ML18324A836

Memo Dtd 11/14/2018 Re NRC Observational Site Visit at the Canonsburg, Pennsylvania Disposal Site

ML18324A836
Person / Time
Site:	WM-00042
Issue date:	11/14/2018
From:	Briana Deboer Division of Nuclear Materials Safety I
To:	Racquel Powell Division of Nuclear Materials Safety I
References
WM-000042/2018002
Download: ML18324A836 (8)

Text

UNITED STATES NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION REGION I 2100 RENAISSANCE BLVD.

KING OF PRUSSIA, PA 19406-2713 November 14, 2018 MEMORANDUM TO: Docket File WM-000042 THRU: Raymond J. Powell, Chief ~ ~

Decommissioning ISFSI, and Reactor HP Branch Division of Nuclear Materials Safety FROM: Briana G. DeBoer, Health Physicist ~~

Decommissioning ISFSI, and Reactor~ Branch Division of Nuclear Materials Safety

SUBJECT:

NRC OBSERVATIONAL SITE VISIT AT THE CANONSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, DISPOSAL SITE On October 11, 2018, a Region I U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) inspector conducted an observational site visit at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, Disposal Site in Washington County, Pennsylvania. This site visit was conducted in accordance with NRC guidance dated September 7, 2012. The purpose of the site visit was to observe DOE's routine annual inspection of the facility. The enclosure of this memorandum is the NRC's trip report for this observational site visit.

In summary, DOE representatives conducted the annual inspection in accordance with the guidance provided in the Long-Term Surveillance Plan dated March 2013. No significant regulatory issues or safety concerns were identified during the site visit.

Docket: WM-000042

Enclosure:

NRC Trip Report cc w/encl: Cliff Carpenter, Federal Project Director United States Department of Energy Office of Legacy Management 99 Research Park Road Morgantown, West Virginia 26505 CONTACT: Briana DeBoer, RI/DNMS 610-337-5370

f\1emo to Docket File WM-000042 2 cc w/encl (cont'd):

Ken Broberg, Project Manager Navarro Contractor to the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Legacy Management 10995 Hamilton-Cleaves Highway Harrison, Ohio 45030 David Allard, Director Bureau of Radiation Protection Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection Rachel Carson State Office Building PO Box 8469 Harrisburg, Pennsylvania 17105-8469 Dwight Shearer, RP Program Manager Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection SW Radiation Protection Division Southwest Regional Office 400 Waterfront Drive Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15222-4745

~emo to Docket File WM-000042 3 NRC OBSERVATIONAL SITE VISIT AT THE CANONSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, DISPOSAL SITE DATED November 14, 2018 DISTRIBUTION:

VKurian, DUWP, NMSS DOrlando, DUWP, NMSS JTrapp, DNMS JNick, DNMS RPowell, DNMS MRoberts, DNMS BDeBoer, DNMS REvans, DNMS, Region IV DOCUMENT NAME: G:\DIRHP\UMTRCA DOE site observations\Canonsburg Disposal Site Visit 2018.docx SUNSI Review Complete: BDeBoer After declaring this document "An Official Agency Record" it will be released to the Public.

To receive a co of this document, indicate in the box: "C" =Co w/o attach/encl "E" =Co w/ attach/encl "N" =No co OFFICE DNMS/RI N DNMS/RI N NAME BDeBoer DATE

U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION REGION I Docket No.: WM-000042 Report No.: WM-000042/18-002 Licensee: U.S. Department of Energy Facility: Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, Disposal Site Location: Canonsburg, Pennsylvania Date: October 11, 2018 Inspector: Briana DeBoer, Health Physicist Decommissioning ISFSI, and Reactor HP Branch Division of Nuclear Materials Safety Region I Approved by: Raymond Powell, Chief Decommissioning ISFSI, and Reactor HP Branch Division of Nuclear Materials Safety Region I

Attachment:

Photographs Taken at the Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, Disposal Site Enclosure

NRC TRIP REPORT

1. Background

The licensing, custody, and long-term care requirements of residual radioactive material disposal sites closed under Title I of the Uranium Mill Tailings Radiation Control Act (UMTRCA) of 1978, as amended, can be found in 10 CFR 40.27. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is the general licensee for these sites and conducts the program for the long-term surveillance and maintenance program for each inactive uranium ore processing site under a Long-Term Surveillance Plan (LTSP) that has been accepted by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). The LTSP provides instructions for institutional control of the site. These controls include deed restrictions, site markers, survey monuments, boundary markers, gates, fences, signs, and environmental sampling and analysis. The physical features of the site are inspected once per year by DOE staff. The "Long-Term Surveillance Plan for the U.S. Department of Energy Canonsburg Uranium Mill Tailings Disposal Site Canonsburg, Pennsylvania," March 2013, provides the guidance for DOE in fulfilling the general license requirements.

The Canonsburg, Pennsylvania Disposal Site is a former uranium ore processing facility located in the Borough of Canonsburg, Washington County, Pennsylvania. The site lies between Chartiers Creek to the west, north, and east and the Pittsburgh and Ohio Central Railroad tracks to the south. The surrounding land is primarily residential and is moderately populated. The former mill processed uranium and other ores at various times between 1911 and 1957 to extract radium and uranium. The historical operations at the site generated radioactive mill tailings that contaminated the site and some surrounding vicinity properties. Some of the tailings were shipped approximately 50 miles away to Burrell, Pennsylvania for use as railroad fill. This material was consolidated and stabilized in place in a disposal cell at the Burrell site. Processing operations at the Canonsburg site ceased in 1957 and for the next nine years the site was used for storage under a U.S. Atomic Energy Commission contract. The site was subsequently sold and used for light industrial purposes.

