ML13284A075

Columbia Generating Station, Energy Northwest'S Request for NRC Assistance to Obtain Information from the Us Army Corps of Engineers (Usace) Related to Dam Failure Analysis

ML13284A075
Person / Time
Site:	Columbia
Issue date:	10/04/2013
From:	Swank D A Energy Northwest
To:	Document Control Desk, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation
References
G02-13-141
Download: ML13284A075 (2)

Text

ENERGY NORTHWEST October 4, 2013 G02-13-141 David A. Swank Columbia Generating Station P.O. Box 968, PE04 Richland, WA 99352-0968 Ph. 509-377-2309 1 F. 509-377-2354 daswank @ energy-northwest.com 10 CFR 50.54(f)U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission ATTN: Document Control Desk 11555 Rockville Pike Rockville, MD 20852

Subject:

COLUMBIA GENERATING STATION, DOCKET NO. 50-397 ENERGY NORTHWEST'S REQUEST FOR NRC ASSISTANCE TO OBTAIN INFORMATION FROM THE US ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS (USACE) RELATED TO DAM FAILURE ANALYSIS

References:

1. Letter dated March 12, 2012, from EJ Leeds (NRC) to All Power Reactor Licensees and Holders of Construction Permits in Active or Deferred Status,"Request for Information Pursuant to Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations 50.54(f) Regarding Recommendations 2.1, 2.3 and 9.3 of the Near-Term Task Force Review of Insights from the Fukushima Dai-ichi Accident" 2. NRC Interim Staff Guidance JLD-ISG-2013-01, "Guidance for Assessment of Flooding Hazards Due to Dam Failure," Revision 0, July 29, 2013

Dear Sir or Madam:

In Reference 1, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) issued the request for information associated with Near-Term Task Force (NTTF) Recommendation 2.1 for Flooding.

In Reference 2, the NRC staff issued guidance for assessing flooding hazards due to dam failure. Section 1.3 of this document provides the framework for estimating dam failure flood hazards, which consists of screening and detailed analyses.Columbia Generating Station (Columbia) is located on the Hanford Site within Benton County, Washington, approximately 3 miles west of the Columbia River at river mile (RM) 352, 10 miles north of Richland and 45 miles downstream from Grant County PUD Priest Rapids Dam. The site coordinates are approximately 460 28' North Latitude and 119' 20' West Longitude.

The Columbia River is the predominant hydrologic feature of the area and provides principal drainage for the surrounding area. The Columbia River drains an area of approximately 258,000 square miles, lying to the west of the Continental Divide in the northwestern part of the U.S. (85%) and southwestern part of Canada (15%). Major tributaries are the Kootenay, Snake, Pend Oreille, Spokane, Okanogan, Yakima, and Willamette Rivers. bo(

ENERGY NORTHWEST'S REQUEST FOR NRC ASSISTANCE TO OBTAIN INFORMATION FROM THE US ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS (USACE) RELATED TO DAM FAILURE ANALYSIS Page 2 of 2 Section 2.4 of the Columbia Final Safety Analysis Report (FSAR) documents the current flooding hazard licensing basis. The Columbia River is regulated by dams and reservoirs.

There are seven dams upstream and four dams downstream of the site on the main stream of the Columbia River within the U.S. These dams are listed in FSAR Table 2.4-1. In order to support initial licensing activities, analyses of floods resulting from potential dam failures were investigated by the USACE for the Columbia River.The NRC Staff Position in Section 1.5.3 of Reference 2 states: "In the case of dams and levees owned or operated by U.S. Federal agencies, the Federal agency responsible for (owner or operator of) the dam should be involved in any discussions, including possibly reviewing any analysis performed.

.... It is critical for the owner or operator of the dam to assist the NRC or its licensees when modifying the assumptions or methods used to develop the inundation maps for a specific area. If a Federally owned dam is identified as critical to the flooding reanalysis, the licensee should contact the NRC promptly.

The NRC will act as the interface between these agencies and licensees." Energy Northwest requests that the NRC interface with the USACE in order to support Energy Northwest's flooding hazard re-evaluation, which is required by Reference 1.Specifically, Energy Northwest requests the USACE perform a dam failure analysis for the Columbia River watershed, including both the screening and detailed analyses, in accordance with Reference 2.There are no new regulatory commitments as a result of this letter. If you have any questions or require additional information, please contact Ms. L. L. Williams at (509) 377-8148.I declare under penalty of perjury that the foregoing is true and correct. Executed on the date of this letter.Respectfully, D. A. Swank Assistant Vice President, Engineering cc: NRC Region IV Administrator NRC NRR Project Manager NRC Senior Resident Inspector/988C AJ Rapacz -BPA/1 399