[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 167 (Monday, August 28, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 52141-52143]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-21886]
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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[Docket No. 030-34751]
VA Medical Center in Brooklyn, NY: License Amendment
AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
ACTION: Notice Of Intent to Amend Byproduct Materials License for the
St. Albans Extended Care Facility in Queens, NY: Environmental
Assessment, Finding of No Significant Impact, and Opportunity for
Hearing.
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SUMMARY: The St. Albans Extended Care Center (ECC), operated by the
Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Center in Brooklyn, was
formerly a U.S. Navy hospital. The Navy was authorized by the U.S.
Atomic Energy Commission under various licenses from 1956 through 1973
to use radioactive materials for nuclear medicine purposes at the site.
The Navy's license was terminated in 1973 based on previous
contamination survey records. In the early 1990s the Nuclear Regulatory
Commission (NRC) conducted a review of terminated licenses, in which
the NRC's contractor, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, identified St.
Albans as a formerly licensed site which should be reviewed to
determine if residual contamination remained after the license was
terminated. As a result of this review, strontium-90 (90Sr) and tritium
(3H) contamination was identified in the former nuclear medicine
facilities at St. Albans. In 1993 the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (the
Corps) stabilized the site, isolating the sewer lines and sealing the
affected rooms. The Navy and the Corps conducted subsequent
characterization surveys of the facilities, and in 1998 NRC issued a
license to the VA for decommissioning of the facility. In 1999 the
Corps submitted for the VA a decommissioning plan for the St. Albans
facility proposing derived concentration guideline levels (DCGLs) for
residual contamination values acceptable to release the facilities for
unrestricted use and termination of the NRC license. The final
decommissioning plan was submitted on July 7, 2000. NRC plans to amend
the St. Albans license to incorporate acceptable DCGLs. Upon approval
of this license amendment, residual contamination limits which satisfy
the requirements of Subpart E, Title 10, Part 20 of the Code of Federal
Regulations, will be applied to the license.
Introduction
The St. Albans ECC incorporates 15 buildings on 55 acres located at
179th Street and Linden Boulevard in Queens, NY. The affected area of
the St. Albans ECC consists of the former nuclear medicine laboratory
and associated rooms in the basement of one building, identified as
Building 90. A Decommissioning Plan was developed for the VA Medical
Center in Brooklyn by the Corps. The Corps is responsible for
performing the decommissioning under the Formerly Utilized Defense
Sites (FUDS) program.
In August 1998, the NRC issued a license to the VA for
decontamination and decommissioning of the St. Albans facility. During
1999 the Corps conducted a characterization survey of the affected
areas and developed a decommissioning plan. The survey confirmed the
presence of 90Sr contamination and traces of 3H contamination in
portions of the facility, and was used as the basis for development of
the Decommissioning Plan. In December 1999 the Corps proposed DCGLs to
be used as radiological cleanup criteria for decommissioning and NRC
termination of the license. Revised DCGLs for 90Sr contamination in
soil were proposed by the Corps in June 2000.
The licensee's objective for the decommissioning project, as stated
in the decommissioning plan, is to decontaminate and remediate the
affected areas of Building 90 sufficiently to enable unrestricted use,
while ensuring exposures to occupational workers and the public during
the decommissioning are maintained as low as reasonably achievable
(ALARA).
Proposed Action
The proposed action is to amend NRC Radioactive Materials License
Number 31-02892-06 to incorporate appropriate and acceptable DCGLs into
the license. The DCGLs will define the maximum amount of residual
contamination, such as on building surfaces and in affected soil, that
will satisfy the NRC requirements of Subpart E, 10CFR20, Radiological
Criteria for License Termination. The DCGLs proposed to be incorporated
into the license are as follows:
[[Page 52142]]
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Release of
equipment &
materials Building surfaces Soils
(surfaces)
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Value 200/1000 /3000 90Sr: 8700 dpm/ 90Sr: 11 pCi/g
dpm/100 100 cm2 3H: 1.2 3H:
cm2removable/ E8 dpm/100 cm2. Not Applicable
total/max. (see note)
Reference 1993, NRC 63FR222 pp. 64132- R.F.Weston/Corps
Guidelines for 64134 ( Nov 18, of Engineers
Decon of 1998). letter dated
Facilities and June 7, 2000.