Remediation at the site consisted of consolidating contaminated materials from the Canonsburg site and local contaminated vicinity properties into an onsite engineered disposal cell. The cell contains approximately 226,000 tons of contaminated material with a total activity of 100 curies of radium-226 (Ra-226). The cell occupies approximately 6 acres of the 37-acre site. The disposal cell was closed in 1985. A three-acre parcel outside the restricted area, Area C, was sold to a private party. The transferred property carries restrictions limiting excavation, disturbance of the creek bank, prohibits residential use, and allows access for monitoring.

The cell is lined with compacted clay to prevent groundwater contamination. The tailings were placed on the clay liner and covered with a multi-layer system designed to isolate the contaminated materials. The cover includes a low-permeability layer of compacted clay, a protective rock layer, and vegetated topsoil. The clay layer is designed to prevent the escape of radon-222 gas (from the decay of the Ra-226), and in conjunction with the other materials, provides for rapid runoff and minimizes infiltration of precipitation. The cell is graded to promote drainage away from the disposal cell and has been vegetated to further prevent erosion. A chain link fence with warning signs surrounds the property to prevent unauthorized access. Locked gates allow for vehicle and pedestrian access. Site markers placed near the entrance of the site and on top of 2

the cell identify the site and show the date of closure and contents of the cell. Erosion control markers have been placed between the fence perimeter and the creek.

Contractors perform routine, periodic landscaping maintenance activities (primarily mowing) during the year.

2. Site Status The DOE conducted the last annual inspection of the Canonsburg, Pennsylvania Disposal Site in October 2017. The inspection concluded that with the exception of a few minor maintenance items, the disposal cell and all associated drainage diversion structures were in excellent condition and functioning as designed. The 2016 annual inspection identified stream bank erosion. Repairs to the riprap armoring of the stream bank were made in September 2017. A follow-up inspection completed by engineering staff in spring 2018 concluded a repair to the stream bank is needed. A preliminary design to repair the stream bank was created and will be implemented in summer 2019.

The DOE monitors groundwater quality in samples from five monitoring wells and one surface water sample in Chartiers Creek. Past monitoring results have indicated uranium contamination in some groundwater samples, but results have been less than the site specific alternate concentration limit, and no milling-related constituents have been detected in samples of creek water. Based on the assessment of historical data from groundwater and surface water monitoring, the frequency of collection of samples has been reduced from annual to once every five years. The last groundwater sampling event occurred in October 2018, but analytical results are not yet available.

3. Site Observations and Findings DOE and its contractors prepared an inspection checklist to identify items to review during the inspection. The checklist included requirements for the inspectors to observe the disposal cell, site perimeter, outlying areas, vegetation, and various site-specific features. The inspection staff included the DOE site manager and two contractors.

Inspection observers included two NRC representatives.

The DOE inspectors checked the disposal cell for evidence of erosion, settlement, slumping, displacement, and any other feature that would require maintenance or repair.

The rock surfaces armoring the diversion ditch and the banks of the creek were found to be in good condition, with minor exceptions. The repairs to the riprap armoring of the stream bank made in 2017 appeared to be in good condition and the strategy to allow a buffer strip of high, dense grass along the stream bank appeared to be effective.

At the time of the observational site visit, the property was enclosed by a chain link fence and locked gates. Other institutional controls in place at the site included site markers, perimeter warning signs, and erosion control markers. These institutional controls were found to be in place and in good condition, with minor exceptions. No evidence of human intrusion was identified within the restricted area. No deep-rooted vegetation was identified on the top or side slopes of the cell that would impact cell performance.

With respect to Area C, the DOE inspectors noted no activities that were contrary to the restrictions on the parcel.

The NRC inspector measured the ambient gamma exposure rate at several locations using a Ludlum Model 19 micro R meter (NRC No. 82698, calibrated 01/16/18, calibration 3

due date, 01/16/19). The background exposure rates ranged from 10 -11 microRoentgens per hour (µR/hr). The exposure rate at the base of the disposal cell, at various points on the cell, along the site perimeter fence, and in Area C of the site ranged from 10 - 14 µR/hr and thus were not significantly different than background.

4. Conclusions The NRC inspector concluded that the DOE inspectors conducted the site inspection in accordance with the requirements specified in the LTSP dated March 2013. The disposal cell appeared to be structurally intact, and the cover was in good condition. No threats to the integrity of the disposal cell were identified. Minor maintenance needs were noted by the DOE representatives for future disposition.

5. Meeting Summary The NRC inspector participated in a planning meeting with the DOE site manager and site contractors prior to commencing the site inspection. During this meeting, the participants discussed the site status, the inspection plan, potential hazards, and personal protective equipment. At the conclusion of the inspection, the DOE site manager and site contractors noted the site status and recorded minor maintenance needs.

6. Persons Contacted K. Broberg, Site Lead, Navarro C. Carpenter, Site Manager, DOE H. Swiger, Senior Environmental Scientist, Navarro 4

Fig. 1: Canonsburg site -Riprap stabilization between site boundary fence and Chartiers Creek (looking northwest).

Attachment