ML20198R939

Responds to Sent to Chairman Jackson Re SONGS, Items Discussed in NRC to San Diego Regional Quality Control Board & SCE Ltr to G Mills,

ML20198R939
Person / Time
Site:	San Onofre
Issue date:	10/24/1997
From:	Weiss S NRC (Affiliation Not Assigned)
To:	Mills G AFFILIATION NOT ASSIGNED
Shared Package
ML20198R944	List: ML20198R939 ML20248J595
References
NUDOCS 9711130401
Download: ML20198R939 (6)

Text

t

• 4

& "N&

/

j W ,j UNITED STATES HUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

,

• WASHINGTON, o.o. 30666 4 001

• ,,,,,* October 24, 1997 l

Mr. Glen R. Mills P.O. Box 3393 Mission Viejo, California 92690

Dear Mr. Mills:

I am responding to the letter you sent to Chairman Jackson of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) on August 29,1997, regarding the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS). In your letter, you teke issue with ;,everal items discussed in an NRC letter dated July 31,1997, to the San Diego Regional Water Quality Control Board and a Southern California Edison (SCE)lette to you dated February 28,1995. Those issues are discussed in the followir g paragraphs.

You express a concern thut an enclosurn to the July 31 letter downplays the threat to public health and safety due to tritium release from SONGS. Tritium is one of the most studied radioactive nuclides. Our knowledge of tritium is derived historically from the efforts of the Atomic Energ" Commission and the Department of Energy, as well as other government agencies, including the Environmental Protection Agency, the Bureau of Radiological Health, and the Public Health Service. Tritium research has not been limited to governmental agencies; individual scientists, pharmaceutical companies, universities and others also contributed. Nor has tritium research been limited to the United States. For example, Canada, with its heavy water moderated reactors, has a specialinterest in tritium.

The resulting breadth and diversity of expertise is reflected in the safety guidance provided by international bodies, primarily the World Health Organization, the Intemational Atomic Energy Agency, the United Nations Scientific Committee ori the Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR), and the International Commission on Radiation Protection. The last UNSCEAR report, published in 1994, was the work of experts from 21 different nations. The NRC's regulations and dose criteria reflect the data and standards established by the national and international community and, therefore,.the NRC has not downplayed the risk of tritium.

You note that you "believe that the current t. N >ogical environmental monitoring program is not adequate to detect such discharges." Env..onmental monitoring programs meeting the ,

same criteria that are met by the SONGS program have been addressed in the licensing process and implemented at every U.S. nuclear power plant. The effectiveness of these programs has been checked in a vadety of ways and has been found adequate.

You further comment that, "although any radioactive contamination in the area of the beach j may tse relatively low when discovered, no one can be certain of the initial contamination level before decay and dilution." It is for this and other rearons that the effluent control programs at San Onofre and elsewhere are based on the actual measurement and control of radiological releases rather than solely on environmental measurements taken in the environment after release.

9711130401 971024 PDR ADOCK 05000206

" ~ .

lll

....ll I:l ll!.I!!.I:I.Ill 00ECM8NY

i l

. +

t Mr. Glen R Mills 2- October 24, 1997 I

You state that the NRC's letter of July 31,1997, neglected to discuss severalissues related to the SONGS Unit 1 spent fuel pool, including two spills that occurred at the SONGS site in the 1980s. We have previously addressed these lasues in letters to you dated April 3, September 27, November 29, and December 13,1996, and consider this matter closed. The NRC did not consider these issues relevant to the radiologicalissues for which the San Diego Regional Water Quality Control Board requested information.

You are concerned that as a result of deregulation of electric utilities, "the unplanned / unexpected cost of any cleanup will be charged to the taxpayers." As we previously reported to you in a letter dated February 21,1997, from our Region IV office, the Commission is satisfied that the licensee is adequately funding the decommissioning costs. The Commission is closely observing how economic deregulation and restructuring may affect the legal requirements to adequately fund decommissioning costs.

You noted that in the last paragraph of Enclosure 3 to our letter of July 31,1907, we stated that "neither the licensee nor the NRC credits the plastic (surrounding the SONGS 1 spent fuel pool) to prevent leakage " You contrast that to an SCE letter to you dated Februrry 28,1995, in which SCE Vice President Richard Rosenblum states that " Leakage of water into or out of the concrete is controlled by a rubber membrano on the outside of the concrete." The NRC was not a recipient of that letter; however, separate from that letter, the staff has conducted a search of licensing cartespondence for SONGS 1 related to the NOB LOCK and concluded that in its safety evaluations the NRC has m::de no licensing basis decisions regarding SONGS 1 for which " credit was given" to NOB LOCK.

We appreciate that you have shared your concerns on the safety of nuclear power with us.

The NRC staff takes seriously its duty to protect the health and safety of the public, which includes free arvi open communications with concerned citizens.