Equipment Prior
to Release. . .
. (also RG 1.86).
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Note: 3H was detected only on the surface of one sink, with none
detected in soils. Therefore no 3H DCGL is necessary for soil.
The Need For The Proposed Action
The St. Albans site has been stabilized to prevent contamination
from spreading beyond its current locations. Access to the contaminated
areas is controlled to assure the health and safety of workers and the
public. Decontamination and decommissioning are necessary to allow
unrestricted use of the facilities and to eliminate the possibility
that the active controls and stabilized conditions can degrade. No
ongoing licensed activities are occurring in the facilities, and NRC
regulations in 10 CFR 30.36 require the site to be decommissioned.
Subpart E of 10 CFR Part 20 specifies a site will be considered
acceptable for unrestricted use if the residual radioactivity that is
distinguishable from background radiation results in a TEDE (total
effective dose equivalent) to an average member of the critical group
that does not exceed 25 mrem (0.25 mSv) per year, including that from
groundwater sources of drinking water, and that the residual
radioactivity has been reduced to levels that are as low as reasonably
achievable (ALARA). The NRC has determined that the proposed DCGLs will
satisfy the regulations in Subpart E of 10 CFR Part 20.
Alternatives To Proposed Action
NRC staff considered ``no action'' (not amending the license) as an
alternative to the proposed action. The ``no-action'' alternative would
result in no clear definition in the license of the acceptable levels
of radioactive contamination relating to the NRC license termination
criteria, as stated in Subpart E of 10 CFR Part 20.
Environmental Impacts of Proposed Action
The proposed action is to amend this license to incorporate
appropriate and acceptable DCGLs into the license, to be used for
decommissioning the site. Decommissioning and decontamination of the
St. Albans facility to the proposed DCGL concentrations is expected to
have no significant impact on the environment. Remediation activities,
in fact, are expected to reduce the potential for the release of
radiological contamination to the environment, and will enable
termination of the license and release of the facilities for
unrestricted use.
Contamination controls will be implemented during decommissioning
to prevent airborne and surface contamination from escaping the
remediation work areas, and therefore no release of airborne
contamination is anticipated. However, the potential will exist for
generating airborne radioactive material during decontamination,
removal and handling of contaminated materials. If produced, any
effluent from the proposed decommissioning activities will be limited
in accordance with NRC requirements in 10 CFR Part 20 or contained
onsite or treated to reduce contamination to acceptable levels before
release, and shall be maintained ALARA. Release of contaminated liquid
effluents are not expected to occur during the work.
The Corps and subcontractors will perform the remediation under the
VA license, with the VA overseeing the activities and maintaining
primary responsibility. The Brooklyn VA has adequate radiation
protection procedures and capabilities, and will implement an
acceptable program to keep exposure to radioactive materials as low as
reasonably achievable (ALARA). As noted above, the Corps has prepared a
decommissioning plan describing the work to be performed, and work
activities are not anticipated to result in a dose to workers or the
public in excess of the 10 CFR Part 20 limits. Past experiences with
decommissioning activities at sites similar to St. Albans indicate that
public and worker exposure will be far below the limits found in 10 CFR
20.
The proposed action will result in the irreversible use of energy
resources during excavation, decontamination, and handling of
radioactive material. There are no reasonable alternatives to these
resource uses and there are no unresolved conflicts concerning
alternative uses of available resources.
Agencies and Individuals Consulted
This environmental assessment (EA) was prepared entirely by NRC
staff and coordinated with the following agencies: New York State
Department of Environmental Conservation, New York State Office of
Parks, Recreation and Historical Preservation, New York City Department
of Health, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service. No other sources were used beyond those referenced in
this EA.
