ML20247F875
| ML20247F875 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Issue date: | 03/07/1989 |
| From: | Bermudez H, Kahle J NRC OFFICE OF INSPECTION & ENFORCEMENT (IE REGION II) |
| To: | |
| Shared Package | |
| ML20247F833 | List: |
| References | |
| CON-NRC-29-83-625 NUDOCS 8904040067 | |
| Download: ML20247F875 (5) | |
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UNITED STATES
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REGION 11 101 MARIETTA ST., N.W.
ATLANTA, GEORGIA 30323 i-L MAR.0 71989 PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL i
NRC/ STATE CONTRACTS FOR ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING CONTRACT NUMBER:.29-83-625 CONTRACTOR: State of. Georgia Februg h )
DATE OF' PERFORMANCE PP AISA E
' CONDUCTED BY:
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/Radi 14 Specialist REVIEWED BY:
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J. B/ KW!a, Chief Date' 5ign6d
' Radiolyfical Effluents and Chemistry
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Section Scope The appraisal was performed by a review of reports, correspondence, day-to-day contacts and evaluation of the promptness and judgement exercised in the resolution of any unusual situations or problems that had arisen in the program.
The annual appraisal was culminated by a visit to the State laboratory to review facilities and equipment, review records, and discuss aspects of the program with State personnel.
This report is prepared as a basis for contract renewal and any recommendations for program improvements.
L 8904040067 890307 PDR STPRGESGGh
State of Georgia Contract Appraisal And Review of the Annual Report On February 2, 1989, a representative of the U.
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Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) met with representatives from the State of Georgia, Department of Natural Resources, Environmental Protection Division, to review activities conducted under NRC Contract #29-83-625 for 1987. This contract provides for a cooperative program for measuring concentrations of radioactivity and radiation levels in the environment around the following NRC licensed sites:
E. 1. Hatch Nuclear Power Plant Vogtle Nuclear Power Plant Attendance at this meeting is presented in Attachment 1.
Overall Program Status The appraisal incorporated a review of the 1987 Annual Report, a visit to the State Environmental Radiation Laboratory, and a preliminary review of the State's performance under the 1988 contract.
The State of Georgia has fulfilled all requirements of the Environmental Monitoring Contract with respect to sample collection.
The benefits of increasing the frequency of collection of air samples from monthly to weekly were discussed with State personnel.
Staffing State environmental program personnel have not changed since the previous appraisal.
The State's environmental radiation program was staffed by one coordinator and three radiation specialists.
One radiation specialist was assigned full-time to the Environmental Radiation Laboratory.
Since the previous appraisal, a vacancy in the Environmental Radiation Laboratory was created and quickly filled.
The Environmental Radiation Laboratory, located at the Georgia Institute of Technology, Environmental Resources Center, was managed by the Director of the Center and staffed by a research scientist and an electronics technician.
State representatives indicated that there have been no major problems in handling the contract workload.
Funding has been sufficient to maintain personnel services and replace necessary equipment.
Training Since the previous appraisal, no Environmental Radiation Program or Environmental Radiation Laboratory personnel have attended technical courses sponsored by outside organizations.
Training at the Environmental Radiation Laboratory has been limited to on-the-job training.
The NRC representative and State personnel agreed that even though the lack of specialized training has not directly reflected on the quality of their work, it would still be
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2 beneficial for the State to provide specialized training sponsored by outside organizations to its personnel.
However, State personnel indicated that funding problems have prevented them from achieving this goal.
State personnel inquired about the status of the Radiological and Environmental Science Laboratory (RESL) course in Idaho Falls, Idaho.
The State has encouraged staff participation and would send staff members if the course was again available.
Facilities and Equipment Since the previous appraisal, the Environmental Radiation Laboratory acquired a new Tennelec intrinsic germanium detector, a Tennelec TC257 alpha spectrometer and initiated the bidding process to acquire a new liquid scintillation counter.
These items are additions to the count room capabilities-State representatives indicated that monies obtained from the NRC contract are primarily utilized to replace and upgrade laboratory equipment.
Performance The NRC Environmental Monitoring contract requires the State of Georgia to submit an annual report which includes a summary of all analyses, comparison of results between the State and licensee environmental sample splits, and results of the State's EPA cross-check program for the past year.
This report was received in accordance with contractual requirements, within 120 days from the end of the contract year.
The NRC TLD monitoring program was reviewed with State personnel.
There had been no major problems with TLD receipt or changeout since the previous appraisal.
The NRC representative toured the environmental radiochemistry and counting facilities.
Daily quality control charts and calibration records for each detector were complete and readily available. A review of EPA intercomparison studies showed good correlation with known results.
Discussions with laboratory personnel indicated little or no problems occurring with the various systems and that the newly acquired equipment was performing satisfactorily.
The NRC representative and State personnel discussed the benefits of increasing the frequency of collection of air samples around monitored facilities.
The State collected air samples on a monthly basis while licensees collected their samples on a weekly basis.
The NRC representative indicated that the practice of collecting air samples on a monthly basis makes it difficult to compare State and licensee results.
The NRC representative attributed discrepancies between State and licensee air sample results to the difference in sample collection times.
In addition, the NRC representative indicated that by collecting air samples on a monthly basis, any activity of short-lived radionuclides of interest such as iodine-131 (half life of approximately eight days) may not be detected because it may decay away prior to the analysis of the sample.
State personnel indicated that consideration will be given to increasing air sampling frequency of monitored facilities.
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The State of Georgia's Environmental Radiation Program was reviewed against the criteria established by the NRC and overall performance was determined to be good.
Based upon the annual report and the onsite appraisal, continuation of this program is recommended.
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ATTACHMENT 1 Attendance at the NRC - State of Georgia Meeting On February 2, 1989 State of Georgia James Hardeman, Environmental Radiation Coordinator, Environmental Radiation Program Dr. Bernd Kahn, Director, Environmental Resources Center, Georgia Institute of Technology John Gasper, Electronics Technician 11, Georgia Institute of Technology U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission - Region II Hector Bermudez, Radiation Specialist, Radiological Efflu ents and Chemistry Section, EPRP Branch 1
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