ML20205K889
| ML20205K889 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Millstone  |
| Issue date: | 02/18/1999 |
| From: | Bill Dean NRC (Affiliation Not Assigned) |
| To: | Scott D AFFILIATION NOT ASSIGNED |
| Shared Package | |
| ML20205K893 | List: |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 9904140050 | |
| Download: ML20205K889 (4) | |
Text
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' IDENTICAL LETTER SENT TO: (SEE ATTACHED LIST) 11f/ALD Feoruary 18,1999 LL( $
Dale H. Scott P. O. Box 2118 Sag Harbor, NY 11963
Dear Mr hatt:
4 I am responding to your letter of January 12,1999, in which you raised concems abo.t Millstone Units 2 and 3 and the lack of an emergency management plan for Eastem Long I
lsland. As you mentioned in your letter, Congressman Michael Fort >es raised the same issues in a !stter dated January 6,1999. For your informabon, enclosed is the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Chairman's responw L ois letter. I trust this information addresses your concems.
Sincerely, original signed by William M. Dean, Director Project Directorate 1-2 Division of Licensing Project Management Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Docket Nos. 50-336 & 50-423
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WASHINGTON. D.C. 20655-0001 l
5 February 9, 1999 CHAIRMAN The Honorable Michael P. Forbes United States House of Representatives Washingter., D.C. 20515
Dear Congressman Forbes:
I am responding to your letter of January 6,1999, in which you raised concems about the operating history of Millstone Unit 3 since it restarted in July 1998 and the continued lack of an emergency management plan for Eastern Long Island. You requested that the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) ensure that Millstone Unit 2 remains closed, convene a public meeting on Long Island to discuss Northeast Utilities' plan to restart Millstone Unit 2, and permanently shut down Millstone Unit 3.
The overall plant performance at Millstone Unit 3 since its restart in July 1998 has been generally typical of a plant returning to service after a lengthy shutdown. The five events noted in your letter (one shutdown, three manual trips, and one automatic trip) resulted in expected plant transients, and no abnormalities were observed either during the transients or duriq plant recovery. The overall risk si nifienoce of these plant shutdowns was Iv.k and plant operators 0
responded well to the challenges, exhibiting conservative decisionmaking and delibcrate efforts to ensure safety and compliance with procedural requirements. Licensee management has initiated an assessment of the number and severity of challenges facing th.,>lant operations staff since the return to power operations. Recognition on the part of senior licensee management of the need for increased attention to this area, as well as to the reduction of existing operator burdens, is reflected in its recent initiative to provide a renewed " operational focus" to all activities and decisions affecting the unit.
In NRC Inspection Repor150-423/98-05, dated January 7,1999, the NRC staff addressed the multiple plant trips and stated that the licensee's response to these trips confirmed proper operator response to the plant and equipment challenges. The NRC staff further stated that continued licensee management attention munt be directed toward reducing the backlog of equipment problems and other issues that has e the potential to create future operational challenges to the Millstone Unit 3 operations staff. The NRC staff believes that the operational history at Millstone since July 1998 does rot warrant plant shutdown; however, we plan to continue increased regulatory oversight at Millstone Unit 3 until the plant establishes and maintains the appropriate level of safety performance.
As discussed in your letter, on January 4,1999, water containing low levels of tritium and trace amounts of other radionuclides (a total of approximately 0.0217 curies) leaked out of the Millstone Unit 3 waste test tank before the licensee could isolate the leak. Heavy rain at that time carried the slightly contaminated water to Niantic Bay. A berm, which was designed to retain any water leaking from the tank, f ailed to contain the leak. The tritium release was diluted in N! antic Bay and doses were evaluated based on fish and seafood consumption, as W Gttt)V W ~p d (M % - e.
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.2 well as recreational use of the Bay. The dose is well below radiation dose design objectives for maintaining effluent releases as low as reasonably achievable in accordance with Appendix I to 10 CFR Part 50. (The doses to a member of the public calculated to result from the release of this radioactivity would be 2.2 x 10* rem, as compared to the public dose limit from licensed activities,0.1 rem, found in 10 CFR 20.1301.) As is the situation with marine sites, we did not include the drinking water pathway in this estimate. The licensee has investigated why the berm did not contain the leak and has lined the berm with an impermeable membrane. After the appropriate analysis was performed on the remaining water in the waste test tank, the contents (more than 15,000 gallons) were released to Niantic Bay through the normal release path, which is a normal evolution at the plant and allowed under NPC regulations.
