ML20149H944

Forwards Plant Biweekly Status Rept for 880116-29 Period. NRC Will Be Conducting Public Meetings at Plymouth Memorial Hall in Plymouth,Ma on 880218 to Receive Public Comments on Plant Restart Plan

ML20149H944
Person / Time
Site:	Pilgrim
Issue date:	02/03/1988
From:	Blough A NRC OFFICE OF INSPECTION & ENFORCEMENT (IE REGION I)
To:	Wiggins J NRC OFFICE OF INSPECTION & ENFORCEMENT (IE REGION I)
References
NUDOCS 8802220205
Download: ML20149H944 (6)

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FEB 031988 Docket No. 50-293 MEMORANDUM FOR: James T. Wiggins, Chief Reactor Projects Branch No. 3 FROM: A. R. Blough, Chief Reactor Projects Section 3B

SUBJECT:

PILGRIM STATUS REPORT FOR THE PERIOD JANUARY 16, -

JANUARY 29, 1988 Enclosed is the Pilgrim bi-weekly status report from the NRC Resident Office at Pilgrim. Three resident inspectors and eight region-based specialist inspectors monitored activities at the plant during the report period. Mr.

Thomas T. Martin, Director of NRC Region I Division of Radiation Safety and Safeguards, was onsite on January 28 and 29, 1988. On February 18, 1988, NRC will be conducting public meetings at the Plymouth Memorial Hall, in Plymouth, Massachusetts to receive public comments on the Boston Edison's Pilgrim Restart Plan. NRC Region I will issue a news release to inform the public of the scheduled meeting.

The status reports are intended to provide NRC management and the public with an overview of plant activities and NRC inspection activities. Subsequent inspection reports will address many of these topics in more detail.

A. R. Blough, Chief Reactor Projects Section 3B

Enclosure:

As Stated 8802220205Ohh93 PDR ADOCK 0 PDR R

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OFFICIAL RECORD COPY PILGRIM WEEKLY STATUS REPORT 0001.0.0 11/29/80 "

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2 FEB 031988 cc w/ encl:

W. Russell, RI W. Kane, RI W. Johnston, RI T. Martin, RI S. Collins, RI T. Murley, NRR F. Miraglia, NRR S. Varga, NRR B. Boger, NRR D. Crutchfield, NRR J. Partlow, NRR C. Rossi, NRR L. Shao, NRR F. Congel, NRR R. Wessman, NRR L. C. Gustin, Vice President - Corporate Relations, BECo R. Bird, Senior Vice President-Nuclear, BECo K. Highfill, Station Director, BECO B. McIntyre, Chairman, Department of Public Utilities Chairman, Board of Selectmen, Plymouth Chairman, Board of Selectmen, Carver Chairman, Board of Selectmen, Duxbury Chairman, Board of Selectmen, Marshfield Chairman, Board of Selectmen, Kingston J. D. Keyes R. Boulay Plymouth Civil Defense Director Senator Edward P. Kirby Representative Peter Forman S. M. Pollard M. Conyngham M. R. Jeka K. R. Anderson The Honorable E. J. Markey M. D. Ernst, Committee on Energy, Commonwealth of Massachusetts Public Document Room (PDR)

Local Public Document Room (LPDR)

Nuclear Safety Information Center (NSIC)

NRC Resident Inspector Commonwealth of Massachusetts (2) bec w/ encl:

Region I Docket Room (with concurrences) l Management Assistant, DRMA (w/o encl)

DRP Section Chief PA0 (2) dg RI:DRP RI:DRP D I:DRP C. Warren A. Blough M J. Wiggins 0FFICIAL RECORD COPY PILGRIM WEEKLY STATUS REPORT -

0002.0.0 11/29/80

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ENCLOSURE PILGRIM STATUS REPORT FOR THE PERIOD JANUARY 16 - 29, 1988 1.0 Plant Status As of 8:00 a.m. on January 29, 1988, the reactor was in cold shutdown mode with moderator temperature about 98 degrees Fahrenheit.

2.0 Facility Operations Summary The plant has been shutdewn for maintenance and to make program improvements since April 12, 1986. The reactor core was completely defueled on February 13, 1987 to facilitate extensive maintenance and modification of plant equipment. The licensee completed fuel reload on October 14, 1987. Reinstallation of the reactor vessel internal components and the vessel head was followed by completion of the reactor vessel hydrostatic test. The primary containment integrated leak rate test was also completed during the week of December 21, 1987.

During this report period, the licensee continued with the post modification / maintenance testing of plant equipment.

3.0 Items of Special Interest NRC Public Meeting to Receive Comments on BECo's Pilgrim Restart Plan On February 18, 1988, NRC will be conducting public meetings at the Plymouth Memorial Hall, in Plymouth, Massachusetts to receive public comments on the Boston Edison Company's Pilgrim Restart Plan. The meetings are scheduled for 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. The meetings will be formal, transcribed sessions where the public's testimony will be heard by NRC management. The NRC will also accept written testimony from those unable to attend. NRC will consider these comments, as appropriate, for enhancing NRC review and inspection activities.

Copies of Boston Edison's Pilgrim Restart Plan have been placed in local libraries for public revies. Arrangements for the meetings were confirmed with the Plymouth Board of Selectmen in a letter from Mr.

William F. Kane, NRC Region I Director of Reactor Projects, dated January 27, 1988. NRC Region I will issue a news release to inform the public o#

the scheduled meetings. NRC plans to hold one or more followup public meetings to explain the NRC response to the public comments received on February 18. These followup meetings would occur after the staff has evaluated the comments and decided on the appropriate response actions, but prior to a staff recommendation to the Commission regarding plant restart.

