ML20210J287
| ML20210J287 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Issue date: | 08/30/1994 |
| From: | Joseph Holonich NRC OFFICE OF NUCLEAR MATERIAL SAFETY & SAFEGUARDS (NMSS) |
| To: | Virgona J ENERGY, DEPT. OF |
| Shared Package | |
| ML20210J282 | List: |
| References | |
| REF-WM-66 NUDOCS 9708150330 | |
| Download: ML20210J287 (5) | |
Text
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Joseph E. Virgona, Project Manager U.S. Department of Energy d g 1.1994 Grand Junction Projects Office Jk . . ., m i e " c Post Office-Box 2567 .
AND WASTE MANAGEMENT Grand Junction, Colorado 81502-2567 J
Dear Mr. Virgona:
SUBJECT:
REVIEW 0F THE RADIOLOGICAL AND ENGINEERING ASSESSMENT FOR THE CAME0 POWER PLANT, VICINITY PROPERTY The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff has reviewed the additional information related to the Radiological and Engineering Assessment (REA) for the Cameo . Power Plant, Vicinity Property GJ-15609-CS, that was provided on June 30,1994 (letter from J. Virgona to C. Abrams). In a letter of December'24,1993 (J. Holonich to J. Virgona), the NRC staff' stated that before it could concur in the application of supplemental standards to.two tailings-contaminated concrete structures on the subject property, the Department of Energy (DOE) should address staff concerns related to averaging of radium _(RA-226) values of six other areas of contaminated concrete at the site with the background value of surrounding soil (100 m area). 8
. The NRC staff further stated that the'use of area averaging appeared to be inappropriate for the other tailings-contaminated concrete and suggested that those. structures should also be considered in the supplemental standards application.
In a letter of February 7,1994, DOE indicated that area averaging the Ra-226 concentration of concrete with surrounding soil would be the same as averaging
..the Ra-226 in soil over a 100 m2 area, and therefore meets the intent of 40_CFR 192.12(a). The standard is based on the health risk from radon that could be generated by the tailings deposit if a structure was built over the tailings. 00E points out that applying the soil standard to concrete is conservative since the low porosity of concrete restricts radon diffusion.
Also, this approach has been applied at other vicinity properties to asphalt and bricks with contaminated mortar, as well as con rete.
In a telephone conversation of June 22, 1994, to D , the NRC staff indicated that it is aware that an area-averaging procedure s acceptable during the initial = property gamma survey to determine if tha roperty can be included in the Uranium-Mill Tailings Remedial Action (UMT' , Project, but that the procedure is not appropriate during remedii . tion. The Vicinity Property Management and Implementation Manual directive E7, with which NRC concurred,
. states that it-is not acceptable, once remedial action has been initiated, to re-average either small deposits or portions of partially remediated deposits which remain on the property. DOE indicated that the concrete-soil area averaging was done during the development of the REA, not during remedial action, and that further information would be provided.
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J. Virgona DOE's' letter of June 30, 1994, indicates that the Grand Junction Project Office has internal procedures to limit use of area averaging to cases where there is-structural, safety, or environmental concerns. Several pages from the Geotech Field Assessmeat Procedures Manual were provided, as well as a copy of correspondence to the Colorado Department of Health (CDH) responding to the request for justification for area averaging six deposits at the Cameo Power Plant. The criteria for applying supplemental standards (40.CFR 192.21) include safety of workers or public, environmental harm, and excessive cost compared to health benefits. Based on the description of the area-averaged concrete at the Cameo Power Plant provided in the REA and in the letter to CDH, the NRC staff considers the application of supplemental standards to these deposits to be the appropriate procedure.
The NRC staff has determined that the practice of area averaging the Ra-226 content of contaminated material with surrounding clean soil after the property is included in the UMTRA Project, instead of applying supplemental standards, is net in accordance with the procedures mandated by 40 CFR Part 192. Therefore, concurrence cannot be given on the REA for vicinity property GJ-15609-CS unless supplemental standards are applied to the other areas of contaminated concrete, or there is an approved plan for controlling the remaining tailings-contaminated material on this and similar sites, after the UMTRA Project is complete.
In accordance with the DOE-NRC MOU, the NRC only reviews those REAs that involve application of supplemental standards; therefore, the NRC staff would not normally be aware of this application of area-averaging. In the future, DOE should consider formal application of supplemental standards. If possible, DOE should establish an inventory of the properties where this procedure of area-averaging Ra-226 was previously used, and include an estimate of the volume of tailings-contaminated material that remains uncontrolled on vicinity properties. This would assist the states and NRC in tracking this material, and would provide information for the land annotation records.
