ML20205C065

Responds to Ltr Expressing Concerns That Evacuation Resulting from Emergency at Neely Nuclear Research Reactor Ctr Would Make Interstates I-85 & I-75 Useless.Adequate Emergency Plan Exists

ML20205C065
Person / Time
Site:	Neely Research Reactor
Issue date:	10/07/1988
From:	Ernst M NRC OFFICE OF INSPECTION & ENFORCEMENT (IE REGION II)
To:	Pegel R AFFILIATION NOT ASSIGNED
References
NUDOCS 8810260380
Download: ML20205C065 (2)

Text

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of6CM OCT 0 71988

r. Robert Pegel 235 Melrose Avenue g Decatur, GA 30030

Dear Mr. Pegel:

This is in response to ycur letter to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) in which you expressed concerns regarding the research reactor at the Neely Nuclear Research Center. In your letter, you stated that you were concerned that the reactor is near I-85 and I-75 and that, in an emergency at the Research Center, the consequent evacuation would make those arteries useless.

You also asked if there was an adequate evacuation plan if a disaster occurred at the research reactor.

In addressing these issues, let me first provide you a short answer to your specific concerns. Additional information explaining further the basis for the answers is given later in this letter. Based on the consequences of the accidents that could possibly occur, even though unlikely, there is no need to use I-85 and I-75 to evacuate people. There is an adequate Emergency Plan in place, meeting requirements, to deal with the types of accidents that might occur, again although unlikely. Provisions for evacuation of the reactor facility and the area imediately adjacent to the facility are included in this Plan.

The reactor at the Georgia Institute of Technology is used for research, development, educational training and experimental purposes. Its power level is much less than that of a commercial reactor used to produce electrk,f ty.

Consequently, the amount of radioactivity contained in the core of the reactor that could be released in the event of an accicient is very much less than that at a power reactor. The NRC has required, bated on the potential credible accidents at the Georgia Tech reactor, engint ' ring controls ti limit the consequences of an actident (such as a containmcht building to erevent leakage of radioactive material to the environment) and an approprir.e level of emergency planning to cover potential emergencies.

Even though there is only a very low probability of an accident causing significant consequences outside the containment at G gia Tech, the NRC requires Georgia Tech to maintain an Emergency Plan to Landle such an accident.

As part of this Plan, Georgia Tech has established an 1mergency Planning Zone (EPZ) of 100 meters from the reactor. The EPZ is the area for which planning is established to assure prompt and effective actions can be taken to protect the public in the event of an accident. In the case of Georgia Tech, this planning includes procedures for evacuation of the research center facility, measurements of radiation in the environment surrounding the facility, and notification of the City of Atlanta, the State of Georgia, and campus police to provide necessary help. The NRC has determinet that this level of planning is adequate to respond to an emergency at the Georgia Tech research reactor, ss102603G0 881007 /$

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o .,s Mr. Robert Pegel 2 The NRC conducted an independent analysis of highly unlikely but credible accidents at the Georgia Tech reactor.- This analysis, calculated for locations 150 meters from the facility, shows that, in the first two hours following a design basis accident, the whole body radiation dose to a member of the public would be 0.9 Rem and the radiation dose to the thyroid would be 4 Rem. These doses are below the range of doses that the Environmental Protection Agency has recommended (1 to 5 Rem whole body and 5 to 25 Rem thyroid) to use as protective action levels for consideration of evacuation after an accident.

The area within this 150 meter radius is Georgia Tech campus, and the area is principally classroom and laboratory space. I-75 and I-85 are well beyond this 150 meter distance.

We appreciate your concern in this matter and trust that we have been responsive to your letter.

Sincerely, ORIGINAL SIGfiED BY Malcolm L. Ernst Acting Regional Administrator cc: r. Ratib A. Karam, Director Neely Nuclear Research Center d P. Sheppard, Acting Vice President for Research State of Georgia bec: Document Control Desk DRS Technical Assistant

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