ML20148H448
| ML20148H448 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Issue date: | 05/28/1997 |
| From: | Kinneman J, Munford D, Ullrich B NRC OFFICE OF INSPECTION & ENFORCEMENT (IE REGION I) |
| To: | |
| Shared Package | |
| ML20148H425 | List: |
| References | |
| REF-QA-99990001-970602 99990001-97-06, 99990001-97-6, NUDOCS 9706100187 | |
| Download: ML20148H448 (7) | |
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i U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION REGION l j
INSPECTION REPORT Report No.
99990001/97-006 Docket No.
99990001 Licensee:
Borouah of Roversford Wastewater Treatment Facility 300 Main Street P. O. Box 188 Roversford, Pennsylvania 19468 i
i Facility Name:
Roversford Wastewater Treatment Facility j
Inspection At:
First Avenue Roversford. Pennsvivania 19468
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Inspection Condu ted-April 16.1997 j
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inspectors:
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bawi(Munf6rd " /
Idate Laboratory Assistant 4
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Be'tsy UllricY
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. aith4)hysicist Approved By:
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[ 28 f 7 Joh D. Kinrieman, Chief date Nucl ar Materials Safety Branch 2 sion of Nuclear Materials Safety inspection Summarv: Limited, announced, safety inspection conducted on April 16, 1997 to collect sludge samples from reedbed. (Inspection Report No. 99990001/97-006)
Areas Insoected: Background; description of reedbed; description of samples.
Results: No violations were identified. Samples were transferred to Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education for analyses. Results of analyses will be forwarded separately when available.
RETURN ORIGINAL TO REGION I 9706100197 970602 REG 1 GA999 ENV*****
99990001 PDR
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DETAILS 1.
Persons Contacted Michael Claflin, Superintendent i
Donna Niemirovich, Assistant Superintendent l
2.
Backaround l-The Royersford Wastewater Treatment Facility (RWTF) in the Borough of l
Royersford,' Pennsylvania receives effluent water containing radioactive material released by the Interstate Nuclear Services (INS) Corporation nuclear laundry, also in Royersford. INS releases from 5,000 to 30,000 gallons of effluent per day to the RWTF. The RWTF processes about 400,000 gallons of incoming material per day, of which INS is a significant fraction. The NRC has been monitoring the presence of radioactive materials at the RWTF since 1986. Although the INS releases are made in compliance with the allowable concentrations which may be released to the sanitary sewerage system as described in 10 CFR 20.2003, much of the radioactive materialis reconcentrated during processing at the RWTF. This results in an accumulation of radioactive materials at the RWTF in an onsite -
reedbed which has been used since 1990 for drying about half the sludge from the secondary digester. The remainder of the sludge is mechanically dewatered about once each year, and disposed of to a municipal landfill.
The reedbed was built in 1990 for the purpose of dewatering sludge from the secondary digester by growing seeds in an enclosed area. The reedbed base is marine macadam to contain the liquid sludge, overlain by layers of gravel and sand to provide an initial growing base for the reeds in 1990. Sludge is dewatered as the reeds take up liquid for growth, and bacteria surrounding the reed root system further decompose the solids. Personnel at the RWTF monitor the solids content of the secondary digester sludge (typically 4-6% solids) in order to control the amount of sludge that can be applied to the growing reeds. As the depth of the dried sludge increases in the reedbed, the reeds send out new roots and continue to grow. Most of the year, the reed bed is moist from repeated applications of secondary digester sludge. During the winter, when the reeds are dormant and when the sludge is frozen, the reeds are cut back to promote new growth in the spring. When the depth of the sludge approaches the height of the surrounding walls, the dried sludge will be removed and disposed of.
A large amount of data is available regarding the radionuclides released by INS and the re-concentration at the RWTF. INS has provided reports of all effluent water releases made to the RWTF each quarter since 1986. Oak Ridge Associated Universities performed studies in 1987,1988, and 1989 of the re-concentration at i
the RWTF. Samples of sludge from the secondary digester and materials from the mechanical dewatering process are collected each year for analysis by the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE). However, samples of sludge Inspection Report No. 99990001/97-006
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3-i from the reedbed were collected only in 1992. The purpose of this inspection was to collect core samples of sludge from the reedbed.
