ML20236B899
| ML20236B899 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Pilgrim |
| Issue date: | 03/01/1989 |
| From: | Zech L NRC COMMISSION (OCM) |
| To: | Cahir T MASSACHUSETTS, COMMONWEALTH OF |
| Shared Package | |
| ML20236B901 | List: |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 8903210360 | |
| Download: ML20236B899 (4) | |
Text
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- E NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION Blaha 5
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8 WASHINGTON, D.C. 20E66 ED0-4169 March 1, 1989 RBellamy, RI j
CHAIRMAN WLazarus, RI Murley Sniezek l
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WTravers l
The' Honorable Thomas S. Cahir FKantor i
Massachusetts House of Representatives
.RWessman l
Boston, Massachusetts 02133 4
RTHogan.
DMossburg
Dear. State Representative Cahir:
PDR LPDR I am responding to your letter of' December $7, 1988, in which you Jrequested that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) include the town.of Bourne within the plume exposure pathway emergency
. planning zone (EPZ).for the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station..The Commission. recognizes that because a portion of the town lies.
4 within a 10-mile radius of the Pilgrim plant, this is a matter of concern to the citizens of Bourne.
However, the NRC staff has determined.that the existing plume exposure pathway.EPZ at Pilgrim is sufficient to provide reasonable' assurance that the public health and' safety will be protected in the event of.a radiological emergency at the plant.
In this regard, some explanation ~of the NRC's' emergency planning regulations would be helpful as background.
Our regulations define.two concentric EPZs for which planning is necessary to ensure that prompt and effective actions can be taken to protect the public in the event of an accident.
The size of the planning zones represents a generic judgment on the extent to which detailed planning must be performed to assure an
-adequate response in the unlikely event of a nuclear power plant accident.
However, in a particular emergency, protective actions might be needed in only a limited part of the established planning zones.
On the other hand, the detailed planning required for the established planning zones provides a substantial base for expan-sion of emergency response actions outside these zones in the very unlikely event that such actions were required by the conditions of a particular accident.
The first zone is the plume exposure pathway EPZ, an area about 10 miles in radius from the center of the plant.
The major protective actions of evacuation and sheltering would be employed in this EPZ as appropriate to prevent or reduce the public's exposure to a radioactive plume that could result from the most severe accidents at nuclear power plants.
The second planning zone is the ingestion exposure pathway EPZ, an area about 50 miles in radius from the center of the plant.
(Originated by RTHogan, NRR) 8903210360 890301 PDR COMMS NRCC
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1 CORRESPONDENCE PDC g
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Major protective actions, such as putting livestock on stored feed and controlling food and water, would be employed if necessary in areas of this EPZ to prevent the public from ingesting contami-nated food and water.
In determining the specific. boundaries of these planning zones, the Commission's emergency planning regulations state that EPZ size shall be determined in relationship to local emergency response needs and capabilities as they are affected by such conditions as demography, topography, land characteristics, access routes, and jurisdictional boundaries.
Small adjustments to the size of the planning zones are only to be made to simplify planning and to avoid ambiguity as.to the location of the boundaries.
The exact boundaries of the Pilgrim plume EN'posure pathway EPZ were determined using nearby roads and jurisdictional boundaries.
The town of Bourne extends about 20 miles from the Pilgrim plant, with only a very small portion of the town lying within a 10-mile radius.
Consequently, the entire town has been defined to be within the ingestion exposure pathway EPZ for Pilgrim.
In this zone, the risk to the public from exposure to a radioactive plume is. expected to be negligible due primarily to the atmospheric dispersion of radioactive materials, and, as a result it is i
unnecessary to undertake detailed planning for evacuation.
Plans for actions to prevent ingestion of radioactive materials are needed in this zone, and the. commonwealth of Massachusetts has developed such plans.
Regarding your concern about traffic on the access routes to Cape Cod, it is my understanding that the updated evacuation time estimate and traffic management plan for Pilgrim includes provi-sions for traffic control measures to be instituted by local and State police on these routes, including the Bourne and Sagamore bridges.
I hope I have addressed your concerns, and those of the citizens of Bourne, regarding the implementation of emergency preparedness requirements for the Pilgrim plant.
I believe the Commistion has acted prudently with respect to Pilgrim, and I can assure you that we are committed to fulfilling our responsibility to ensure that the Pilgrim plant is operated safely.
Sincerely, h).
Lando W.
Zec, Jr i
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EDO Principal Correspondence Control
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FROM DUE: 01/17/89 EDO CONTROL: 0004169 DOC DT: 12/27/88 FINAL REPLY:
R2p. Thomas S. Cahir Mnencchusetts State Representative TO:
Chairman Zech FOR SIGNATURE OF
DESC:
ROUTING:
REQUESTS NRC DESIGNATE THE TOWN OF BOURNE, Stello MASSACHUSETTS AS A COMMUNITY WITHIN THE EMERGENCY Taylor PLANNING ZONE SURROUNDING PILGRIM Blaha Russell, RI i
DATE: 01/04/89 Murray, OGC ASSIGNED TO:
-CONTACTS.
_NRR Murley
.s SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS OR REMARKS:
l
,NRR RECEIVED:
JAN._4,.1989..
ACTION:
jDREP:CONGEL; NRR ROUTING:
MURLEY/SNIEZEK MIRAGLIA CRUTCHFIELD PARTLOW GILLESPIE MOSSBURG
m 7
't
' OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY CORRESPONDENCE CONTROL TICKET
' PAPER NUMBER:
CRC-89-0002 LOGGING DATE: Jan 4 89 j
J ACTION OFFICE:
EDO j
i AUTHOR:
T.S. Cahir l
AFFILIATION:
MA (MASSACHUSETTS)
LETTER DATE:
Dec 27 88 FILE CODE: ID&R-5 Pilgrim
SUBJECT:
Propose that the town of Bourne be designated as part of the EPZ surrounding the Pilgrim facility ACTION:
Signature of Chairman DISTRIBUTION:
RF, Cars, Secy, DSB, OGC SPECIAL HANDLING: None NOTES:
DATE DUE:
Jan 19 89 SIGNATURE:
DATE SIGNED:-
AFFILIATION:
Rac'd Off. ED0 Date
/-4-O Time-9 lb 200---004165
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