ML20249B907

PNO-76-142:on 760810,Region Learned of EA Initiated by State of or Re Infractions of Requirements Imposed on Plant by Natl Pollutant Discharge Elimination Sys Permit Issued by State

ML20249B907
Person / Time
Site:	Trojan File:Portland General Electric icon.png
Issue date:	08/11/1976
From:	Roy G, Thompson D, Whitt K NRC OFFICE OF INSPECTION & ENFORCEMENT (IE)
To:
References
PNO-76-142, NUDOCS 9806250023
Download: ML20249B907 (2)

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August 11, 1976 PRELIMINARY NOTIFICATION OF EVENT OR UNUSUAL OCCURRENCE--PNO-76-142 1

This preliminary notification constitutes EARLY notice of an event of

_POSSIBLE safety or public interest significance.

The information presented is as initially received without verification or evaluation and is basically all that is known by IE staff on this date.

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Facility:

Portland Cencral Electric Company (TROJAN)

Subject:

ENFORCEMENT ACTIONS INITIATED BY THE STATE OF OREGON RESULTING FROM ENVIRONMENTAL INFRACTIONS The Region V Office (Walnut Creek, California) learned in a telephone discussion with the Portland, Oregon news media (a TV reporter) and subsequent telephone discussions with Mr. Lionel V. Topaz, Director, Oregon Department of Energy on August 10 and 11, 1976 of enforcement actions which have been initiated by the State of Oregon relating to infractions of requirements imposed upon the frojan facility by the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES)' permit issued b'y the State of Oregon.

f The actions initiated by the State are based upon the findings of a special inspection initiated jointly by NRC's Region V office and the Oregon Department of Energy on August 2, 1976 after our being notified by the licensee that thermal discharges from the Trojan plant had exceeded limits of the technical specifi-cations.

(See Preliminary Notification PNO-76-131, dated July 28, 1976.)

The enforcement actions initiated by the State include:

(1) a notice (by letter dated August 10, 1976) of intent to issue an order requiring temporary curtail-ment of operations at Trojan unless the licensee can demonstrate that the environmental and effluent monitoring program (instrumentation) and associated QA program (both of which were found inadequate during the NRC/ State inspection) are properly implemented, and (2) the filing (on August 11, 1976) of a complaint in the Multnomah County Circuit Court (in Portland) seeking imposition of a fine for 43 alleged instances of violation (over a 21-day period in May 1976) of Oregon's Energy Facility Siting Council rules and/or conditions of the State's NPDES permit.

Specific violations cited in the State's complaint include:

l (a) the inoperability of required instrumentation (21 counts covering 21 days),

(b) failure to implement effectively the QA program relating to tuvironmental i

monitoring (21 counts covering 21 days) and (c) a single violation of reporting f

6 requirements relating to the inoperability of the environmental monitoring

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instrumentation.

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Region V's inspection, which is to cover the safety aspects of the Trojan plant's j

operation as well as environment aspects, is expected to be completed by m

l August 13, 1976.

Enforcement actions by NRC will be evaluated at that time.

The State of Oregon issued a press release on August 10, 1976 which discussed CONTINUE

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1. r August 11, 1976 the enforcement actions planned by them, as outlined above.

Portland General Electric Company subsequently issued a press release the same day which was critical of the tim 611 ness and fairness of the State's enforcement actions --

particularly that seeking to impose a fine, reportedly, ranging from $1,000 to $2.1,000 for each violation.

Region V.

NRC, received notification of this occurrence by telephone from a reporter for KGW-TV, Channel 8, in Portland, Oregon at approximately 3:30 p.m.

on August 10, 1976. Additional information was obtained by Region V in tele-phone diserssions with Mr. L. V. Topaz, Director, Oregon Department of Energy, on August 11 and 11, 1976.

Contact:

KWh'.tt, IE x27261

GWRoy, IE x27261 DThompson, IE x27541 Distribution:

l Chairman Rowden Commissioner Mason S. J. Chilk, SECY Commissioner Giliisky C. C. Kagxmerer, CA G. F. Murphy, JCAE Commissioner Kennedy L. V. Gossick, EDO E. Volgenau, OIE J. A. Harris, PA B. C. Rusche, NRR H. K. Shapar, ELD T. J. McTiernan, AIA K. R. Chapman, NMS R. G. Ryan, OSP Transmitted: PBldg [ M ;

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