ML20195D379
| ML20195D379 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | McGuire, Mcguire  |
| Issue date: | 05/27/1986 |
| From: | Jabbour K Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation |
| To: | |
| Shared Package | |
| ML20195D385 | List: |
| References | |
| TAC-61179, TAC-61180, NUDOCS 8606040126 | |
| Download: ML20195D379 (8) | |
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7590-01
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UNITED STATES NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMISSION I
DUKE POWER COMPANY DOCKET NOS. 50-369 AND 50-370 NOTICE OF CONSIDERATION OF ISSUANCE OF AMENDMENTS TO FACILITY OPERATING LICENSES AND PROPOSED NO SIGNIFICANT HAZARDS CONSIDERATION AND DETERMINATION The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Comission (the Comission) is considering issuance of amendments to Facility Operating License Nos. NPF-9 and NPF-17 issued to Duke Power Company for operation of the McGuire Nuclear Station, Units 1 and 2, located in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina.
The amendments would authorize on an emergency basis a one-time release of the existing contents of the Conventional (non-twdioactive) Wastewater Basin, containing trace amounts of tritium, into the Catawba River. Technical Specification (TS) 3.11.1.1 and its referenced Figure 5.1-4, " Site Boundary for Liquid Effluents" define the authorized discharge point for radioactive material released in liquid effluents to unrestricted areas as being only to Lake Norman. The proposed authorization would be accomplished by the addition of a footnote to TS Figure 5.1-4 at the discharge point for the Conventional
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Wastewater Basin into the Catawba River, stating that this discharge point is authorized for a one-time discharge of water which contains trace amounts of tritium in addition to the nomally processed offluents of the Waste' Water Collection Basin, effective the date of Comission approval. The change would not affect any existing limits or procedures regarding the processir.g of conventional (i.e., non-radioactive) contaminants.
860604d126 860527 DR ADOCK 05000369 PDR
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These revisions.to the technical specifications would be made in response to the licensee'-s application for amendments dated May 20, 1986.
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Before issuance of the proposed license amendments, the Comission will have made findings required by the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended (the Act), and the Comission's regule+1ons.
An unexpected release of tritium into the Conventional Wastewater Basin has created the need for prompt action as proposed above for two reasons, both steming from the fact that the Basin is nearly full. First, excessive rainfall could result in an overflow of the Basin, resulting in an uncontrolled release. Second, lack of available volume in the Basin will impair the station's ability to process conventional (non-radiological) liquid waste as required by the NPDES pennit issued by the State of North Carolina and, thereby, result in an extended plant outage.
Non-radioactive chemical wastes from the McGuire Station (e.g., turbine building drains, water treatment system filter backwashes, demineralizer re-generation wastes) are routed through the Conventional Waste Water Treatment System (CWWTS) and subjected to physicochemical treatment. The CWWTS includes a Basin of two parallel stream settling ponds with a capacity of about 2 million gallons eacn. Upon completion of treatment, the discharges from this system are released to the Catawba River downstream of Cowans Ford Dam. The discharge from
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I the CWWTS may also be mixed with water from the Standby Nuclear Service Water Pond to dilute waste concentrations prior to discharge to the river. Waste containing radioactive material is not intended for the CWWTS; rather such w6ste is routed to separate Liquid Radwaste Systems (see FSAR Section 11.2) for recycling, processing and disposal.
By letter dated May 20, 1986, the licensee noted that tritium, but no other radionuclide, had entered the Basin and had subsequently been diluted to a
-5 concentration of 1.4 x 10 microcuries per milliliter. The licensee proposed
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to discharge "the-4 million gallons of water in the Basin, along with its tritium, to the river at a rate of 500 gpm over a duration of 133 hours0.00154 days <br />0.0369 hours <br />2.199074e-4 weeks <br />5.06065e-5 months <br />. The Basin dis-charge would also be mixed by equal flow from the Standby Nuclear Service Water Pond, such that the tritium concentration at the river release point would be 7 x 10-6 microcuries per milliliter. This concentration is well within the limit of 3 x 10-3 microcuries per milliliter specified by 10 CFR 20.106 and as-sociated Appendix B. Table II, for tritium concentrations in water.
The NRC has evaluated doses resulting from the proposed discharge using nodels and assumptions in Regulatory Guide 1.109, " Calculation of Annual Doses to Man from Routine Release of Reactor Effluents for the Purpose of Evaluating Compliance with 10 CFR Part 50, Appendix I."
For tritium the dominant exposure pathway is drinking water. The fish consumption pathway also makes a small contribution to the dose. Other potential pathways (such as due to irrigation or swimming) are negligible because of the properties of tritium, i.e. tritium does not accumulate either in the food chain or the body and it does not constitute a significant source of external radiation. The total body dose to a child or infant assumed to drink water from the river release point and to consume fish located at this release point was calculated by the Commission to be about 0.01 millirem. Ccrresponding doses to an adult or teenager were lower (i.e. about 0.008 and 0.006 millirem, respectively).
Section II.A of Appendix I to 10 CFR 50 states that the calculated annual total quantity of all radioactive material above background to be released from each nuclear power reactor to unrestricted areas should not result in an estimated annual dose or dose connitment from liquid effluents for any indivi-dual in an unrestricted area from all pathways of exposure in excess of 3
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millirems to the total body. Because the doses calculated for the proposed river discharge represent only a very small contribution to this annual dose criterion of Appendix I, we find the proposed action to be consistent with Appendix I criterion.
The licensee calculated similar but lower doses in its letter of May 20, 1986. Unlike the licensee's calculations, the NRC results conservatively assume no credit for dilution of the tritium concentration within the river.
