PNO-V-83-061, on 831216,Region V Office Received Telephone Inquiries from Knxt Television in Los Angeles & Office of Senator a Cranston in Washington Re 1982 Incident Re Contaminated Sewage from San Onofre Nuclear Station

PNO-V-83-061:on 831216,Region V Office Received Telephone Inquiries from Knxt Television in Los Angeles & Office of Senator a Cranston in Washington Re 1982 Incident Re Contaminated Sewage from San Onofre Nuclear Station

ML20198Q389
Person / Time
Site:	San Onofre
Issue date:	12/19/1983
From:	Hanchett J, Wenslawski F NRC OFFICE OF INSPECTION & ENFORCEMENT (IE REGION V)
To:
References
PNO-V-83-061, PNO-V-83-61, NUDOCS 9711120198
Download: ML20198Q389 (1)

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[M p NMY FOT!FICAIRS Or EVENT OR UNUSlfAL OCCURPENCL--P.40-V-83-61 pa ty_: W 10 :;

reliminary notification constitutcc EARLY notice of events of PCSSIELE caf et) cr ;.ublic at xipificance The informatien 13 as initially received without vuii gtie. c r ition and ic basically all that is known by IE staf f on this dat.o. C co Licensec En.crgency C3 asr$ 1ct. tion:

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Notification of Unw;* pal $vnt FACILITY: Southern California Ediston Company Alert C San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station Site Area Emergettow $

Unit 1 Docket No. 50-206 General Energenep3:

Not Applicable q iG SU K.IECT : INQUIRIES ON 1982 LOW-LEVEL WASTE DISPOSAL TO SEWACE PLANTV- -

On Fridny, December 16, 1983, the Region V office received telephonc inquirics fron IGXT television in 1 os Anncles and the Of fice of Sen. Alan Cranston i'n Washiigten concerning a 1982 incident in which contaminated sewage f rom the San Onofre N6 clear Generating Station was. inadvertently transf erred to a Los Angeles County sewage treatment facility in Carson, CA (see PNO-V-82-38 and 38A, dated September 22 and 24, 1982).

Tho source of these inquiries apparently was the discovery of some documents related to San Onofrc in a dumpster in Oceanside, CA, on December 14, 1983. The documents were discovered by a Junior high school student, who turned them in to his principal. The principal turned the documents over to the Oceanside Police Department, which notified Region V and Southern California Edison Company. The licensee reviewed the documents and deterciued that they contained no safeguards or other sensitive information. Region V does not know how Sonator Cranston's of fice or the television station became aware of J M documents.

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( ucident occurred in September, 1982, as the licensee was in the process of receving an obsolete septic tank f rom its property at the San Onofre site. A contractor punped the contentn of the tank (about 5,500 gallons), later flushed the tank (about 3,600 gallons) and trucked the liquid to a Los Angeles County sewage treattient plant in Carson, CA (Los Angeles area). While surveying the residual rinse water in the tank, the licensee determined that it contained microcurie quantities of radioactive materials. Region V was notified about and looked into the incident at the time.

The licenneo notified the contractor and the sewage treatment plant but the material had already been dum;.cd. Analysen of the sludge from the plant showed no radioisotopes ausocluted with Sun Onof re. The plant processes 100-150 million gallons per day of sewage.

Surveys of the tank trucks showed trace contamination in the rinse water truck, which was returned to San Onofru for decontasination. There was no radioactive contamination in the other truck.

There was Mome media interest ut the, Lime (Avvociated Press, the Los Angelo verald-Examiner, Oceansida Blade-Tribune, South Bay Daily Breeze) . Region V responded to r," da inquiries.

Region V has provided this information to Sen. Cranston's office and KNXT. This information is current as of 8:00 A.M. , Monday, December 19, 1983. 9 CONTACT: F. Wenalawski, 463-3757; J. Hanchett, 463-3712 I. I.llllil,l!I,1~1,11,1 DISTRIBUIION:

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/. Bernthal MPA AEOD Comm. Roberts ELD PE, GC, CA, ACRS, Historian' SECY, Records.

Comm. Asselstino Regions:

SECY INPO NSAC 9711120198 831219 PDR I&E ACRS , ,

Licensee: PNO-V-83-061 PDR CA A^ ' -- (Rehetor Licenscec) REGION V: FORM 211 PDR Resident Inspcetor_ (Revised 3/14/83)

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