ML20003H508

Expresses Concern Re Highly Permeable Strata Extending in Trenches Near Burial Site.Requests Drilling Be Conducted to Determine Site Geology.Sections of 1977 Annual Rept Describing Pu Migration Encl

ML20003H508
Person / Time
Site:	West Valley Demonstration Project
Issue date:	02/27/1981
From:	Myra Hamilton NUCLEAR FUEL SERVICES, INC.
To:	Haughney C NRC OFFICE OF NUCLEAR MATERIAL SAFETY & SAFEGUARDS (NMSS)
References
18734, NUDOCS 8105060212
Download: ML20003H508 (4)

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3164 Main Street Buff alo, New York 14214 (716) 832 3100

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February 27

, , ,N Charles Haughney .S '

0E 0 L Divisien of Fuel Cycle and fiaterialD t  %, f'Oas WI'k/ ,,) ,

Safe ty b d.y[EMO jgg b C00.b X NRC '

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Washington, D.C. 2Como -

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Dear I;r. Haughney,

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It has recently ccme to our attentien that there is a largey CO M 24 U sand lense at the state-licensed burial ground at West Valley. Th6de, a '

is 100' by 200' and extends in a nortnwest direction from trenches TSand 4 f, . .

14 (see enclosed map in Waste Pacer article en page two). As you know, ebr years, the of ficial wisdom has ' ueen that the area surruunding the burial ground was of a clay-like, impermeable till so the unveiling of -

this highly permeable strata is very disturbing.

The reason I am writing you, hcwever, is to express my concern regarding whether this sandy strata ext ends sufficiently far north so as to intersect with the NRC-licensed burial ground. Do you have any data that indicates that this strata dcas not reach the NRC-lice ~nsed burial ground and if so, what is that data? i.e. drillings or what.

If you do not have such data, . I would like to formally request you to initiate drilling work in the NRC-burial area to determine the geology .

In addition, I wanted to express my concern regarding a letter you sent to Mr. A.i.. Gore on September 17, 1980 in which you claimed in the third paragraph that "other isotopes, including plutonium, have not been determined to have leaked from the comercial burial ground". I would like to call to your attention' the DEC annual report of 1977 which explicitly states that there is plutonium at the Springville Dam which has migrated from the burial ground. See attached copy of the relevant pages from that report. Please correct the erroneous informatic a' have conveyed to Mr. Gore. g,. 3

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1 hank you for your a,ttentien to these matters. /U g

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-s1 rector Sierra Club Radioactive Waste Campaign

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P.S. Has the Rockwell drilling work in the vicinity of tl e. l [

tanks been initiated yet? if not, why not? if so, what isW,,h,ighyhpr%M2[h expectedgjhe h 4 kk of completion? -

O tw sierra club radicactive waste campaion ~ 'IS76.c. ~

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The hot and cold ditch, site 73, which receives condenser cooling water and surface runoff from the main plant site continued to show only trace amounts of radioactivity.

SFS - RtDI0 ACTIVITY IN FISH (Table 15) .

Rsdioactivity levels in fish taken from Buttermilk and Cattaraugus Creeks below the NFS discharge were generally lower in 197/ compared to L976. The strontium-90 levels indicate that there is not a continuing lon3-term buildup of strontium-90 in fish. The concentra-tions of strontium-90 and cesium-137 in fish reficcc the low concentra-  ;

tions of these isotopes in the discharges f rom the plant site.  :

':?9 - RADIOACTIVITY IN DEER (Table 16) -

Three deer were taken outside the exclusion fence around the main plant l and burial site but within the 3,300 acre site. The amounts of i

strontium-90, cesium-137, cesium-134 and tritium in the flesh of the l daar are low to non-detectable. The plutonium-233 found in the lungs Such i of one of the deer is low and close to the limit of detection.  !

levels have been reported in.past years and they =ay be indicative f of scme plant influence. Small amounts of iodine-129 attributed to j plant operations were found in thyroids of the deer. l NFS - RADI0 ACTIVITY IN FARM PRODUCE (Table 17) _ I Radioactivity from man-made radionuclides was not detected in samples l, of beans and strawberries grown in the vicinity of the NFS site.

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c N?S - RADIOACTIVITY IN MUD (Table 18)

Water behind the Springville Dam was drained in 1977 ' thus allowing i sampling of sediments containing radioactivity from past operations  ;

at NFS, Samples were taken from sediment layers containing highest -

icvels of activity as determined by a portable scinct11ation meter. ('

The results are generauy comparable to these obtained from an analysis Some decrease in activity occurred of sediment samples taken in 197,5. This is particularly noticeable in i due to the two-year decay period.

the case of Ru-106. ~

The-plutonium analyses indicates material released from the plant facilities. The ratio of (

buria prior to the use of waste-waster treatmentindicates that some Pu-238 came from"the Pu-238 to Pu-239,240 .  ;

area as a resul: of penping water from open trenches,_

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197 7 - ?:r9 '

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Tahle 1 11 Itud-pCl/n Sb-125 K-40 Ca-137 Co-60 Ru-106 Zr-95 Cs-134 1:b-95

• l'rie Coiinty -

Concord 300' Above Springville 2.1010.61 Dam; 3" Above 19.0012.85 106.0013.18 0.4510.11 7.9011.66 6.0011.98 4.3010.22 2.1011.00 Waterline*

300' Above

. Springville -

0* Dam; Top 21.0012.94 2.7310.14 0.1510.07 -

6.0011.98 0.2660.08 1.4010.70 14aye r*

250' Above Springville 2.2040.40 21.00 t2.94 - 65. 00 +1.95 Dam; 2" Above 0.2940.07 4.7047. 32 6.00t2.10 2.6060.13 2.00+1.00 Waterifne*

100' 11elow Springville -

16.00t-3.04 Damk 4.3040.17 0.1010.05 -

0.2340.07 -

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"X3 Scollected 8/31/77, g

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1977 - NFS

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Table 18 (cont.)

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}fud-pCi/n Ra-226 U-238 Pu-239, 240 Pu-238 Th-232 Gross Beta Cross Alpha Erie county Concord -

300' Above N Springville 1.1010.20 <1.30 0.0510.01 13. 50 t 0'.'41 2 . 00+ 0. 20 114.00+12.54 12.00&11.28 Dam; 3" Above ~ ~ '

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Waterline*

300' Above 4 Springville 1.20+0.16 2.3040.99 - -

1.57+0.13 21.0016.09 13.00+11.18 y Dam; Top .

1.aye r *

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250' Above j Springville 1.1210.18 2.1011.20 0.0310.01 3.4210.10 $ 1.6110.18 97.00111.64 28.00115.40 Dam; 2" Above ,,,_ __. -

Waterline*

100' Below Springville 0.7010.13 2.2010.90 - -

0.9140.12 17.00&5.95 < 7.00 Dam

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• Collected 8/31/77 (f .

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