ML19320A641

Requests That NRC Demand Util Hold Public Hearing Re Possibility of Util Dumping More Wastes Into CT River

ML19320A641
Person / Time
Site:	Vermont Yankee
Issue date:	04/10/1980
From:	Cox S AFFILIATION NOT ASSIGNED
To:	NRC OFFICE OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS (OPA)
Shared Package
ML19320A638	List: ML19320A641
References
NUDOCS 8007020455
Download: ML19320A641 (3)

Text

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• Sara Cox l

, Griffin Rd.

Ijeerfield, NH 03037 April 10, 1980 l a l United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission Office of Public affairs ,

.Vashington, D.C. 20555 I am writting because I was just infor=ed that Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Plant would like to beable to dump other ttings into the Connecticut River besides their regular amount of " low level radiated water". I was told that if the public didn't react with a demand for a public hearing that they (Vermont Yankee) would begin this dumping. Their are many many people that live down stream from Vermont Yankee that draw their drinking water from the Connecticut River. For Vermont Yankee to begin dumping more into the River would place these pe~oples lives in more danger. als'o, this River water is used widely for.irragation for farmer's crops which would not only pose a threat to their lives but to all of us who in return buy their fruits and vegetables. '

Please demand that Vermont Yankee' hold a public hearing so that the public may express their opinions. These hearings should be well announced to the citizens of, Vermont, New Hampshire, Eassachusetts and Connecticut so that they may be well enformed of what is being dumped into their water. These people haye the right to know what i they are drinking.

i Also, how come the state of New Hampshire, which poses primary ,

responsibility for regulating discharges into the river, has been throwing away the daily notices of Vermont Yankees discharges. (A pact was made between the two states long ago that has New Hampshire owning the entire Connecticut River along its border to its natural high-water mark on the Vemont side) . Terrence Frost, New Hampshire's Water Supply and Pollution Control Commission's chief aquatic biologist and director of Permits and Enforcement is quoted by the New Hampshire Times 10/3/79 as saying "They (Ver=ont Yankee) send us daily notices of their discharges. We used to file them; new we throw them away.

We haven't taken any action on th( matter because we regard the dis-charges as innocuous." How can radiation be innocuous?, when the dose 8007010 L g3

i ioved by a human being keeps on getting lowered. We seem to j/ quickly for6et that no matter how little it may seem that it continually accu =ulates in our systems, in the environment, until one day it will What then?!

be one massive amount that we cannot deal with.

It is also written in the New Hampshire Times article that "The actual amount of cumulative radiation released by the Vermont plant into New Hampshires's river is unknown by anyone in New Hampshire -

even the New Hampshire officials in charge."

These This to me is extremely lazy. How can this be alloved.

notices are being sent to New Hampshires officials for an important New hampshire should

' reason, they shouldn't be disgarded so readily.

be made to file these notices away and to do some sort of monitoring system of the Connecticut River to determine what is being put into the drinking water of those living down stream. They were given a responsibility to carry out the protection of peoples health and safety and instead they are evading their responsibility by pretending

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their is no problem before'they even attempt to look..

There is one other subject that I would like to bring up and that is about Vermont Yankee's torus, which' is part of the emergency core cooling system.

The torus is not' properly tied down, and if there were to be an eccident it could lif t. 5 " under the impact of a steam release, and then could not cirdulate, and therefore the emergency core cooling system would fail to operate. A meltdown could then possibly occur.

They did son temporary repa'ir work, but it still is not fixed. You folks (NRC) have given Vermont Yankee a safety waiver, which_means that,the power plant does not have to meet your own safety regulations.

Please explain this. When Vermont Yankes'did this temporary repair Dale work on the torus in 1978 ther2 were some cracks caused in it.

Brindenbnugh, a cheif engineer for General Electric - who built Vermont Yankee - quit his job over his doubts that Vermont Yankee could not survive a loss of coolant accident, which would lead to a core melt-down.

I would very much appreciate an explanation /information on all my inquiries; and to please make sure that Vermont Yankee holds a public hearing in regards to more extensive du= ~

ping into the Connecticut River.

Thanks so much for listening Sincerely, c/c OM N 3 ara Cox l

- yo. s vv4 5

c/c Govenor Hugh Gallen Stacey Weaver Vt Yankee spokes person Brendon Wittaker Vt's Secretary of Environmentn1 Conservation Terrence Frost Water Supply and Pollution Control Commissinn Richard Playdon Environmental Protec1:1cn A6 ency Roberta Fevear, Rep. Hampton Falls Senator Durkin .

Senator Humphrey Congressman D' Amours Congressman Cleveland NH Dept. of A6riculture e

e no me +e.