As discussed in my letter to you dated June 8,1998, proposals have been made to both increase and decrease the 10-mile emergency planning zone (EPZ) distance since this policy was established following the accident at Three Mile Island in 1979. After consideration of these proposals and their supporting documentation and rationale, the Commission has consistently concluded that an EPZ of about 15 miles in radius provides an acceptable planning basis for emergency response, in your January 6 letter, you indicated that Northeast Utilities is assisting each of the five east end towns of Long Island and Suffolk County with creating a coordinated emergency plan and establishing an open line of communication to ensure that Eastern Long Island is considered when decisions are made regarding the Millstone plants.
I encourage the communities involved to continue the engoing dialogue with Northeast Utilities, as well as appropriate state and county officials, to develop the plans they believe are needed.
With regard to Millstone Unit 2, the staff is utilizing NRC Inspect'.cn Manual Chapter (IMC) 0350,
" Staff Guidelines for Restart Authorization," as a guide for plant restart. As part of its execution of IMC 0350, the staff developed a Restart Assessment Plan to capture the NRC actions required before the NRC approves plant restart. The results of the NRC inspections and the status of Millstone Unit 2 plant readiness are discussed at periodic public meetings in the vicinity of the Millstone site. The last such meeting v-held on January 11,1999, and was attended by several members of citizens groups fron Long Island. During the meeting, the NRC staff answered questions from members of the public regarding many aspects of NRC regulatory oversight. As you are aware, the NRC staff also held a public meeting on Long Island on May 26,1998, to discuss emergency planning, and will continue to conduct periodic public meetings in the vicinity of Millstone to discuss activities at Millstone Station. The staff will conduct a similar meeting on Long Island prior to a Unit 2 restart decision.
I assure you that a Commission decision authorizing the restart of Millstone Unit 2 will be made only when the Commission is satisfied that the conditions that led to the extended shutdown have been corrected to our satisfaction, regardless of the length of time that process may taks.
The NRC staff is available to brief you or your staff on pertinent Millstone Station issues at your convenience.
Sincerely, Shirley Ann Jackson
LIST OF ADDRESSEES FOR YT #19990030 Dale H. Scott Dan DeScovine P. O. Box 2118 P. O. Box 1590 Sag Harbor, NY 11963 Sag Harbor, NY 11963 Lea Abrams -
Michelle Fitzpatrick 165 Hampton Street P. O. Box 539 Sag Harbor, NY 11963 -
Sag Harbor, NY 11963 Sally S. Booth & Jeffrey E. Cole S. Morrell 127 Madison Street 31 Carlisle Lane Sag Harbor, NY 11963 Sag Harbor, NY 11963 Claude Soffel
. Elizabeth Dobbs Hampton Road 17 Latham Street Sag Harbor, NY 11963 Sag Harbor, NY 11963 Michel Dobbs Michael King 17 Latham Street 37 Prospect Avenue q
Sag Harbor, NY 11963 Sag Harbor, NY 11963 i
Megan E. Chaskey Elisa Novel P. O. Box 27 8 Forrest Street
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Sag Harbor, NY 19963 Sag Harbor, NY 11963 1
Angela Scott Maggie Soffel P. O. Box 1590 Hampton Road Sag Harbor, NY 11963 Sag Harbor, NY 11963 Jim Merrell Susan Rowland 31 Carlisle Lane Box 2534 Sag Harbor, NY 11963 Sag Harbor, NY 11963 Chloe Scott-Giry Susan McNear 4625 Noyac Road 16 Redwood Road Sag Harbor, NY 11963 Sag Harbor, NY 11963 Janine Mozes Brenda Overstrom 71 Sherrill Road 121 Madison Street East Hampton, NY 11937 Sag Harbor, NY 11963 Kathleen Russo 74 Madison St.
Sag Harbor, NY 11963 I
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TICKET NO: 019990030 DOC DT: 01/12/99 NRR RCVD DATE: 01/26/99 TO:
Shirley Jackson FOR SIGNATURE OF :
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