OFFICIAL RECORD COPY PILGRIM WEEKLY STATUS REPORT -

0003.0.0 11/29/80

f Erosion of Construction Dirt into Wetland On January 15,1988 at 5:45 p.m. the licensee made an ENS notification in accordance with 10 CFR 50.72 (b)(2)(vi) which requires the licensee to inform the NRC of an event c.r situation related to health and safety of public for which a news release was made or notification of another government agency has been made. During routine environmental

• monitoring, the licensee observed erosion from a pile of contruction dirt into an adjacant licensee controlled wetland. The Plymouth Conservation Commission and the Massachusetts Department of Public Health were notified and a press release was made by the licensee. Also, on January 16, 1988, two representatives from the Plymouth Conservation Commission toured the area.

In the last several years during onsite excavation for plant modifications, dirt, asphalt and concrete containing low levels of contamination were stored in a fenced in storage area outside the protected area on the licensee's property. The licensee estimated that the storage area contains 110,000 cubic feet of material. Before removal from the protected area, samples of material were obtained and isotopic analyses were performed by the licensee. The level of activity found was reasonably uniform at levels of 10-6 (i .e. , IE-6) and 10-7 (i .e. , IE-7) microcuries of Cobalt -60 and Cesium -137 per gram. The inspector reviewed a sample of soil analyses and verified that results were consistent with the stated levels.

On January 21, 1988 the inspector toured the area, accompanied by a licensee health physics technician, and performed a survey of the storage area and found no detectable radiation above background levels. During the tour the inspector noted that bales of hay had been put around the perimeter of the fence which borders wetlands area to prevent further erosion of material. The fenced in storage area was secured with a locked gate. The inspector's survey of the area and review of licensee's analyses indicate that the level of activity do not represent a health or safety concern. The licensee is formulating a long term solution to properly dispose of the material.

Fire in the Contractor Trailer On January 17, 1988 at 4:55 a.m. the fire brigade was dispatched to extinguish a small fire in a contractor lavatory trailer, which is

! located adjacent to the Bechtel warehouse inside the protected area l fence. By 5:30 a.m., the fire brigade members had cleared the scene and i a continuous fire watch was posted in the area. The cause of the fire was believed to be overheating of an overhead heating unit for the trailer. No personnel injury occurred. The inspector toured the l

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scene with a licensee fire protection engineer on January 18, 1988.

Minor damage to a small area of the ceiling in the trailer was observed.

The Plymouth Fire Department was notified by the licensee in the morning of January 18, 1938.

HPCI Room Flooding On January 23, 1988 at about 9:30 a.m. the control room received a report of flooding in the high pressure coolant injection (HPCI) system pump room. Investigation confirmed that approximately three inches of water had accumotated on the floor in the area due to an overflowing drain sump. All systems discharging into the sump were isolated. The area drain valve was checked open, and an operator was dispatched to manually start one of the two sump pumps. After manually starting a pump the operator noted that a rubber hose had been wrapped around the sump level float switch. The hose prevented the float switch from actating and starting the pumps on increasing sump level. The hose was removed and the second pump automatically started. Because the level of water in the room remained low no equipment damage resulted. There were no personnel contaminations associated with the incident.

On January 26, 1988, the licensee experienced another flooding problem in the HPCI system pump room. Approximately three inches of water had accumulated on the floor in the area. The licensee's investigation deterrained that the technicians had lef t a piece of piping on the sump level float switch following a calibration of the float switch. The piece of piping prevented the float switch from actuating and starting the pumps on increasing sump level, There were no personnel contaminations associated with the incident.

4.0 Emer2ency Notification System (ENS) Report During this period, the licensee made two reports to the NRC pursuant to 10 CFR 50.72:

On January 15,1988 at 5:45 p.m. the licensee notified NRC in ac :ordance with 10 CFR 50.72 (b)(2)(vi) regarding erosion of construction dirt into the wetlands area. The dett:ls are described in section 3.0.

On January _7,1988 at 1:13 a.m. a spurious reactor scram signal was generated during the performance of a reactor level instrument calibration. The full scram signal on low water level was received due to a surge in the reactor water instrument line when an I&C technician was valving a level instrument back in service. The licensea's investigation of the event identified two safety related equipment malfunctions; only half of the Reactor Building Isolation System initiated due to an electrical relay failure, and a vent valve on the scram discharge volume failed to close. The licensee also identified an incorrectly installed rea. tor water level instrument gauge. The details of these problems and the licensee's corrective actions will be documented in the inspection report 50-293/87-57.

OFFICIAL RECORD COPY PILGRIM WEEKLY STATUS REPORT -

0005.0.0 11/29/80

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5.0 NRC Staff Status During the Period The inspection staff at Pilgrim during the report period consisted of the following

1 Clay Warren ---

Senior Resident Inspector Jeffrey Lyash ---

Resident inspector Tae Kim ---

Resident Inspector In addition, eight regional specialist inspectors were onsite during the week of January 25, 1988 to review: (1) the licensee's radiation protection program, (2) the status of material condition improvement action plan, (3) the power ascension program, (4) the licensee's corrective actions in response to previous inspection findings, (5) the emergency preparednest program, and (6) the physical security and safeguards program. The results of these inspections will be documented in NRC Inspection Reports 50-293/88-01, 50-293/88-02, 50-293/88-03, 50-293/88-05 and 50-293/88-06.

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OFFICIAL RECORD COPY PILGRIM WEEXLY STATUS REPORT -

0006.0.0 11/29/80

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