If you have any questions regarding the conclusions in this letter, please contact Ms. Charlotte Abrams of my staff at (301) 415-5808.
Sincerely, HM b~{
Joseph J. Holonich, Chief High-level Waste and Uranium Recovery Projects Branch Division of Waste Management Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards cc: C. Symthe, DOE Alb J. Deckler, CDH Den J
NT-060 Area # Location # BH # Sample # Ra 226 I/E Area / Avg
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l -4+80,130R 6 SS-0002 - 15.5 E 1.86/0.29
- 2 -4+75,110R 14 SS-0003 7.29 E 1.63/0.19 3 -3+26,1 I SR 22 SS-0004 45.27 E 1.16/0,53 4- -2+00, 70R 33 SS-0006 176.6 I 9.85/17.4 l ..
l 5 -l+75,164L 60 SS-0013 1598.82 1 3.90/62.35 6 -3+05,125R 17 SS-0005 2133.25 I 4.65/99.2 7 0+75, ISR 128 SS-0029 11.75 E 1.86/0.22 8 2+91,68L 124 SS-0028 563.79 I 1.11/6.26 9 2+90,158L 71 SS-0014 2543.70 1 1.16/29.51 10 3+15,244L 78 SS-0016 8.39 E 1.39/0.17 11 3+20,98L 115 SS-0026 16.85 E 0.93/0.16 12 No Data No Data - No Data E 3.25/0.68uR/h 13 2+75,ISL 160 SS-0035 6.35 E 1.16/0.61 14 3+85,118L 17! SS-0037 7.67 E 3.34/0.26 15 3+50,183L 93. SS-0020 117.74 E 0.93/1.10 16 4+29,204L 211 SS-0050 81.40 E 1.11/0.90 17 4+37,222L 225 SS-0057 14.47 E 1.11/0.16 18 4+64,157L 247' SS-0055 142.73 I 4.41/13.54 4+64,150L 250 SS-0058 471.25 1 19 5+10,155L 350 SS-0131 4.36 E 1.67/0.53 5+10,155L 350 SS-0132 31.99 E 20 4+50,110L 253 SS-0052 28.80 E 1.11/0.32
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21 3+38,146L 102 SS-0021 12.35 E 4.37/0.54 3+40,148L 101. SS-0022 19.35 E 3+44,146L 100 SS-0023 5.38 E 22 5+03,93L 269 SS-0069 10.29 E 12.31/2.43 4+99, 93L 270 SS-0070 63.14 E 4+99,95L 271 S'S-0071 7.66 E 4+92,100L 274 SS-0072 10.90 E 4+92,91L 275 SS-0073 6.80 E 23 4+00,28L 192 SS-0041 57.40 E 2.04/1.17 24 3+15,40L 165 SS-0036 54.93 E 1.67/0.92 3 25 2+70,01L 155 SS-0034 25.66 E 10.4/2.67 2+75,15L 160 SS-0035 6.35 E -
26 3+48,80R 308 SS-0113 79.37 E 2.97/2.36 1
27 3+75, 50R 313 SS-0119 210.44 E 0.56/1.18 28 4+10,205R' 286 SS-0111 9.10 E 1.67/0.15 29 3+50,265R 293 SS-0114 8.68 E 1.67/0.15 30 3+65,299R 395 SS-0112 7.44 E 2.79/0.21 31A I 176.56/15.75 31B 1 31C I 31D I 32 1+25,25R 133 SS-0030 8.60 E 1.67/0.14 33 1+35,20R 141 SS-0031 1379.68 I 1.39/19.18 34 -0+31, 65R - 362 SS-0135 206.66 I 3.34/6.90 35 0+10,62R 356 SS-0134 46.61 E 1.21/0.56 36 0+30,78R 322 SS-0120 31.31 I 71.07/19.00 0+30, 78R 322 SS-0125 -49.65 I 0+42, 81R 319 SS-0126 22.16 I 37 Ot50,108R 53 SS-0010 3.63 E 0.88/49.24 0+50,111R 54 SS-0011 5.06 E 1
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'44B I-45 4+41,206L 220 SS-0051 9.75 E -2.09/0.20 4+44,205L 220 SS-0165 0.76 E 46 4+72,226L 235 SS-0053 - 7.35 E 0.74/0.05 47 4+69,96L '281 SS-0075 18.75 E 17.29/0.99 4+61,89L 284 SS-0076 - 8.67 E
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