ML20204J049

Forwards Revised Final Radiological Survey Performed at Ga Building 22. List of Revs in Rept Also Encl

ML20204J049
Person / Time
Site:	07000734
Issue date:	03/23/1999
From:	Asmussen K GENERAL ATOMICS (FORMERLY GA TECHNOLOGIES, INC./GENER
To:	Gaskin C, Wesley D CALIFORNIA, STATE OF, NRC OFFICE OF NUCLEAR MATERIAL SAFETY & SAFEGUARDS (NMSS)
Shared Package
ML20204J055	List: ML20204J049 ML20204J056
References
696-CAL-3054, NUDOCS 9903290258
Download: ML20204J049 (3)

Text

1 fG yyy March 23,1999 696/ CAL-3054 VIA EXPRESS MAIL SERVICE Mr. Charles E. Gaskin Licensing Section 1/ Licensing Branch Division of Fuel Cycle Safety and Safeguards, NMSS U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Washington, DC 20555

Subject:

Docket No. 74 734; SNM-696: Supplemental Information in Support of Request to Release General Atomics' Building 22 (TRIG A' Fuel Fabrication Facility) to Unrestricted Use and Delete it from License and ATTN: Mr. David Wesley (in Duplicate)

State of California Department of Health Services Radiologic Ilealth Branch Mail Stop 178 601 North 7th Street Sacramento, CA 95814-0208

Subject:

Radioactive Materials License No. 0145-37: Supplemental Information in Support of Request to Release General Atomics' Building 22 (TRIGA* Fuel Fabrica:lon Facility)

I to Unrestricted Use and Delete it from License

References:

1) Asmussen, Keith E., Letter No. 696-3019 to Mr. Charles E. Gaskin, dated December 22,1998," Request to Release General Atomics' Building 22 (TRIGA* Fuel Fabrication Facility) to, Unrestricted Use and Delete it from License"

2) Asmussen, Keith E., Letter No. CAL-3020 to Mr. David Wesley, dared December 22, 1998," Request to Release General Atomics' Building 21(TRIGA* Fuel Fabrication Facility) to Unrestricted Use and Delea it From License i

Dear Messrs. Gaskin and Wesley:

General Atomics (GA) currently has requests pending with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (Ref.1) and the State of California (Ref. 2) for the release of its Building 22, i.e., GA's former TR'GA* Fuel Fabrication Facility. At the time those requests were made, GA submitted a report

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titi d,"F1.NAL RADIOLOGICAL SURVEY PERFORMED AT GENERAL ATOMICS' BUILDING 22, dated December 21,1998. That report decumented the results of GA's comprehensive final radiological contamination surveys, measurements, sampling, and analyses. Those results demonstrated that Building 22 and the site (asphalt and soil) under and immediately surrounding the building (out to a distance of about I meter from the exterior walls) met the NRC-and State-approved criteria for release to unrestricted use, with the temporary exception of the direct radiation exposure rate limit.

In the referenced letters, it was pointed out that while the direct rai aion exposure rate at Building 22 then exceeded the release limit, it was only a temporary circumstance due to nearby sources 1

I and not because of residual contamination associated with Building 22 itself. Rather, the exposure sate at

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3550 GE NERAL ATOMICS COUF T SIN DIE GO, CA 92121 1194 Po BOX B6608, SAN DIEGO, CA 92186 5608 (619)455 3.00

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U.S. NRC / State of California March 23,1999 l 696/ CAL-3054 Page 2 l

Building 22 then exceeded the release limit because of the temporary, nearby presence of sources of radiation (such as boxes of contaminated soil and other debris) on the adjacent site where GA's hot cell facility was being demolished. Those sources of radiation have since been removed fam the area and 4

recent survey measurements demonstrate that the direct exposure rites at Building 22 are now below the release criterion.

Accordingly, selected pages of the previously submitted report have been appropriately revised, and a Figure 6A has been added to the report and a Figure I added to Appendix E. While the number of revised pages is relatively small and some of the revised pages have changed c,nly as a result of a change in pagination, rather than request that you remove and replace certain pages of the report, a complete revised report with all the changes incorporated is enclosed. This report, with " REVISED March 19,

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1999," on the cover, replaces the previous report in its entirety. A list of revised / replaced pages is also enclosed to assist you in your review of the changes. In the report, changes are indicated by a vertical

line in the right-hand margin.

GA hereby reiterates its request for Building 22 to be released to unrestricted use and deleted from its Special Nuclear Meterials License No. SNM-696 and its Radioactive Materials License No.

0145-37.

Again, please note that GA has an urgent need to be allowed to re-occupy Building 22 as soon as

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possible. GA needs to relocate certain of its projects from other GA laboratories that have not yet been released, to make those laboratories accessible for decontamination < if necessary, and final surveys.

j Thus, timely release of Building 22 is very important to the decommissioning schedule to which GA has committed its resources.

If you should have any questions regarding our request or the enclosed report, please contact Mr.

Paul Maschka at (619) 455-2959, or me at (619) 455-2823. Once again, as in the past, your assistance in responding to our request is very much appreciated.

Very truly yours, Keith E. Asmussen, Ph. D., Director Licensing, Safety and Nuclear Compliance

Enclosures:

1) Report titled," FINAL RADIOLOGICAL SURVEY PERFORMED AT GENERAL ATOMICS' BUILDING 22," dated December 21,1998 REVISED March 19,1999

2) List of revisions in Report Dated " REVISED March 19,1999" j

cc: Mr. Wayne L. Britz, Fuel Cycle Inspector, NRC Region IV Ms. Kathleen Henner, State of California, Department of IIealth Services. Los Angeles l

Dr. Ronald Rogus, State of California, Dept. of Health Services, Sacramento Dr. D. Blair Spitzberg, Chief, Nuclear Materials Safety Branch 3, NRC Region IV (letter only)

F-t l

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Enclosure to General Atomics' Letter No. 696/ CAL-3054, dated March 23,1999 List of revisions in Report Dated REVISED March 19,1999 l

Page:

Description / Comment i

l title page Revised date / March 19,1999 ii - v Revisions to page numbers, added Figure 6A to list 8, 9 Revised " Exposure Rate Background" section 10-20 Pagination changed because of revisions to other pages 21 Revised Table: Building 22 Final Survey Summary i

l l

22 Revised " Exposure Rate Measurements" section l

l 23 Revisions to number of measurements and measured values l

24 Paragraph addressing previous, now resolved, temporary exposure rate issue deleted from " Conclusion" l

T-3 Table 3: Moved Ludlum Model 12 S/N 91070 row from page T-4 to T-3 j

T-4 Table 3: Added Ludlum Model 19 Micro-R meter S/N 87120 row, and l

.:xpanded/added information regarding appropriate normal background l

values T-o Table 5: Revised values in " Exposure Rate Range" column T-10 Table 6: Revised values in " Exposure Rate Range" column l

l Fig. 6 Deleted Note Number 5 (no longer applicable, see new Fig. 6A) l' Fig. 6A New figure added giving exposure rate values measured during GA's final sun'ey Fig.1 of New figure added giving exposure rate values measured during GA's Appendix E internal confirmatory survey m