PNO-III-14-006, Dresden, Unit 2 and Unit 3, Report of Tritium at Dresden Sewage Treatment Plant
| ML14162A396 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Dresden  |
| Issue date: | 06/11/2014 |
| From: | Jamnes Cameron, Billy Dickson NRC/RGN-III |
| To: | |
| References | |
| PNO-III-14-006 | |
| Download: ML14162A396 (1) | |
PRELIMINARY NOTIFICATION June 11, 2014 PRELIMINARY NOTIFICATION OF EVENT OR UNUSUAL OCCURRENCE - PNO-III-14-006 This preliminary notification constitutes EARLY notice of events of POSSIBLE safety or public interest significance. Some of the information may not yet be fully verified or evaluated by the Region III staff.
Facility Dresden, Unit 2 and Unit 3 Exelon Generation Co.
Morris, IL Docket: 50-237; 50-249 License: DPR-19; DPR-25 Licensee Emergency Classification Notification of Unusual Event Alert Site Area Emergency General Emergency X Not Applicable
SUBJECT:
REPORT OF TRITIUM AT DRESDEN SEWAGE TREATMENT PLANT On June 7, 2014, the licensee identified elevated tritium levels in a sample taken from the outfall of its sewage waste treatment plant. The sewage treatment plant outfall discharges into the Kankakee River. The licensees investigation into this matter also identified that there were elevated levels of tritium onsite near the Unit 2/3 condensate storage tanks (CST) and there was a potential that tritium contamination was in material shipped from the licensees sewage treatment plant and delivered to the local municipal sewage treatment facility for processing.
The licensee is still determining the quantity of radioactive material released to the environment and the source of contamination. The licensee is required to report the quantity and the radiological impact for all liquid and gaseous effluents, including unplanned releases such as this, in the annual radioactive effluent release report to the NRC. The NRC makes these reports available to the public on the NRC webpage.
Since the initial notification, NRC Resident Inspectors and Region III based specialists have reviewed the licensees plan for inspecting the CST for a leak (draining the tank), ensuring that safety systems impacted by the loss of the CST remain operable, and that the sewage waste treatment plant was shut down and isolated. Additional inspection activities include evaluation of the licensees ongoing activities to quantify the elevated tritium levels and determine their source; the observation of licensee excavation activities in the vicinity of the CST; the licensees plan for sampling wells throughout the site; and the licensees radiological assessment of the unplanned release. NRC inspections continue to monitor licensee actions and there has been no impact on public or worker health and safety.
This preliminary notification is issued for information only.
Region III received initial notification of this occurrence by the NRC Resident Inspectors. The information presented herein has been discussed with the licensee, and is current as of 9:05 am CDT, on June 11, 2014.
ADAMS Accession Number: ML14162A396 Contacts:
Jamnes Cameron Billy Dickson 630-829-9833 630-829-9827 Jamnes.Cameron@nrc.gov Billy.Dickson@nrc.gov