Am license limit on activi-l ,

ty concentration for instantaneous release of unidentified isotopes in liquid vaste, the nest restrictive limit applicable in this case, is 1 x 10'I uC1/mi above background. The activity concentration of the release, therefore, was substantially below the applicable AIC limit.

Subaequent to the discharge of the initini batch of water, the licensee determined that the total activity to be released from the plant would be less if water were diccharged from the fuel storage pool rather than from the torus. De remaining torus water could then be transferred to -

the fuel storage pool to replace the water discharged. A modified i procedure to transfer water from the fuel storage pool for discharge L

to the river was prepared and approved by the licensee. A total of-

, l omce > . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... c .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

j mme . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ...... . - . . . . . . . . . . . . . ...................... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..

i em . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . _ . _ . . . _ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . _ . . . .

.. . - p -

. i .

4 four batches of water from the fuel storage. pool, consistina of 33,636 2 gallons, van discharced during the period from !bycober 21 through

) Nove=bor 24, 1971. The results of cnmple tnalyses for these four batches are (it an in inble I. ne activity concentration in each of these batches

. var. lu.s than in the initial batch.

5 The total volume of voter discharged to the river, excluding normal laundry vaste, durin.3 the period from liovember 19 throuch 16vember 24, 1M1, uns h2,393 gallons containing a total activity of 215 6 uC1.

During the came period, the volums of norm 1 Imundry vante discharged

urr hSCO gallons of vator containing 1.6 uCi of activity.

?

- 'lec from the diccharge canal campler, which represented a

' taople of diocharge carni vater for the period from !bvember 15 r.ber 22, 1971, vere obtained. These camples were analyzed by the lia " , the Minnecota Ivilution Agency, and the AEC. W e results of

+h"  ; .aalynss reported in uCi/ml vere as follows:

j MP MV- ATX!

I Grofs gacma 4.3 x 10'9 5 6 x 10-9 NA i Oross beta 6.8 x 10'9 9 0 x 10-9 1.6 x 10~0 H-3 2 x 10-6 gg (axyo-6 Canana isotopic MA NA all(1 x 10 4 NA - r.ot anal,yzed Dese recults are nsted to be in the range of the natural ~ background acti <ig in }!ississippi River water.

4 Conclusion No items of te, .: ompliance with N ' requiremonta vere observed to have cccurred within .ne scope of the Avesber 21-24 inspection at tbuticello.

J i

i orra > . _ , , _ . . . . . . . . . . . , ... , , , , , . . , , , . . . , , , , . . . . . . . . , , , , , . ._

su. mar > .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ,, . , , , , , , , , , , , _

l _ ._

our> . . . . . . . . , . . . . . _ . . .. , . . . . . . _ . . . . _ . ,, , , , , , , , , , , . , , , ,,

r TABLE I i

LIQUID RELEASES FilC:I ICITTICELLo ICJCLEAR ICWER STATION  ;

IFMER 19 - 24,157/1 Entch  ! ,

No./Dato Results of Cample fnalysis

• Ecurce ActivityConcentration(uC1/ml) Total Datch -

V.,1 u -- USP MPCA AFU Activity  ; ,

966/n/19 Torus Vater cross caem cross Beta 4.0 x 10-6 3 3 x lo-6 h.1 x 10-6 m

NA 3 3 x 10-6 132.4 uCi l ll. j ,

8754 sal. H-3 m m 1 74 x .'.0-3  :

I-131 3.4 x 10-6 3 7 x lo-6 2 3 x 10-6  :  : j 1 co-58 6.0 x 10-7 4.2 x 10-7 6 3 x 10-7 i cs-137 nA NA 1 3 x 177  : -

co-60 NA M 2.4 x 10-7 i E 974/n/21 cross cat =a 8.75 x 10-7 1.04 x lo-6 NA 27 8 uCi ;ij l 72 x 10-7 Ibel Ibol Vater crocs Beta NA 1.6 x 10-6 . t Sho9 Sal. 1-131 7.88 x 10-7 8.2 x 10-7 5.o x 10-7 .

I Co-58 8 75 x 10-8 2.2 x 10-7 1 3 x 10-7  !

j H-3 NA E 1 33 x 10-3 .x Ie-133 m n 2 7 x 10-6  ; ,,

t =

978/n/22 crosa camm 3 84 x 10-7 4.8 x 10-7 n 12.2 uCi ,

Ibel Pool Vater Crocs Beta a.5 x 10-7 NA 1.0 x 10-6  ;

8409 gal. I-131 3.84 x 10-7 k.8 x 10-7 1 5 x 10-7 .

Co-53 IM RA 7 7 x 10-8 .'

H-3 E UA 1 3 x 10-3  :

Xc-133 NA KA 1 3 x 104 . 5 x

987/n/23 cross cocma 1.07 x 10-6 9 9 x lo-T KA 34.0 uCi y Ebel Pool Water orosa Beta NA NA E .

i E4c9 gal. 1-131 8.8 x 10-7 9 4 x 10-7 nA , , , @

Co-58 1 9 x 10-7 5 0 x 10-8 nr y yg3 g aa  :

.' 992/11/24 crocs cac:s 2.89 x 10-7 2 7 x 10-7 Pbel 15o1 Water I-131 NA 9 2 uCi b 2.89 x lo-7 2 7 x 10-7 NA 4 8409 E31. E l 2

. UA - f'ot aralyzed

. J'

_ . . _ _ .