ML060970057

Email for Dale Ambler to Steven Orth Attendees at Pn Debrief

ML060970057
Person / Time
Site:	Braidwood
Issue date:	12/01/2005
From:	Ambler D Exelon Corp
To:	Steven Orth Division of Reactor Safety III
References
FOIA/PA-2006-0115, FOIA/PA-2010-0209 PNO-III-05-016
Download: ML060970057 (4)

Text

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debriet Paq1 From: <dale'ambler@ exeloncorp.com>

To: <skoXnrc.gov>

Date: Thu, Dec 1, 2005 3:58 PM

Subject:

Attendees at PN debrief Action Required:

Recommendation:

Steve - here are the attendees at the PN debrief you conducted:

Tom O'Neil, Vice President Licensing and Regulatory Services Craig Nesbit, Corporate Communications Director Jim Meister, Vice President Nuclear Services Al Haeger, Corporate Senior Programs Specialist Keith PoIson, Braidwood Station Site Vice President John Moser, Braidwood Station Radiation Protection Manager Dale Ambler, Braidwood Station Regulatory Assurance Manager The FAX number to send the PN to is as follows: 815-417-4718 This e-mail and any of its attachments may contain Exelon Corporation proprietary information, which is privileged, confidential, or subject to copyright belonging to the Exelon Corporation family of Companies.

This e-mail is intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to which it is addressed. If you are not the intended recipient of this e-mail, you are hereby notified that any dissemination, distribution, copying, or action taken in relation to the contents of and attachments to this e-mail is strictly prohibited and may be unlawful. If you have received this e-mail in error, please notify the sender immediately and permanently delete the original and any copy of this e-mail and any printout. Thank You.

1VSteven Orth - Braidwood PN 3 , ,, ___ Pag 1 From: James Lynch To: Chris Miller; Elizabeth Hayden; Peter Habighorst; Raeann Shane; Undine Shoop Date: Thu, Dec 1, 2005 4:40 PM

Subject:

Braidwood PN Attached is the PN issued today regarding the Braidwood (Illinois) potential off-site migration of tritium contamination.

Jim Lynch (630) 829-9661 CC: Anne Boland; Geoffrey Grant; James Caldwell; Janet Schlueter; Richard Skokowski; Roland Lickus; Rosetta Virgilio; Steven Orth; Steven Reynolds

jSteven Orth -PNO RAIP-05-016.wpd Page 1-December 1, 2005 PRELIMINARY NOTIFICATION OF EVENT OR UNUSUAL OCCURRENCE-- PNO-RiII-05-016 This preliminary notification constitutes EARLY notice of events of POSSIBLE safety or public interest significance. The information is as initially received without verification or evaluation, and is basically all that is known by the Region Ill staff on this date.

Facility Licensee Emergency Classification Braidwood 1 and 2 _ Notification of Unusual Event Exelon Generation Co. _ Alert Braceville, Illinois _ Site Area Emergency Docket: 50-456 and 50-457 _ General Emergency License: NPF-72; NPF-77 X Not Applicable

SUBJECT:

POTENTIAL OFF-SITE MIGRATION OF TRITIUM CONTAMINATION DESCRIPTION:

On November 30, 2005, the licensee informed the resident inspectors and Region III (Chicago) that elevated levels of tritium (the radioactive isotope of hydrogen) had been measured in groundwater on the Braidwood site and that the tritium may have moved in groundwater off the site.

The licensee believes that the tritium in the groundwater is a result of past leakage from a pipe which normally carries non-radiation circulating water discharge to the Kankakee River, about five miles from the site. Significant leakage occurred from the pipe in November 1998 and December 2000, flooding a portion of the plant site with an estimated 3 million gallons of water in each occurrence. A small leak of a few gallons also occurred in May 2005.

The discharge pipe is also used for planned liquid radioactive effluent releases with the effluent mixing with the non-radiation circulating water being discharged. (Braidwood, like most nuclear plants, releases small concentrations of radioactive liquids under controlled and monitored conditions and within limits imposed by the NRC.) Planned releases were made at the time the leakage occurred in 1998 and 2000 which accounts for the presence of tritium in the groundwater. There have been no planned releases from the plant which exceeded NRC discharge limits.

The licensee has measured tritium levels in shallow onsite monitoring wells as high as 58,000 picocuries per liter. This level of tritium, if released from the site, would be a small fraction of NRC limits for radioactive effluent releases to the environment.

In the vicinity of the onsite monitoring wells where elevated tritium levels have been measured, there are three homes and a larger parcel of vacant land with undeveloped lots. The licensee believes the movement of the groundwater is away from the homes and toward the vacant CONTACTS:

John House Steven Orth

Page I[Steven Orth - PNO R.-111-05-016.wpd ISteven Orth PNO R-lll-05-016.wDd

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Pacie221 630/829-9824 630/829-9827 PNO-RIII-05-016 property. The licensee has contacted the homeowners and collected well water samples to be analyzed by an independent laboratory. The licensee is also drilling monitoring wells on the vacant site. The initial sample results are expected to be available on December 2, 2005.

The licensee has notified local officials and the State of Illinois of the elevated tritium measurements. The licensee is also planning to issue a news release.

Region Ill has dispatched a radiation specialist to the site to assist the resident inspectors in their review of the circumstances surrounding the elevated measurements and the licensee's plans to address the elevated tritium levels.

Region Ill was notified of the elevated measurements on November 30, 2005. The information in this preliminary notification has been reviewed with licensee management and is current as of 3:30 p.m. on December 1, 2005.