Sincerely, ORIGINAL SIGNED BY: Richard Dudley for Seymour H. Weiss, Director L' Non Power Reactors and Decommissioning i

Project Directorate Division of Reactor Program Management Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation 4 Docket No. 50 206 -

DISTRIBUTION: Se next page

'SEE PREVIOUS C URRENCE , yt.,

L

- PDND:PM PDh TECH ED.' PDND:(A)SC' PD42:D' PQND:

- MWebb" EHk n BCalute MMasnik WBateman SWeiss

10M/97 - 10d97 10/21/97 10/23/97 10/23/97 10//f97 OFFICIAL RECORD COPY DOCUMENT NAME: G:\SBCY\ACTN_lTM\GT646 t

Mr. Glen R. Mills 2-You stats that the NRC's letter of July 31,1997, neglected to discuss severalissues rel9ted to the SONGS Unit i spent fuel pool, including two spills that occurred et the SONGS site in the 1980s. We have previously addressed these issues in letters to you dated April 3, September 27, November 29, and December 13,1996, and consider this matter closed. The NRC did not consider these issues relevant to the radiologicalissues for which the San Diego Regional Water Quality Control Board requested information.

You are concerned that as a result of deregul6 tion of electric utilities, "the unplanned / unexpected enst of any cleanup will be charged to the taxpayers." As we previously reported to you in a letter dated February 21,1997, from our Region IV office, the Commission is satisfied that the licensee is adequately funding the decomn.issioning costs. The Commission is closely observing how economic deregulation and restructuring may affect the legal requirements to adequately fund decommissioning costs.

You noted that in the last paragraph of Enclosure 3 to our letter of July 31,1997, we stated that "neither the licensee nor the NRC credits the plastic [ surrounding the SONGS 1 spent fuel pooll to prevent leakage." You contrast that to an SCE letter to you dated February 28,1995, in which SCE Vice President Richard Rosenblum states that " Leakage of water into or out of the concrete is controlled by a rubber membrane on the outside of the concrete." The NRC was not a recipient of that letter; however, separate from that letter, the staff has conducted a search of licensing correspondence for SONGS 1 related to the NOB LOCK and concluded that in its bafety evaluations the NRC has made no licensing basis decisions regarding SONGS 1 for which "cred!t was given" to NOB LOCK.

We appreciate that you have shared your concerns on the safety of nuclear power with us.

The NRC staff taket seriously its duty to protect the health and safety of the public, which includes free and open communications with concerned citizens.

Sincerely, Ji Seymour H. Weiss', Director Non Power Roactors and Decommissioning Project Directorate Division of Reactor Program Management Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Docket No. 50-206 1

1 l*^

l Octoler 24, 1997 l-DISTRIBUTION: __ __. . __

DOCUMENT NAME: G:\SECY\ACTN_lTM\GT646 Docket File 50 206 (w/ original incoming)-

PUBLIC (w/ incoming)

EDO# GT970646 EDOr/f LCallan HThompson (05 E6)

PNorry (05 E6)

JBlaha (05 E6)

CPaperloflo (T8 A23)

SCollins/FMiraglia (012 G18)

RZimmerman (012 G18)

PDND r/f (w/ incoming)

JRoe DMatthews AThadant WTravers MBoyle (E Mail MLB4)

SWeiss MWebb (w/ incoming)

OGC OPA OCA NRR Mall Room (EDO#GT970646 w/ incoming) (012 G18)

MClark EHylton (w/ incoming)

' Region IV -

, DSpitzberg, RIV WBatemen EAdensam (013:E4) -

MFiel:ts (013 E16)

- BSheron (07 D26) ,

- SBurns (015 818) * ,

- MMasnik , 4 x LThonus

, RDudley  !-

y , MFa!rtile

. AMarkley

! - JMinns e

u P

1 g

l ACTION l

l 1

EDO Principal Correspondence Cont.rol FROM: DUE: 10/10/97

' EDO CONTROL: G970646 DOC DT 08/29/97

@lon R. Mills l FINAL REPLY:

C31ssion Viejo, CA

• TO:

Chairman Jackson if0R SIGNATURE OF : ** GRN **

CRC NO: 97-0897 W. Bateman, NRR DESC:

ROUTING:

SAN ONOFRE NUCLEAR GENERATING STATION Callan Thadani Thompson Norry Blaha DATE: 09/10/97 Burns Bateman, NRR

%SSIGNED TO: CONTACT:

NRR _ _ Collins _

@PECIAL INSTRUCTIONS OR REMARKS:

R RECEIVED: SEPTEMBER 11, 1997 1 ACTION: DRPW:ADENSAM

--- ACTION

1. ROUTING-' COLLINS HIRAGLIA DUE TO ZIMMERMAN RR DIRECTOR'S OFFICE E!" "

TRAVERS BY d .

$$7 B0HRER k

i

. . . - . . - . - - - - ~ . . ~ " - ~

OFFICE OF Tile SECRETARY CORRESPONDENCE CONTROL TICKET PAPER NtHDER: CRC-97-0097 LOGGING DATE: Sep 8 97 ACTION OFFICE: EDO AUTHOF.: GLEN / MILLS AFFILIATION: CALIFORNIA ADDRESSEE: CHAIRMAN JACKSON LETTER DATE: Aug 29 97 FILE CODE: IDR-5 SAN ONOFRE

SUBJECT:

SAN ONOFRE GENERATING STATION....

ACTION: Appropriate DISTRIDUTION:

SPECIAL HANDLING: NONE CONSTITUENT:

NOTES: EDO/ BILL BATEMAN....EDO WILL TRACK RESPONSE DATE DUE:

SIGNATURE: .

DATE SIGNED:

AFFILIATION:

L EDO -- G970646

_ . _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ - -- ~~'

_ _