ML20206B682

Responds to Re Constituent Concerns About Public Exposure to Releases of Radioactive Materials from TMI-1. Radioactive Release Requirements Embodied in License Conditions.Description of Monitoring Encl

ML20206B682
Person / Time
Site:	Three Mile Island
Issue date:	04/06/1987
From:	Stello V NRC OFFICE OF THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR FOR OPERATIONS (EDO)
To:	Specter A SENATE
Shared Package
ML20206B687	List: ML20206B682 ML20206B691
References
NUDOCS 8704100011
Download: ML20206B682 (21)

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5 0 6 MT The Honorable Arlen Specter ,

,I' United States Senate Washington, D.C. 20510 ,

Dear Senator Specter:

This letter is in response to your letter of March 5,1987 regarding concerns of one of your constituents, John Buffington, about the operation of Three Mile Island Unit 1 (TMI-1). In particular, Mr. Buffington expressed concern 7 bout public exposure toTeleases of radioactive materials from the plant. p With regard to public exposure to releases of radioactive materials from '

commercial nuclear reactor power plants, all plants, including TMI-1, are required by Nuclear Regulatory Comission (NRC) regulations to keep releases of radioactive materials to the offsite environment "as low as is reasonably achievable." The NPC requirements to maintain plant radioactive material releases "as low as is reasonably achievable" are embodied as operating limits 4

end conditions of the license issued to General Public Utilities Nuclear Corporation (GPUN, the TMI-1 licensee) which authorizes operation of TMI-1.

The purpose of these operating license limits and conditions on radioactive material releases is to protect the health and safety of the public. The operating license limits and conditions on radioactive plant effluents are established such that any resultant public exposure to radioactive materials would result in doses which are no more than a small fraction of the exposure the public receives from normal background radiation (approximately 100 mrem / year in the Harrisburg area). These operating limits and conditions on radioactive plant effluents effectively implement the philosophy that an operating nuclear power plant should have a negligible impact on the surrounding environment and is operated such that the health and safety of the public is adequately protected.

With regard to the releases of radioactive effluents from TMI-1, the reactor plant was restarted for resumption of commercial operation in October 1985 and all releases to date of radioactive materials in liquid and gaseous effluents to the offsite environment have been well within the limits and conditions i imposed on such releases by the operating license..

1 In addition to the continuous in-plant monitoring of all points of release of radioactive material effluents to ensure compliance with the license limits and conditions on such effluents, all nuclear power reactor plants must have )

established radiological environmental monitorino programs to, monitor and record radiation levels in the offsite environs. For your information, a description of the r?diological environrental monitoring for Three Mile Island A

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s The Honorable Arlen Specter is enclosed. Note that the GPUN system includes 16 real-time gamma radiation monitoring stations, four of which are accessible to the public.

I trust this information is responsive to your constituent's concerns. As you requested, we are also returnino the correspondence from P'r. Buffinaton.

Sincerely, thwied) T. A,ikka ictor Stello, Jr.

1 Executive Director for Operations

Enclosures:

1. GPU Nuclear News Release dated June 6, 1985

2. Letter to Senator Specter from John Buffington dated December 1, 1986 d

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The Honorabl'e Arlen Specter record radiation levels in the offsite environs. For your information, a description of the radiological environmental monitoring for Three Mile Island is enclosed. Note that the GPUN system includes lff real-time gamma radiation monitoring stations, four of which are accessible' to the public.

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I trust this information is responsive to your constituent's concerns. As you requested, we are also returning the correspondence from Mr. Buffington.

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Sincerely, p

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,YictorStello,Jr.

' Executive Director

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7. Becker Farm, Becker Rd. 16. Crawford Station, lliddletown

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Pbnitoring - 3 441 at Falmouth, and a site south of Goldsboro at the southwest intersection of Fishing Creek and Route 262. The Comonwealth of Pennsylvania and certain local government agencies have tied into this system and receive the data from all the stations at the same time GPU Nuclear does.

GPU Nuclear anticipates very few, if any, gama dose rates significantly greater than background during the startup and subsequent full power operation of Three Mile Island Unit 1. This is based on data that was obtained in the envimnment during operations prior ,to 1979 During the TMI-l power ascension program and subsequent full power operation, GPU Nuclear's radiological environmental monitoring program will be utilized to ensure that the company's procedures for controlling releases of radioactivity are effective in protecting the envimnment and public healtn and safety. GPU Nuclear reports its monitoring results to the Nuclear Regulatory Comission.

In addition, each Thursday in The Patriot-News, Harrisburg, GPU Nuclear publishes the averaged ranges of readings from its offsite mal-time gama monitoring stations for each day in the preceeding week.

In addition to GPU Nuclear's monitoring program, monitaring is also conducted by the following agencies, with the results available to the public:

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Three Mile Island Field Office 100 Brown St.

Middletown, PA 17057 U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Comission The State Library of Pennsylvania The Forum Building Commonwealth Avenue and Walnut St.

P.O. Box 1601 Harrisburg, PA 17105 Pennsylvania Bureau of Radiation Protection Department of Envimnmental Resources Box 2063 Harrisburg, PA 17120

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Alwine Farm, Gingrich Rd. 12. Goldsboro Air Station, Goldsboro

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! g NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION l! WASHINGTON, D. C. 20555 y" }9te IU r

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EDO PRINCIPAL CORRESPONDENCE CONTROL DUE: 04/06/87 EDO CONTROL: 002653 FROM:

DOC DT: 03/05/87 SEN. ARLEN SPECTER FINAL REPLY:

TO:

OCA FOR SIGNATURE OF: ** OREEN ** SECY NO: 87-279 EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR DESC: ROUTING: -

MURLEY, ENCLOSES LETTER FROM JOHN BUFFINGTON RE TMI DATE: 03/20/87 ASSIGNED TO: NRR CONTACT: DENTON

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SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS OR REMARKS:

$ RETURN INCOMING WITH REPLY.

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II NRR RECEIVED: 3 23 87 if ACTION: . / ~~

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OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY CORRESPONDENCE CONTROL TICKET s

IDGGING DATE: Mar 19 87 PAPER NUMBER: CRC-87-0279 ACTION OFFICE: EDO AUTHOR: A. Specter--Const Ref AFFILIATION: U.S. SENATE LETTER DATE: Mar 5 87 FILE CODE: ID&R-5 TMI

SUBJECT:

TMI fuels ACTION: Direct Reply DISTRIBUTION: OCA to Ack SPECIAL HANDLING: None NOTES: John Buffington DATE DUE: Apr 2 87 DATE SIGNED:

SIGNATURE: .

AFFILIATION:

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Rec'd Dii. :30 Date 3' N - E 7 Time / M Y6',P EDO 002653

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