IR 05000312/1986015
| ML20247F230 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Rancho Seco |
| Issue date: | 01/09/1987 |
| From: | Yuhas G NRC OFFICE OF INSPECTION & ENFORCEMENT (IE REGION V) |
| To: | |
| Shared Package | |
| ML20247F042 | List:
|
| References | |
| FOIA-89-2, FOIA-89-A-7 NUDOCS 8905300029 | |
| Download: ML20247F230 (3) | |
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REPORT OF INTERVIEW WITH GREGORY P. YUHAS
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Date Interviewed: 1/9/87 Date Dictated:
1/14/87 OI:RV Case Number,: 5-86-010 Gregory P. YUHAS, Chief of the NRC Region V Facilities Radiological Protection Section, was interviewed by Senior Investigator, Ronald A. Meeks.
YUHAS was interviewed at his Region V office in Walnut Creek, California.
YUHAS' office telephone number is (415)943-3748.
YUHAS was interviewed relative to the Region V Inspection Report 50-312/86-15 dated June 6, 1986.
The Inspection Report concerns the Sacramento Municipal Utility District's Station's (Rancho Seco) peration of the Rancho Seco Nuclear Generating (SMUD) management and o
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liquid effluents program. The information listed below is a summary of the interview transcript.
YUHAS stated that from initial startup of Rancho Seco to the early 1980's, liquid radioactive wastes containing mostly tritium, were shipped offsite to other facilities for disposal.
The offsite shipments of the radioactive water were stopped and Rancho Seco constructed an evaporator to handle the disposal of water from the radweste system. The evaporator never functioned properly, periodically creating a need to release the contaminated water,,
YUHAS explained that in early May 1984, Region Y was informed by Rancho Seco of the possibility that Rancho Seco might have exceeded the EPA standard which limits the dose to any real member of the public to less than 25 millirems (mrem) per year. Rancho Seco's Technical Specifications up to that time allowed the plant to release quantities of radioactive material in liqu.id effluents to concentrations less than the 10 CFR 20, Appendix 8 limits, provided the total amount released did not exceed 10 curies per quarter or 20 curies in 12 consecutive months. The licensee was required to submit a special report if more than 2.5 curies were released in a quarter to describe what actions they would take to limit future release to the 5 mrem design objective of Rancho Seco's Technical Specification. Considering the site specific nature of Rancho Seco's liquid effluent pathway, a release of 2 curies could have easily exceeded the EPA standard of 25 mrcm to a real person.
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YUHAS stated that in conjunction with a May 1984 Region V inspection, SMUD issued a Special Report on May 14, 1984, indicating that Rancho Seco exceeded the dose objectives values for 1981, 1983, and 1984 for a hypothetical adult
~1nvolved in the liquid pathway. However, SMUD stated they had not exceeded the EPA requirement.
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YUHAS stated Rancho Seco implemented their Technical specification 3.17.2 requiring compliance with 10 CFR 50, Appendix ! dose objectives in July 1984.
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Appendix I dose objectives are A1. ARA criteria intended to keep the licensee
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well within the EPA standard, 30 days after the Appendix I Technical Specification implementation, an analysis of Rancho Seco's effluent releases y
x in violation of the specifics. tion.
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revealed that Rancho Seco was EXHIBIT H
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Consequently, SMUD issued Special Report 84-07, dated September 27. 1984, stating they were instituting provisions and procedures which would keep Rancho Seco in compliance with Technical Specification 3.17.2.
YUHAS explained that 'in connection with the 1984 focus on SMUD's ligoid effluent releases, NRR contracted the Oakridge National Laboratory to assist in determining if the actual man pathway limits of 40 CFR 190 were exceeded.
YUHAS also related that SMUD hired the Lewrence Livermore Natiorjal Laboratory (LLNL) to study the same issue. YUHAS explained that findings from both of these entities were.in agreement with each other concerning the levels of radioactivity in the environment.
