[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 235 (Thursday, December 6, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 63418-63419]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-30239]
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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[Docket No. 50-62]
University of Virginia, University of Virginia Research Reactor;
Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (the Commission) is
considering the issuance of a license amendment to Facility Operating
License No. R-66, issued to the University of Virginia (UVA or the
licensee), that would allow decommissioning of the UVA Research Reactor
located in the north portion of the UVA grounds near Charlottesville,
Virginia.
Environmental Assessment
Identification of the Proposed Action
By application dated February 9, 2000, as supplemented on April 26,
June 6, and December 19, 2000, and May 4 and 11, 2001, the licensee
submitted a decommissioning plan in accordance with 10 CFR 50.82(b), in
order to dismantle the 2000-kilowatt (thermal) UVA Research Reactor, to
dispose of its component parts and radioactive material, and to
decontaminate the facility in accordance with the proposed dismantling
plan to meet the Commission's unrestricted release criteria. After the
Commission verifies that the release criteria have been met, Facility
Operating License No. R-66 would be terminated. The licensee submitted
an Environmental Report on February 9, 2000, dated February 2000, that
was supplemented on December 19, 2000, that addresses the estimated
environmental impacts resulting from decommissioning the UVA Research
Reactor.
UVA ceased operating the reactor in July 1998. All the reactor fuel
has been removed from the facility.
A ``Notice and Solicitation of Comments Pursuant to 10 CFR 20.1405
and 10 CFR 50.82(b)(5) Concerning Proposed Action to Decommission the
University of Virginia, University of Virginia Reactor'' was published
in the Federal Register on April 4, 2000 (65 FR 17684), and in the
Charlottesville, Virginia daily newspaper, The Daily Progress, on April
23, 2000. One comment was received from the Director, Radiological
Health, Commonwealth of Virginia, Department of Health, Radiological
Health Program that ``the proposed decommissioning plan appears to
adequately ensure the return of the facility to unrestricted use
without adversely affecting the public health and safety.''
Need for the Proposed Action
The proposed action is necessary because of UVA's decision to cease
operations permanently. As specified in 10 CFR 50.82, any licensee may
apply to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission for authority to surrender a
license voluntarily and to decommission the affected facility. Further,
10 CFR 51.53(d) stipulates that each applicant for a license amendment
to authorize decommissioning of a production or utilization facility
shall submit with its application an environmental report that reflects
any new information or significant environmental change associated with
the proposed decommissioning activities. UVA is planning to use the
area that would be released for other academic purposes.
Environmental Impact of the Proposed Action
All decontamination will be performed by trained personnel in
accordance with previously reviewed procedures, and will be overseen by
experienced health physics staff. Solid and liquid waste will be
removed from the facility and managed in accordance with NRC
requirements. The operations are calculated to result in a total
occupational radiation exposure of about 4 person-rem. Radiation
exposure to the general public during decommissioning is expected to be
negligible. This will be accomplished by keeping the public at a safe
distance and by controlling effluent releases during decommissioning.
Occupational and public exposure may result from offsite disposal
of the low-level residual radioactive material from the UVA Research
Reactor. The handling, storage, and shipment of this radioactive
material are to meet the requirements of 10 CFR 20.2006, ``Transfer for
Disposal and Manifest,'' and 49 CFR parts 100-177, ``Transportation of
Hazardous Materials.'' It is anticipated that about 220 ft\3\ (7 m\3\)
of irradiated hardware will be shipped during two truck shipments in
Type B shipping casks to a waste processor. About 2700 ft\3\ (76 m\3\)
of other waste in strong tight containers will be shipped during four
truck shipments to a waste processor. Approximately 9700 ft\3\ (275
m\3\) of waste will be shipped in strong tight containers to the
Envirocare of Utah facility in nine truck shipments. Included in these
shipments will be mixed waste consisting primarily of activated and/or
contaminated lead (43 ft\3\ or 1.2 m\3\) and cadmium (1 ft\3\ or 0.03
m\3\). Radiation exposure to the general public during waste shipments
is expected to be negligible.
The NRC Final Rule on License Termination, 10 CFR 20.1402, provides
radiological criteria for release of a site for unrestricted use.
Release criteria for unrestricted use is a maximum Total Effective Dose
Equivalent (TEDE) of 25 mrem per year from residual radioactivity above
background. Application of the As Low As Reasonably Achievable (ALARA)
principle is also a requirement. The results of the final survey will
be used to demonstrate that the predicted dose to a member of the
public from any residual activity does not exceed the 25 mrem per year
dose limit.
Liquid waste that is generated during the decommissioning
activities will be released to the environment in accordance with the
regulations in 10 CFR part 20, subpart K, ``Waste Disposal,'' or will
be solidified and disposed of as solid waste in accordance with state
and Federal guidelines. Containment measures will be taken as necessary
to minimize the spread of contamination. Engineered features such as
enclosures and temporary barriers with high-efficiency particulate air
filters will be used to control the spread of airborne radioactive
material. Airborne releases of radioactive materials are not expected.
