PLA-7390, Transmittal of Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection Report

Transmittal of Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection Report

ML15271A076
Person / Time
Site:	Susquehanna
Issue date:	09/28/2015
From:	Franke J Susquehanna, Talen Energy
To:	Document Control Desk, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation
References
PA 0047325, PLA-7390, PLE-0025691
Download: ML15271A076 (7)

Text

Jon A. Franke Site Vice President Susquehanna Nuclear, LLC 769 Salem Boulevard TAL EN~

Berwick, PA 18603 Tel. 570.542 .2904 Fax 570.542. 1504 ENERGY jon.franke@talenenergy.com SEP 2 8 2015 U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Attn: Document Control Desk Washington, DC 20555-0001 SUSQUEHANNA STEAM ELECTRIC STATION TRANSMITTAL OF PENNSYLVANIA DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION REPORT Docket Nos. 50-387 PLA-7390 and 50-388 Section 3.2 of the Susquehanna Environmental Protection Plan requires that violations of the Susquehanna National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit be reported to the NRC by submittal of copies of the reports required by the permit.

Susquehanna notified the NRC of a permit violation via EN 51375 on September 7, 2015.

The required report submitted to the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection associated with the violation is attached.

This letter contains no new regulatory commitments.

If you should have any questions regarding this submittal, please contact Mr. Jeffery N. Grisewood, (570) 542-1330.

J. A. Franke

Attachment:

Follow-Up Notification of Unanticipated Bypass to the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection Copy: NRC Region I Mr. J. E. Greives, NRC Sr. Resident Inspector Mr. M. Shields, PA DEP/BRP Mr. J. A. Whited, NRC Project Manager

Attachment to PLA-7390 Follow-Up Notification of Unanticipated Bypass to the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection

TEAM SUSQUEHANNA_ Ocm*mrlng 1-;:rccilt'll<'<'

September 11, 2015 Jeff Hartman PADEP- Northeast Regional Office 2 Public Square Wilkes~Barre, PA 18701-1915 SUSQUEHANNA NUCLEAR, LLC NPDES PERMIT NO. PA 0047325 OUTFALL 079 UNANTICIPATED BYPASS PLE-0025691

Dear Mr. Hartman,

This letter serves to provide additional details to the non~compliance verbal notification made to PaDEP on September 7, 2015 at 9:40am.

At approximately 6:30am on Monday September 7, the Chemistry Technician assigned to the Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) arrived onsite and noticed an unusually high influent flow condition. The high influent flow caused a washout of the aeration treatment beds and essentially, an unanticipated bypass of the treatment system. A Non~Compliance Reporting Form is included with this submittal.

The technician notified the plant control room and the source of the water was found to be a domestic water valve on the Green Sand Filter (GSF) backwash that failed in the open position. This caused domestic water to backwash continuously to sewage treatment until the valve was secured at approximately 8:00am that same day. During the surge, STP influent flow readings were greater than the calibrated range of the flow meter.

The GSF went into backwash at approximately 6:00pm on September 6, 2015. The domestic water GSF backwash flow to the sewage treatment plant was estimated to be around 275 gpm during this period, which amounted to as much as 231,000 gallons throughout the duration of the event.

Upon discovery, the malfunctioning GSF backwash control valve was immediately closed and has since been repaired. The total back wash time was estimated to be less than 14 hours1.62037e-4 days <br />0.00389 hours <br />2.314815e-5 weeks <br />5.327e-6 months <br />.

When the malfunctioning GSF control valve was closed, the influent flow to the sewage treatment plant immediately dissipated.

The Station's normal sewage treatment process includes the following steps; influent flow enters the sewage treatment plant, flows through a comminutor, is introduced into surge tanks, is pumped into a splitter box which directs the flow to one or more of 4 treatment beds, and then overflows into an effluent chamber where it is chlorinated and then de-chlorinated.

Generally, the two surge tanks (each 25,000 gallons) are kept only partially full to allow for fluctuations in flow. Assuming each tank was approximately 1/3 full, the first 33,500 gallons

of backwash flow would have been collected in the surge tanks before flowing through the rest of the plant. That said, the remaining 197,500 gallons of domestic water washed through the plant and washed the activated sludge out of the aeration beds, through the clarifiers and out through the effluent chamber without sufficient time for settling and treatment.