YUHAS stated that the findings.in Inspection Report 86-15 concerning temporary modification to the Demineralized Reactor Coolant Storage Tank (DRCST)
reveals that the information in Special Report 84-07 was not correct.
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Special Report 84 " described the steam tube generator leaks and the pathways relevant to the tut. generator leaks which concern a secondary system pathway involving water storage'in the Reactor Holdup Tanks (RHUTs).'.YUHAS stated that Inspection Report 86-15 shows that the temporary modification to DRCST created a pathway to discharge treated liquid redwaste to the RHUTS for release to the environment from 1983 to 1986. !
YUHAS stated a temporary system from the DRCST to the RHUT was probably necessary, not only because of tube leaks, but also because of actual plant operations as well. YUHAS explained that because of the expanse of water resulting from startup from the repair of the tube generator leaks, water had to be disposed of, thus creating a need for the temporary modification to DRCST. Reactor trips resulting in frequent heatups of the reactor coolant systems would also cause rejection of water and possibly created a need,to release excess water.
YUHAS stated that November 22, and November 26, 1985, telecons between he and Ed BRADLEY, SMUD's Supervising Health Physicist, revealed that the on-site Rancho Seco Lower Limits of Detection (LLD) capabilities might not be sufficient to preclude Rancho Seco from exceeding Appendix I dose objectives..
YUHAS explained that LLNL's analysis of samples of RHUT water had detected radioactivity at LLD's well below Rancho Seco's. YUHAS stated that BRADLEY told him in these telephone calls that he, BRADLEY, had informed SMUD's Assistant General Manager, Nuclear, Ronald RODRIGUEZ, and Roger POWERS, BRADLEY's first line supervisor, the Manager of Rancho Seco's Nuclear Engineering and SMUD's attorney about the LLD issue. As a result of these telecons YUHAS requested that BRADLEY conduct an analysis on the activity detected by the LLNL.
YUHAS stated he was notified by BRADLEY in a December 5,1985, telecen on the result of the activity detected by the LLNL analysis. As a result of this information,'YUHAS wrote a letter to Frank MIRAGLIA, dated December 12, 1985,
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under the signature of Ross SCARANO, Director of the Region V Division of Radiation Safety and Safeguards, informing NRR that Rancho Seco's LLD was,not sufficient to assure Rancho Seco compliance with their own Technical Specifications and Appendix ! requirements.
YUHAS stated that NRR, in reviewing the Rancho Seco LLD/ Appendix I issue, was planning a March / April 1986 meeting with SMUD representatives.
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March 21, 1986, George KALLMAN, a NRR Project Manager for Rancho Seco, told Frank WENSLAWSKI, YUHAS' first line supervisor, that KALLMAN had been informed by Ed BRADLEY that Rancho Seco had altered the LLD counting time to allow the release of liquid effluent to the environment.
Subsequent to learning of
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this fact, YUHAS stated he telephoned BRADLEY and was informed by the latter that David MIXA, a Rancho Seco Chemistry and Radiation Protection Technician (CRPT) had informed BRADLEY about the altered countino time. YUHAS stated he subsequently telephoned MIXA and was informed about the details of the change in the counting time, which occurred while MIXA was conducting a'n analysis on RHUT water samples.
YUHAS related that a record of his conversation with
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MIXA and relevant followup information is included in YUHAS' April 7,1986, memorandum to the Rancho Seco Docket File concerning liquid effluent Technical Specification 4.21.1.
Onpa!e3,raragraphs1and2ofInspectionReport86-15.YUHASreportsthatfollow
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i a 198 respect to Rancho Seco detecting concentrations of fission or activation products in their effluent releases.
The fact that Rancho Seco had no
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detectable activity was also reported in Rancho Seco's Semiannual Effluent Radioactive Release Report dated September 26, 1985. YUHAS related that the report of activity in the effluent releases was due to Rancho Seco diluting water transferred from the DRCST to the RHUT prior to sampling. In addition, when radioactivity peaks were detected after dilution, a second analysis was conducted using a lower counting time, thereby precluding detection of any radioactive peaks and allowing for release of the water.
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