Title
10 CFR 50.72(b)(3)(xiii) states, in part, a licensee shall report (notify the NRC as soon as practical, and in all cases within
8 hours9.259259e-5 days <br />0.00222 hours <br />1.322751e-5 weeks <br />3.044e-6 months <br /> of the occurrence) any event that results in a major loss of emergency assessment capability. Contrary to this requirement, on March 24, 2015, the licensee identified a failure to submit a report for the loss of emergency assessment capability when the site declared seismic monitoring instrumentation
inoperable. Specifically, on January 28, 2015, the Instrument Maintenance Department discovered the seismic monitoring program on the seismic laptop computer in the auxiliary electrical equipment room was not running; thereby, preventing the seismic monitoring instrumentation from providing indications required for emergency assessment of a potential seismic event. The system degradation would have adversely impacted the sites ability to declare an ALERT Emergency Action Level in accordance with EPAA1005, Radiological
Emergency Plan Annex for LaSalle Station, in the event of an
earthquake of sufficient magnitude. The licensee entered the issue into the
CAP as
AR 02473472, Need to Assess Seismic Monitor Reportability, and conducted an extent of condition review for the prior 3-year period. The licensee identified a total of six times in which the seismic monitoring system experienced this degradation, and the licensee failed to submit an event report at the time, as required by
10 CFR 50.72(b)(3)xiii). Upon completion of the extent of condition review, the licensee initiated
AR 02474658, Emergency Notification System Notification Required for Past Seismic Monitor Inoperative, and submitted the required notification to the NRC on March 26, 2015, to restore compliance (
Event Number 50926, Seismic Monitor Not Available for
Emergency Plan Assessment ). The inspectors determined that this issue had the potential to impact the regulatory process based, in part, on the generic communications input that
10 CFR 50.72 reports serve. Since the issue impacted the regulatory process, it was dispositioned through the Traditional Enforcement Process. The inspectors determined that this issue was a
Severity Level IV violation based upon Section 6.9, Inaccurate and Incomplete Information or Failure to Make a Required Report, Example d.9 in the
NRC Enforcement Policy. Example d.9 specifically states, The licensee fails to make a report requirement by
10 CFR 50.72, or
10 CFR 50.73. Because the issue was entered into the licensees
CAP (as
AR 02473472 and
AR 02474658), the violation is being treated as an
NCV consistent with Section 2.3.2 of the
NRC Enforcement Policy.