Nevertheless, we f nd that the discharge concentrations of tritium and resultant doses detennined by the NRC are sufficiently low as to represent no significant safety concern.
The Connission has made a proposed detennination that the amendment request involves no significant hazards consideration. Under the Connission's regulations in 10 CFR 50.92, this means that operation of the facility in accordance with the proposed amendment would not (1) involve a significant increase in the probability or consequences of an ' accident previously evaluated; or (2) create the possibility of a new e different kind of accident from any accident previously evaluated; or (3) involve a significant reduction in a margin of safety.
The Commission has provided guidance for the application of these criteria by providing examples of amendments that are considered not likely to involve significant hazards considerations (48 FR 14870). The proposed changes do not match any of the examples. However, based upon our review of the amend-ment requests and our independent dose calculations discussed above, we find that the proposed action is limited to the one-time release of very low concentrations of tritium within the Conventional Wastewater Basin which are
r O 7590-01 well below l'imits pemitted by 10 CFR 20, and if discharged to the;fatawba River as proposed, would result in insignificant doses consistent w'ith the guidance of Appendix I to 10 CFR 50.
No changes in plant design, limiting safety system setpoints or allowable values, limiting conditions for operations or plant operating procedures would result from the proposed action. Therefore, operation of the facility in accordance with the proposed amendment would not (1) involve a significant increase in the probability or consequences of an accident previously evaluated; or (2) create the possibility of a new or different kind of accident from any accident previously evaluated; or (3) involve a significant reduction in a margin of safety.
Therefore, based on these considerations and the three criteria given above, the Comission has made a prope3ed detemination that the amendment request involves no significant hazards consideration.
The Comission has detemined that failure to act in a timely way would result in extending shutdown because those activities which result in the generation of or need to process conventional (non-radiologicci) waste must be curtailed or deferred due to the inability to process conventional waste in compliance with the NPDES pemit. The potential for uncontrolled release of the Basin with its tritium due to overflow as a result of rain also exists.
Therefore, the Comission has insufficient time to issue its usual 30-day notice of the proposed action for public coment.
Nomally, the Comission will not issue the amendment until the expiration of the notice period. However, shou 1d circumstances change during the notice period, the Comission may issue the license amendment before the v-c m-
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. 7590-01 expiration of the notice period, provided that its final detemination is that the amendment involves no significant hazards consideration. The final determination will consider all public and State coments received. Should the Commission take this action, it will publish a notice of issuance and provide for opportunity for a hearing after issuance. The Comission expects that the need to take this action will occur very infrequently..
If the proposed detemination becomes final, an opportunity for a hearing will be published in the Federal Register at a later date and any hearing request will not delay the effective date of the amendment.
If the Comission decides in its final determination that the amendment does involve a significar.t hazards consideration, a notice of opportunity for a prior hearing will be published in the Federal Register and, if a hearing is granted, it will be held before any amendment is issued The Comission is seeking public comments on this proposed detemination of no significant hazards consideration. Coments on the proposed deterinination may be telephoned to B. J. Youngblood, Director of PWR Project Directorate No. 4, by collect call to 301-492-8060 or submitted in writing to the Rules and Procedures Branch, Division of Rules and Records, Office of Administration, U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Comission, Washington, D. C. 20555 and should cite the publication date and page number of this Federal Register notice. All coments received by bl6,will be considered in reaching a final detemination. A copy of the application may be examined at the Comission's Public Document Room,1717 H Street, N. W., Washington, D. C. and
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,. 7590-01 at the Atkins Library, University of North Carolina, Charlotte (UNCC Station),
North Carolina 28223.
Dated at Bethesda, Maryland this 97 day of
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FOR THE NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
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Kahtan Jabbour, Acting Director x,
PWR Project Directorate #4 Division of PWR Licensing-A
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PHP-4 Reading M. Duncan MAY 271986 K. Jabbour C. !1iles, PA 50-369 fi 50-370 DOCKET NO.
Rules and Procedures Branch MEMORANDUM FOR:
Division of Rules and Records Office of Administration Office of Nuclear Reactor Regalation FROM:
Duke Power Company - McGuire Nuclear Station, Units 1 ?x 2 suc;EcT:
One signed original of the Federal Register Notice identified below is enclosed for your transmittal to the Office of the 6
) of the Notice are enclosed for your use.
Register for publication. Additional conformed copies (
Notice of Receipt of Application for Construction Permit (s) and Operating License (s)
Notice of Receipt of Partial Application for Construction Permit (s) and Facility License (s): Time for Submission of Views on Antitrust Matters.
Nohce of Consideration of issuance of Amendment to Facility Operating License.
Notice of Receipt of Application for Facility License (s); Notice of Availability of Applicant's Environmental Report; and Notice of Consideration of issuance of Facility License (s)and Notice of Opportunity for Hearing.
Notice of Availability of NRC Draf t/ Final Environmental Statement.
Not!ce of Limited Work Authorization.
Notice of Availability of Safety Evaluation Report.
Notice of issuance of Construction Permit (s).
Notice of Issuance of Facility Operating License (s) or Amendment (s).
Order.
Exemption.
Notice of Granting Exemption.
Environmental Assessment, Notice of Preparation of Environmental Assessment.
Other:
Of fice of Nuclear Reactor Regulation
Enclosure:
As stated
Contact:
Phone: Lh U73r;7 orricE>
5,
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S. ilb r..O. O..4 SURNAME >
oATEk OFFICI AL RECORD COPY unc ronu sie noisoi sacu o 4o