ML061950266

E-mail from Habighorst to Boland, Summary of the Call Earlier Today

ML061950266
Person / Time
Site:	Braidwood
Issue date:	02/09/2006
From:	Peter Habighorst NRC/EDO
To:	Block V, Boland A, Frye T, Klementowicz S, Lickus R, Steven Orth, Richard Skokowski NRC/RGN-II
References
FOIA/PA-2006-0115
Download: ML061950266 (5)

Text

,,uIi ,r,,,,,v, l .. .... I 0 ..From: Peter Habighorst

" To: Anne Boland; Richard Skokowski; Roland Lickus; Stephen Klementowicz; Steven Orth; Timothy Frye; Vicki Block Date: 2/9/06 3:13PM

Subject:

Summary of the call earlier today LI The attachment provides a quick summary of the call today .... please comment on .... Thanks for everyone s participation...if I have missed anyone on the call please advise_j CC: Raeann Shane; Undine Shoopý tA to Ax7 Inform atio i, in [,--n ' ",, c was de ie zed in accordance with the Freedom of Information Act, exemptions

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SUMMARY

BETWEEN NRC STAFF AND STAFF MEMBERS FROM REPRESENTATIVE WELLER AND SENATOR OBAMA TOPIC: BRAIDWOOD TRITIUM Date: February 9, 2006 Time: 1:00 -1:40 p.m.Participants NRC Attendees from Region Ill, NRR, OCA, and TRPS.Representative Weller Staff Members: Eric Gray Alan Timmille Kris Kennedy Senator Obama Staff Member Todd Atkinson NRC Presentation Deputy DRS director provided the discuss of the Braidwood tritium migration.

The discussion provided a general overview, licensee actions to-date, and NRC actions.Overview 0 S S 0 This is the third briefing of congressional staff members since late November The NRC continues to monitor the migration of tritium from the site Results thus far do not indicate a health and safety problem Licensee has not used this release path since late November, 2005 Exelon Actions to-date 9 Exelon recently provided a commitment letter to not release through this pathway until discussions occur with NRC and the Illinois Department of Environmental Protection

• Exelon continues to characterize the release, fully quantify the affective areas due to this migration* Five major areas are being explored by Exelon+ Area near vacuum breaker number 4. This vacuum breaker is located in the Forest preserve.

No drinking water wells exist in the preserve.

The monitoring well installed by Exelon recently recorded tritium between 25,000 -30,000 pci/L (greater than the EPA limit).Exelon continues to install additional monitoring wells for characterization

• Area near vacuum breaker number 7. Vacuum breaker 7 is approximately 2 miles from the Kanakee River. A recent monitoring well identified tritium at a concentration of 3,000 pci/L.

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Page;Vacuum breakers 2 and 3 (original issues in late November and early December).

The two vacuum breakers are near the owner controlled area and within 2,500 feet of this boundary.

Over 100 monitoring wells have been installed by Exelon in this area. Exelon has reached out to 28 residence to sample their well. Thus far 20 have responded in the affirmative.

One public drinking well had positive indication of tritium (1,500 pci/L).A number of monitoring wells have had concentrations as high as 200,000 pci/L+ Vacuum Breaker 1 and near the turbine building.

Vacuum breaker 1 is located on-site. Small concentrations of tritium have been identified (3,000 pci/L). Near the turbine building the licensee has identified trace amounts just greater than background.

• Exelon actions are to continue to perform historical reviews to characterize the root cause of this migration.

• External communications initiated by Exelon. Two meetings with local citizens, IEPA, and Will County Health have taken place to describe to local citizens the impact and actions going forward. On January 26, 2006, Exelon sent out approximately 2500-2600 letters to local residents informing them of the on-going reviews and conditions.

NRC Actions On-going inspections with the on-site resident supplemented with a regional inspector.

The inspections have focused on monitoring of Exelon's characterization of the tritium migration* Starting the week of February 13 two specialist inspectors will be on-site to review both the licensee's historical actions and our actions in the past Inspection report was issued on February 6 that describe the "facts as we know them" as of December 31, 2005. The inspection report left an open inspection item.Congressional Staff Questions 1. Senator Obama's staff asked about the following:

-Why is this continuing to be a problem for this site? -,-Why has the tritium concentrations "spiked" to 30,000 pci/L?-How long will this investigation take and what are the consequence

?After a brief response to the above questions, the staff member stated...

Expect to have questions from his senator during the oversight hearings (Early March, 2006)hv-, concerning Braidwood.(Note: Office of Congressional Affairs will make contact with the Senator's staff member "/to acquire clarification and extent of concerns) ell 2. Congressman Weller's staff question-How close is the monitoring well in the forest preserve to a residential location?NRC responded about 900 feet.Overall, the Congressman's staff was appreciative of the NRC's briefing.

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.-'age;BACKGROUND INFORMATION On February 8, 2006, the Region III staff attended a contentious and heated public meeting at the Village of Godley, Illinois to discuss tritium contamination in the groundwater.

The meeting was widely attended, including members of Illinois EPA, media, local/state/federal officials, and anti-nuclear activists.

On January 26, 2006, the licensee conducted a meeting with residents living near the facility to discuss the status of characterizing the tritium contamination, financial remedies, and re-mediation plans. Residents expressed concerns related to potential health effects, property values, and delay in identifying and communicating the leaks in 1998 and 2000.On January 25, 2006, the licensee's preliminary root cause investigation determined that there were 19 other blowdown line leaks since 1996, including a major leak in 1996. The licensee sampled a well in the Will County Forest Preserve and received an initial count of 24, 846 pCi/liter of tritium and the recount was at 24, 531 pCi/L. The report was provided to local Joliet newspaper and other sources.On January 25, 2006 UCS and others initiated a 2.206 petition concerning leaks at power plants and radioisotopes found within on-site monitoring wells.On January 23, 2006, Regional staff attended an Exelon briefing of the Illinois EPA regarding the Tritium contamination.

On January.J8, 2006, a conference call was held between Region Ill, STP, OGC and NRR. to discuss theL"On December 20, 2005 members of the Region III staff participated in a meeting between the Illinois EPA and the licensee.On December 16, 2005, the State of Illinois Environmental Protection Agency issued the licensee a Violation Notice for contaminating the groundwater.

On December 9, 2005, the licensee reported measurable levels of tritium in offsite ground water monitoring wells that were installed over the last two weeks. During subsequent monitoring tritium was identified above background at one residential location.

The licensee continues to monitor and to develop options for re-mediation, with Region III inspection oversight.

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~nduyiii~i-LAi~nrlamr-dz UALL OUMMINt-iY bt I Vvtt.N I'JIHLU 1 AtI-~ ANU 6 1 AFF MLzME3EHS.Wpd Pagez licensee continues to attribute the contamination to leaks from its circulating blow down line that occurred in 1998 and 2000. Along with circulating water, the licensee uses that line for liquid radioactive discharges from the plant. While the investigation is ongoing, the licensee has suspended all discharges through that line for approximately 18 days.