ML20206B682
| ML20206B682 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Crane  |
| Issue date: | 04/06/1987 |
| From: | Stello V NRC OFFICE OF THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR FOR OPERATIONS (EDO) |
| To: | Specter A SENATE |
| Shared Package | |
| ML20206B687 | List: |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 8704100011 | |
| Download: ML20206B682 (21) | |
Text
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5 0 6 MT The Honorable Arlen Specter
,I' United States Senate Washington, D.C.
20510
Dear Senator Specter:
This letter is in response to your letter of March 5,1987 regarding concerns of one of your constituents, John Buffington, about the operation of Three Mile Island Unit 1 (TMI-1).
In particular, Mr. Buffington expressed concern 7 bout public exposure toTeleases of radioactive materials from the plant.
p With regard to public exposure to releases of radioactive materials from commercial nuclear reactor power plants, all plants, including TMI-1, are required by Nuclear Regulatory Comission (NRC) regulations to keep releases of radioactive materials to the offsite environment "as low as is reasonably achievable." The NPC requirements to maintain plant radioactive material releases "as low as is reasonably achievable" are embodied as operating limits end conditions of the license issued to General Public Utilities Nuclear 4
Corporation (GPUN, the TMI-1 licensee) which authorizes operation of TMI-1.
The purpose of these operating license limits and conditions on radioactive material releases is to protect the health and safety of the public. The operating license limits and conditions on radioactive plant effluents are established such that any resultant public exposure to radioactive materials would result in doses which are no more than a small fraction of the exposure the public receives from normal background radiation (approximately 100 mrem / year in the Harrisburg area). These operating limits and conditions on radioactive plant effluents effectively implement the philosophy that an operating nuclear power plant should have a negligible impact on the surrounding environment and is operated such that the health and safety of the public is adequately protected.
With regard to the releases of radioactive effluents from TMI-1, the reactor plant was restarted for resumption of commercial operation in October 1985 and all releases to date of radioactive materials in liquid and gaseous effluents to the offsite environment have been well within the limits and conditions i
imposed on such releases by the operating license..
In addition to the continuous in-plant monitoring of all points of release of 1
radioactive material effluents to ensure compliance with the license limits and conditions on such effluents, all nuclear power reactor plants must have
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established radiological environmental monitorino programs to, monitor and record radiation levels in the offsite environs.
For your information, a description of the r?diological environrental monitoring for Three Mile Island A
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s The Honorable Arlen Specter is enclosed. Note that the GPUN system includes 16 real-time gamma radiation monitoring stations, four of which are accessible to the public.
I trust this information is responsive to your constituent's concerns. As you requested, we are also returnino the correspondence from P'r. Buffinaton.
Sincerely, thwied) T. A,ikka ictor Stello, Jr.
1 Executive Director for Operations
Enclosures:
1.
GPU Nuclear News Release dated June 6, 1985 2.
Letter to Senator Specter from John Buffington dated December 1, 1986 d
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See previous concurrences.*
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The Honorabl'e Arlen Specter record radiation levels in the offsite environs.
For your information, a description of the radiological environmental monitoring for Three Mile Island is enclosed. Note that the GPUN system includes lff real-time gamma radiation monitoring stations, four of which are accessible' to the public.
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I trust this information is responsive to your constituent's concerns. As you requested, we are also returning the correspondence from Mr. Buffington.
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Sincerely, p
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,YictorStello,Jr.
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The Honorable Arlen Specter i
United States Senate f
Washington, D.C.
20510
Dear Senator Specter:
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This letter is in response to your letter f March.5, 1987 regarding concerns of one of your constituents, John Ruffinston, about the operation of Three Mile Island Unit 1 (TMI-1)..In particular, Mr. Buffington expressed concern about public exposure to releases of adioactive materials from the plant.
With regard to public exposure to re' leases of radioactive materials from commercial nuclear reactor power pl' ants, all plants, including TMI-1, are required by Nuclear Pegulatory Commission (NRC) regulations to keep releases of radioactive materials to the o'ffsite environment."as low as is reasonably 1
achievable." The NRC requiremen'ts to maintain plant radioactive material releases "as low as is reasonably achievable" are embodied as operating limits and conditions of the license Assued to General Public Utilities Nuclear Corporation (GPUN, the TMI-1 licensee) which authorizes operation of TMI-1.
f The purpose of these operati.ng license limits and conditions on radioactive material releases is to pro,d conditions on radioactive ' plant effluents are tect the health and safety of the public. The operating license limits an established such that any ' resultant public exposure to radioactive materials would result in doses which are no more than a small fraction of.the ~ exposure thepublicreceivesfrom/normalbackgroundradiation(approximately100 mrem / year in the Harrisburg area). These operating limits and conditions on radioactive plant effluents effectively in;plement the philosophy that an operatingnuclearpowepplantshouldhaveanegligibleimpactonthe 4
i surrounding environmegt and is operated such that the health and safety of the j
public is adequately protected.
i With regard to the releases of radioactive effluents from TMI-1, the reactor plant was restarted /for resumption.of commercial operation in October 1985 and all releases to date of radioactive materials in liquid and gaseous effluents to the offsite envi'ronment have been well within the limits and conditions imposed on such re eases by the operating license.
