ML20239A065

Discusses 980620 Inadvertent Radwaste Discharge from Plant Reactor.Team of NRC Inspectors,Completely Independent of Region I,Requested to Investigate Region I Ability to Regulate Effectively

ML20239A065
Person / Time
Site:	Haddam Neck File:Connecticut Yankee Atomic Power Co icon.png
Issue date:	07/07/1998
From:	Bassilakis R CITIZENS AWARENESS NETWORK
To:	Shirley Ann Jackson, The Chairman NRC COMMISSION (OCM)
Shared Package
ML20239A051	List: ML20239A049 ML20239A065 ML20239A526
References
NUDOCS 9809080126
Download: ML20239A065 (2)

Text

_ - _ _ - _ _ - - - _ - _ - _ _ _ - _ - - _ _ - _ - _ - - _ _ - - - _ -

{

MA: Bon 83 Shelbume Falls, MA 01370180 Davenport Ed Rowe, MA

,

• P/F 413439-57810748 CT: 54 Old Tumpike Road, Haddam, CT 06438 P/F: 960445-2157 l VT: C/o Box 684 Putruy, VT 06344 P/F: 802-387-2644/2647

, NH: 7 Meadow Lane, Emeter, NH 03433 P/F S03 772 3439 ITIZENS WARENESS NErwoax July 7,1998 Honorable Shirley Jackson, Chairwoman U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Washington, DC 20555 1

Re: June 20*,1998 Inadvertent Radwaste Discharge from the Haddam Neck Reactor I

)

Dear Chairwoman Jackson:

1 On June 20*,1998 the lladdam Neck Nuclear Reactor operated by Connecticut Yankee Atomic Power Company (CYAPCo) had an inadvertent radwaste tank discharge into the Connecticut River [ Daily Events Report, Event Number 34422 and MR Number 1 l 0034]. This discharge went unreported to your r,gency by the licensee for two days. In j light of these events which occurred less than 2 months aller your agency lifted the l Confirmatory Action Letter restricting radiological activities, we request that your agency address, as quickly as reasonably possible, our questions and requests detailed below.

1) is it true that the NRC no longer requims that there be licensed reactor operators on staff at the Haddam Neck Reactor to serve as shift managers? If this is true, how can CYAPCo meet their Quality Assurance requirements? These requirements assure that safety reviews are done by trained licensed operators before various system manipulations take place, including those which result in radiological and chemical releases into the environment. If an unplanned event does occur, it is also the licensed shift manager's responsibility to recognize that the event is reportable and to make sure that NRC Headquarters is notified in a timely manner as is required by law. CYAPCo's shift manager failed to meet this basic requirement.

2) Why are there valves at Haddam Neck which can be inadvertently manipulated causing unplanned, uncontrolled and unmonitored radiological and chemical releases into the environment? " Accidental" draining of radwaste tanks should simply not be possible.

3) Why, so soon after the June 20* event, have additional radiological releases from the Haddam Neck reactor been permitted prior te placing all discharge valves that serve as environmental barriers under lock and key, as is a generally accepted industry corrective action for inadvertent releases. 1 w 2 1 8 .,, i 9809000126 980831 w

a PDR ADOCK 05000213 s 3 H PDR  ?

O d-l O

(

Page 2 Jackson 7/6/98 We believe that your agency's willing

, radiological discharges with nessminimal to allow co CYAPCo to proceed with dequate protection rrective re ofpublic action is and compliance dangerousworkes nto with regulations and huestion again call i and to p the YAPCo's lax radiological control r ealth andhisto safety. This is especially rovide tru gulate effectively.spectors, ry. We completely independent request that youegiven dispatch ofRegi a team fNR o C ability to on I, to investigate Region l's

'ven that chemical decontamination of h eduled to take place next week (June o ng system is 14*)rvene APCo's Quality Assurance requirem , we also request that yourstaffimmediately me that the NRC can assure that dam ary system Neck which serve ents will as environme na are being met and that none ofthe decontamination result in tlb valves at onuclide inventory at the site to ourcommunity through batch r l a which substantialredistribution poses e. ofthearriers rely, e eases into the environment.a e threat to workers ary Bassilakis ch Director mmissioners J. Callan,General ell, inspector Executive Director a ons ofOper ti oseph Lieberman hristopher Dodd seph Biden ative Sam Gejdenson

. Downes, Chairman CT DPUC lumenthal, CT Attorney General iere, Reporter for the New ay London D n, Reporter for the Hartford Courant berg, Reporter for the Middletown ess Pr

?

Page 2 Jackson 7/6/98 We believe that your agency's willingness to allow CYAPCo to proceed with radiological discharges with minimal corrective action is dangerous and again calls into question the Region I stafTs ability to assure compliance with regulations and to provide adequate protection of public and worker health and safety. This is especially true given CYAPCo's lax radiological control history. We request that you dispatch a team of NRC inspectors, completely independent of Region I, to investigate Region I's ability to regulate elTectively.

Given that chemical decontamination of the irmdiated primary reactor cooling system is scheduled to take place next week (June 14*), we also request that your staffimmediately intervene to postpone this event until such a time that the NRC can assure that CYAPCo's Quality Assurance requirements are being met and that none of the valves at liaddam Neck which serve as environmental barriers, can be inadvertently manipulated.

Primary system decontamination will result in a substantial redistribution of the radionuclides invent 6ry at the site which poses a threat to workers through direct exposure and to our community through batch releases into the environment.

Sincerely, ,

Rosemary Bassilakis Research Director Cc:

NRC Commissioners Leonard J. Callan, Executive Director of Operations Hubert Bell, Inspector General Senator Joseph Lieberman Senator Christopher Dodd Senator Joseph Biden Representative Sam Gejdenson Donald W. Downes, Chairman CT DPUC Richard Blumenthal, CT Attorney General l Paul Choiniere, Reporter for the New' London Day Sue Kinsman, Reporter for the Hanford Courant Eric Ilesselberg, Reporter for the Middletown Press