Although the activated sludge bed quality and volume was impacted, none of the daily NPDES monitoring limits were exceeded.

As a follow up action to the influent flow surge, on September 10, the STP effluent flow was secured to facilitate a video inspection of the discharge line. The video inspection revealed a break in the 8" effluent discharge line approximately 2/3 of the way in between the second and third manhole downstream of the sewage treatment plant (See Attachment A). STP effluent flow has since been kept isolated to prevent effluent discharge through the break in the discharge line. Currently, the STP has ceased treatment and discharge and is holding sewage in the plant surge tanks and treatment beds. Susquehanna has contracted Rota-Rooter to haul out the sewage for disposal until repairs can be made to restore the 8" discharge line integrity.

When the discharge line is restored and the STP treatment and discharge has recommenced, I will call your office to make sure you are aware of our status.

If you need any additional information, please don't hesitate to contact me at (570) 542-3999.

Sincerely, ti~

Kathy Ervin Sr. Environmental Scientist- Nuclear Client ID No. 294178 Susquehanna Nuclear, LLC 769 Salem Boulevard (NUCSA3)

Berwick, PA 18603-0467 570-542-3999

Attachment 1: SSES Sewage Trtmt. Plant Aerial Showing Approximate Location of the Buried 8" Discharge Line

• Distance between Manholes 2 and 3 is approximately 150FT

3800-FM-BPNPSM0440 3/iD12 COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA

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DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION BUREAU OF POINT AND NON-POINT SOURCE MANAGEMENT NON-COMPLIANCE REPORTING FORM Use this supplemental form to report all permit violations and any other non-compliance that may endanger health or the environment, in accordance with your permit.

Complete all sections that apply. If you are reporting violations of permit limits, monitoring requirements or schedules that do not pose an immediate threat to health or the environment, you may attach this form to the Discharge Monitoring Report (DMR). Title 25, Pa. Code §§ 91.33 and 91.34 (regarding incidents causing or threatening pollution and activities utilizing pollutants, respectively), in part requires immediate notification by telephone to the Department of pollution incidents, remediation, and may require an additional report on the incident or plan of pollution prevention measures. If you are reporting other non-compliance events, and the reporting deadline does not coincide with your submission of the DMR, it should be submitted separately to the Department by the reporting deadline set forth in the permit.

See instructions for more information.

Facility Name: Susquehanna Steam Electric Station Month: September Year: 2015 Municipality: Salem Township County: Luzerne Permit No.: PA0047325 D Violations of Permit Effluent Limitations*

Statistical Date Parameter Code Result Cause of Violation Corrective Action Taken

[gl Sanitary Sewer Overflows and Other Unauthorized Discharges*

Event Substance Volume Duration Receiving Impact on Date DEP Date Discharged Location (gals) (hrs) Waters Waters Cause of Discharge Notified Domestic water system malfunction causing and a surge flow into sewage treatment plant Susquehanna 9/7/15 water/sewage Outfall 079 197,500 14 N/A (See attached cover letter PLE- 9/7/15 River 0025691).

0 Other Permit Violations*

0 Sample collection less frequent than required Explain 0 Sample type not in compliance with permit Explain 0 Violation of permit schedule Explain 0 Other Explain 0 Other Explain

• If the space provided is not sufficient to record all information, please attach additional sheets.

I certify under penalty of law that this document was prepared under my direction or supervision in accordance with a system designed to assure that qualified personnel gather and evaluate the information submitted. Based on my inquiry of the person or persons who manage the system or those persons directly responsible for gathering the information, the information submitted is, to the best of my knowledge and belief, true, accurate and complete. I am aware that there are significant penalties for submitting false information , including the possibility of fine and imprisonment for knowing violations. See 18 Pa. C.S. § 4904 (relating to unsworn falsification).

Prepared By: Kathy M. Ervin Signature: 1ic 1tt

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Title:

Sr. Environmental Scientist- Nuclear Date: 9/11/15