In addition to the' continuous in-plant monitoring of'all points of release of radioactive material effluents to ensure compliance with the license limits
~
and conditions on such effluents, all nuclear power reactor plants must have established radiological environmental monitoring programs to monitor and I
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l APR 0 61987 1
The Honorable Arlen Specter United States Senate Washington, D.C.
20510 Pear Senator Specter:
This letter is in response to your letter of March 5,1987 regarding concerns of one of your constituents. John Buffington, about the operation of Three Mile Island Unit 1 (TMI-1).
In particular, Mr. Buffington expressed concern about public exposure to releases of radioactive materials from the plant.
With regard to public exposure to releases of radioactive materials from commercial nuclear reactor power plants, all plants, including TMI-1, are required by Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) regulations to keep releases of radioactive materials to the offsite environment "as low as is reasonably achievable." The NPC requirements to maintain plant radioactive material releases "as low as is reasonably achievable" are embodied as operating limits and conditions of the license issued to General Public Utilities Nuclear Corporation (GPUN, the TMI-1 licensee) which authorizes operation of TMI-1.
The purpose of these operating license limits and conditions on radioactive material releases is to protect the health and safety of the public. The operating license limits and conditions on radioactive plant effluents are established such that any resultant public exposure to radioactive materials would result in doses which are no more than a small fraction of the exposure the public receives from normal background radiation (approximately 100 mrem / year in the Harrisburg area). These operating limits and conditions on radioactive plant effluents effectively implement the philosophy that an operating nuclear power plant should have a negligible impact on the surrounding environment and is operated such that the health and safety of the public is adeouately protected.
With regard to the releases of radioactive effluents from TMI-1, the reactor plant was restarted for resumption of commercial operation in October 1985 and all releases to date of radioactive materials in liquid and gaseous effluents to the offsite environment have been well within the limits and conditions imposed on such releases by the operating license.
In addition to the continuous in-plant monitoring of all points of release of radioactive material effluents to ensure compliance with the license lirtits and conditions on such effluents, all nuclear power reactor plants must have established radiological environmental monitoring programs to monitor ard record radiation levels in the offsite environs. For your information, a description of the radiological environmental monitoring for Three Mile Island
The Honorable Arlen Specter.
is enclosed. Note that the GPUN system includes 16 real-time gama radiation -
monitoring stations, four of which are accessible to the public, I trust this information is responsive to your constituent's concerns. As you,
t requested, we are also returnino the correspondence from Mr. Buffincton.
Sincerely, (Signed) T. A. Rehm Victor Stello, Jr.
1 Executive Director for Operations Enclosures :
1.
GPU Nuclear News Release dated June 6, 1985 2.
Letter to Senator Specter from John Buffington dated December 1, 1986 See previous concurrences.*
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News Releaso Three Mile Island Nuclear Station Qg gg Post Ottce Box 480 t
Midd:etown. PA 17057 Public Information Services 717 948-8197 For Funher Informahon Contact Doug Bedell, Gordon Tomb, Lisa Robinson Date June 6, 1985 For Re. ase Immediately ie THREE MILE ISLAND MONITORING OF RADI0 ACTIVE RELEASES Strict regulations cover maximum allowable releases of radioactive material f rom nuclear power plants and limit them to very low levels.
Regulations also require extensive monitoring and reporting of all releases and corrective action if limits are approached.
Monitoring starts at the plant itself. Monitoring at the plant includes all liquid and gaseous release points. Those points are continuously There are alarms to alert the operators to take action if readings monitored.
incmase significantly or approach conservative limits.
Beyond the plant itself, GPU Nuclear Corporation has a state-of-the art radiological environmental monitoring program in place around Three Mile Island to detect and assess any possible environmental effects from radioactive releases at the plant. This monitoring program is designed to mset several objectives -- chief among them are to:
- 1. Detect the presence of radioactive materials in the envirorrnent through sampling. This reveals the presence of natural as well as man-made radioactive materials in the environment.