Conclusions
Decommissioning of the site to the DCGLs proposed for this action
will result in reduced residual contamination levels in the facility,
enabling release of the facilities for unrestricted use and termination
of the radioactive materials license. No radiologically contaminated
effluents are expected during the decommissioning. Occupational doses
to decommissioning workers are expected to be low and well within the
limits of 10 CFR Part 20. No radiation exposure to any member of the
public is expected, and public exposure will therefore also be less
than the applicable public exposure limits of 10 CFR Part 20.
Therefore, the environmental impacts from the proposed action are
expected to be insignificant.
Finding of no Significant Impact
NRC has prepared this EA in support of the proposed license
amendment to incorporate appropriate and acceptable DCGLs and to use
the proposed DCGLs for the planned decommissioning by the Brooklyn VA
at the St. Albans Extended Care Center. On the basis of the EA, NRC has
concluded that this licensing action will not significantly affect the
quality of the human environment and has determined not to prepare an
environmental impact statement for the proposed action.
The above documents related to this proposed action are available
for public inspection and copying at the Commission's Public Document
Room at the Gelman Building, 2120 L Street NW, Washington, DC.
Opportunity for a Hearing
The NRC hereby provides notice that this is a proceeding on an
application for a license amendment falling within the scope of Subpart
L, Informal Hearing
[[Page 52143]]
Procedures for Adjudications in Materials Licensing Proceedings, of
NRC's rules and practice for domestic licensing proceedings in 10 CFR
Part 2. Pursuant to 10 CFR 2.1205(a), any person whose interest may be
affected by this proceeding may file a request for a hearing in
accordance with 10 CFR 2.1205(d). A request for a hearing must be filed
within thirty (30) days of the date of publication of the Federal
Register Notice.
The request for a hearing must be filed with the Office of the
Secretary either:
1. By delivery to the Docketing and Service Branch of the Office of
the Secretary at One White Flint North, 11555 Rockville Pike,
Rockville, MD 20852-2738; or
2. By mail or telegram addressed to the Secretary, U. S. Nuclear
Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555. Attention: Docketing and
Service Branch.
In addition to meeting other applicable requirements of 10 CFR Part
2 of the NRC's regulations, a request for a hearing filed by a person
other than the applicant must describe in detail:
1. The interest of the requestor in the proceeding;
2. How that interest may be affected by the results of the
proceeding, including the reasons why the requestor should be permitted
a hearing, with particular reference to the factors set out in 10 CFR
2.1205(h);
3. The requestor's areas of concern about the licensing activity
that is the subject matter of the proceeding; and
4. The circumstances establishing that the request for a hearing is
timely in accordance with 10 CFR 2.1205(d).
In accordance with 10 CFR 2.1205(f), each request for a hearing
must also be served, by delivering it personally or by mail, to:
1. The licensee, Mr. James Mallen, Chief, Engineering Services, VA
Medical Center in Brooklyn, 800 Poly Place, Brooklyn, NY 11209, and
2. The NRC staff, by delivery to the Executive Director for
Operations, One White Flint North, 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville, MD,
20852, or by mail, addressed to the Executive Director for Operations,
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Supporting documentation for the
proposed action is available for inspection at:
1. NRC's Public Electronic Reading Room at http://www.nrc.gov/NRC/ADAMS/index.html, and
2. At the Commission's Public Document Room, 2120 L Street NW,
Washington, D.C. 20555.
Any questions with respect to this action should be referred to
Todd Jackson, Decommissioning and Laboratory Branch, Division of
Nuclear Materials Safety, Region I at (610) 337-5308.
Dated at King of Prussia, Pennsylvania this 21st day of August
2000.
For the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
George Pangburn,
Director, Division of Nuclear Materials Safety, Region I.
[FR Doc. 00-21886 Filed 8-25-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P