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Descriotion of Reedbed and Samolina Locations The reedbed has concrete walls approximately 6 feet high. It is 72 feet long by 50 feet wide. A wall about 30 feet from one end of the reedbed -divides it into j
two cells. The front of the reedbed is the long wall nearest the fence, which has an entrance into each cell. Attachment A shows the location of the reedbed at the RWTF. Attachment 8 shows a diagram of the reedbed and sampling locations.
The depth of the reedbed sludge was about 2.5 feet at the time of this inspection.
Secondary digester sludge had last been applied to the reedbed on April 8,1997.
Because the sludge had softened with the warm weather and was moist from the recent sludge application, no entry by foot into the reedbed was possible.
However, it was possible to collect sludge samples using a long-handled soil core sampler from outside and above the walls.
The area surrounding the reedbed slopes such that the ground is level with the tops of two walls (the long back wall nearest the secondary digester and the short side wall nearest the office), but the ground is level with the base of front wall.
Along the short side wall near the primary digester, the ground slopes from the top of the back wall to the base of the front wall. Samples were collected at about one-third and two-thirds the distance of each short side wall, and from about one-third and two-thirds the distance along the back wall of each cell. Samples were collected about 2 feet from the wall, to a depth of about 1.5 feet. No samples were collected along the front wall or the dividing wall which would have required standing on top of the 8-inch thick walls.
4.
Descriotion of Samoles Spring growth of the new reeds was still sparse and did not interfere with the sampling, although some reeds were up to 2 feet high. The surface of the reedbed on the day of this inspection appeared to be a soft, black paste which had cracked as it dried. The reed root system was visible just under the surface of the sludge, to a depth of only an inch or two, so roots were easily separated from the sample. At a depth of a few inches, the sludge was brown with a clay-like consistency.
Reedbed sludge was removed from the core sampler using a trowel and a steel rod, into a box lined with plastic. The sample was transferred to a !;00-milliliter polybottle using the trowel to collect as much of the brown sludge i s possible, rather than the newer black surface sludge. Samples of reedbed sludge from areas closest to the front wall were more wet *han those from other areas.
Inspection Report No. 99990001/97-006
A surface sample of sludge was collected using the trowel from areas within reach of the cell entrances. No samples were collected at depth because of how wet these areas were. Also, according to RWTF representatives, the area of the Cell A entrance had accumulated snail shells to a depth of more than a foot. The snails had been removed from another process line and disposed of in the reedbed. A list of the samples and descriptions is in Attachment C.
Samples in the polybottles were taken to the Region I laboratory where they were cleaned prior to packaging for transfer to ORISE for analyses.
6.
Exit interview The inspectors met with the RWTF superintendent before leaving the site, and informed the superintendent that 9 samples had been collected for analyses by ORISE. They also confirmed that mechanical dewatering was expected to take place beginning in early May. The RWTF superintendent stated that he had received sample collection containers from ORISE for liquid and solid samples from the mechanical dewatering process.
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l Inspection Report No. 99990001/97-006 l
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' ATTACHMENT A: DIAGRAM OF THE RWTF 4
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' ATTACHMENT B: DIAGRAM OF THE REEDBED 1
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ATTACHMENT C: SAMPLE DESCRIPTION SAMPLE LOCATION DESCRIPTION 1
Cell A, rear wall soft black paste with some brown clay-like material 2
Cell A, rear wall soft black paste with some brown clay-like material 3
Cell B, rear wall soft black paste near surface; brown clay-like at depth of more than 2 inches 4
Cell B, rear wall soft black mush near surface; brown clay-like material below surface; moist sample 5
Cell B, side wall soft black mush near surface, brown wet clay below surface 6
Cell B, side wall very wet sample; black thick liquid near surface, some brown clay-like material near bottom of sample 7
Cell A, side wall very wet sample; soft black mush with very little brown clay-like material 8
Cell A, side wall soft black paste, with some brown clay-like material 9
Cells A & B composite surface sample; moist black entrances sludge with roots and other debris 1
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i inspection Report No. 99990001/97-006 J