- 2. Detect any changes in radiation levels in the environment and help ascertain whether they are due to natural, TMI, or other man-made causes; and
- finally,
- 3. Verify that any radioactive releases resulting from operations at TMI are kept as low as possible and consistent with regulatory limits, thereby
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l supporting efforts to insure that plant operations are having no detrimental 1
effect on the envimnment or public health and safety.
Environmental samples are collected from the land, water and air around Three Mile Island. These samples include cow and goat milk, fruits, vegetables and soil, Susquehanna River water, comunity drinking water, aquatic plants, fish and river sediments from the water envimrnent; and finally, particulate, iodine and noble gas samples from the air around the Three Mile Island site. During 1984, over 3,500 samples were obtained from the environment around TMI. Those samples were then subjected to over 5,400 Results for 1984 showed no mactor-related material detected in the analyses.
environment. Monitoring since 1980 shows that all releases were low and within regulatory 1imits.
GPU Nuclear has 15 employees (11 professionals) dedicated to envimnmental monitoring at Three Mile Island. During 1984, GPU Nuclear spent almost $1 million to operate and maintain its radiological environmental monitoring program at TMI.
Gamma radiation is measured in the environment by two independent One is a network of thennoluminescent dosimeters, or TLD's, systems.
stationed at 88 locations up to a radial distance of 21 miles from the site.
The TLD's are collected and the actual radiation exposure is dettmnined each quarter, or more frequently if there is any reason for doing so.
In addition, in 1981 GPU Nuclear installed a state-of-the art mal-time I
gamma radiation monitoring network around TMI. This network consists of 16 stations that provide instantaneous readings of radiation levels at each site. Tne readings from four sites that are accessible to the public are available to anyone who visits those locations. They are: the TMI Observation Center; the electrical substations on Mill Street in Middletown, off of Route
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Pbnitoring - 3 441 at Falmouth, and a site south of Goldsboro at the southwest intersection of Fishing Creek and Route 262. The Comonwealth of Pennsylvania and certain local government agencies have tied into this system and receive the data from all the stations at the same time GPU Nuclear does.
GPU Nuclear anticipates very few, if any, gama dose rates significantly greater than background during the startup and subsequent full power operation of Three Mile Island Unit 1.
This is based on data that was obtained in the envimnment during operations prior,to 1979 During the TMI-l power ascension program and subsequent full power operation, GPU Nuclear's radiological environmental monitoring program will be utilized to ensure that the company's procedures for controlling releases of radioactivity are effective in protecting the envimnment and public healtn and safety. GPU Nuclear reports its monitoring results to the Nuclear Regulatory Comission.
In addition, each Thursday in The Patriot-News, Harrisburg, GPU Nuclear publishes the averaged ranges of readings from its offsite mal-time gama monitoring stations for each day in the preceeding week.
In addition to GPU Nuclear's monitoring program, monitaring is also conducted by the following agencies, with the results available to the public:
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Three Mile Island Field Office 100 Brown St.
Middletown, PA 17057 U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Comission The State Library of Pennsylvania The Forum Building Commonwealth Avenue and Walnut St.
P.O. Box 1601 Harrisburg, PA 17105 Pennsylvania Bureau of Radiation Protection Department of Envimnmental Resources Box 2063 Harrisburg, PA 17120
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r EDO PRINCIPAL CORRESPONDENCE CONTROL FROM:
DUE: 04/06/87 EDO CONTROL: 002653 DOC DT: 03/05/87 FINAL REPLY:
SEN. ARLEN SPECTER TO:
OCA FOR SIGNATURE OF:
OREEN SECY NO: 87-279 EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR ROUTING:
DESC:
ENCLOSES LETTER FROM JOHN BUFFINGTON RE TMI
- MURLEY, DATE: 03/20/87 ASSIGNED TO: NRR CONTACT: DENTON
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SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS OR REMARKS:
RETURN INCOMING WITH REPLY.
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II NRR RECEIVED: 3 23 87 if ACTION:
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OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY CORRESPONDENCE CONTROL TICKET s
IDGGING DATE: Mar 19 87 PAPER NUMBER:
CRC-87-0279 ACTION OFFICE:
EDO AUTHOR:
A. Specter--Const Ref AFFILIATION:
U.S. SENATE LETTER DATE:
Mar 5 87 FILE CODE: ID&R-5 TMI
SUBJECT:
TMI fuels ACTION:
Direct Reply DISTRIBUTION:
OCA to Ack SPECIAL HANDLING: None NOTES:
John Buffington DATE DUE:
Apr 2 87 DATE SIGNED:
SIGNATURE:
AFFILIATION:
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Rec'd Dii. :30 3' N - E 7 Date
/ M Y6',P Time EDO 002653
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