The licensee analyzed accidents applicable to decommissioning
activities. The accident with the greatest potential impact on members
of the public is the dropping of a waste shipping liner containing
radioactive material. The maximum TEDE to a member of the public at the
site boundary for this accident is about 43 mrem which is within the
dose limits for members of the public given in 10 CFR part 20, subpart
D, ``Radiation Dose
[[Page 63419]]
Limits for Individual Members of the Public.''
Based on the review of the specific proposed activities associated
with the dismantling and decontamination of the UVA facility, the staff
has determined that the proposed action will not increase the
probability or consequences of accidents, no changes are being made in
the types of any effluents that may be released off site, and there is
no significant increase in occupational or public radiation exposure.
Therefore, the staff concludes that there are no significant
radiological environmental impacts associated with the proposed action.
With regard to potential non-radiological impacts, the proposed
action does not involve any historic sites. In addition to the lead and
cadmium discussed above, asbestos is present at the UVA Research
Reactor. Asbestos will be removed by a licensed asbestos abatement
contractor. Decommissioning activities will not affect non-radiological
facility effluents and have no other environmental impact. The licensee
states that there are no sensitive or endangered species on the UVA
Research Reactor site. Therefore, the staff concludes that there are no
significant non-radiological environmental impacts associated with the
proposed action.
Accordingly, the NRC concludes that there are no significant
environmental impacts associated with the proposed action.
Alternatives to the Proposed Action
The four alternatives for disposition of the UVA Research Reactor
are: DECON, SAFSTOR, ENTOMB, and no action. UVA has proposed the DECON
option.
DECON is the alternative in which the equipment, structures, and
portions of the facility containing radioactive contaminants are
removed or decontaminated to a level that permits the property to be
released for unrestricted use. SAFSTOR is the alternative in which the
nuclear facility is placed and maintained in a condition that allows
the nuclear facility to be safely stored and subsequently
decontaminated (deferred decontamination) to levels that permit release
for unrestricted use. ENTOMB is the alternative in which radioactive
contaminants are encased in a structurally long-lived material, such as
concrete; the entombed structure is appropriately maintained; and
continued surveillance is carried out until the radioactivity decays to
a level permitting release of the property for unrestricted use. The
no-action alternative would leave the facility in its present
configuration.
The SAFSTOR, ENTOMB, and no-action alternatives would entail
continued surveillance and physical security measures to be in place
and continued monitoring by licensee personnel. The SAFSTOR and no-
action alternatives would also require continued maintenance of the
facility. The radiological impacts of SAFSTOR would be less than the
DECON option because of radioactive decay prior to the start of
decommissioning activities. However, this option involves the continued
use of resources during the SAFSTOR period. The ENTOMB option would
also result in lower radiological exposure than the DECON option but
would involve the continued use of resources. UVA has determined that
the proposed action (DECON) is the most efficient use of the existing
facility, since it proposes to use the space that will become available
for other academic purposes. These alternatives would have no
significant environmental impact. In addition, the regulations in 10
CFR 50.82(b)(4)(i) only allow an alternative if it provides for
completion of decommissioning without significant delay. The
environmental impacts of the proposed action and the alternatives are
similar.
Alternative Use of Resources
This action does not involve the use of any resources not
previously considered in the Environmental Report submitted on February
9, 2000, dated February 2000, as supplemented on December 19, 2000, for
the UVA Research Reactor.
Agencies and Persons Contacted
In accordance with its stated policy, on November 6, 2001, the
staff consulted with the Virginia State official, Leslie P. Foldesi,
Director, Radiological Health, Commonwealth of Virginia Department of
Health, regarding the environmental impact of the proposed action. The
state official stated that he concurred with the environmental
assessment and had no comments.
Finding of No Significant Impact
On the basis of the environmental assessment, the Commission
concludes that the proposed action will not have a significant effect
on the quality of the human environment. Accordingly, the NRC has
determined not to prepare an environmental impact statement for the
proposed action.
For further details with respect to the proposed action, see the
licensee's letter dated February 9, 2000, as supplemented on April 26,
June 6, and December 19, 2000, and May 4 and 11, 2001, which are
available for public inspection, and can be copied for a fee, at the
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission's Public Document Room (PDR),
located at One White Flint North, 11555 Rockville Pike (first floor),
Rockville, Maryland. The NRC maintains an Agencywide Documents Access
and Management System (ADAMS), which provides text and image files of
NRC's public documents. These documents may be accessed through the
NRC's Public Electronic Reading Room on the internet at http://www.nrc.gov. Persons who do not have access to ADAMS or who have
problems in accessing the documents located in ADAMS may contact the
PDR reference staff at 1-800-397-4209, 301-415-4737 or by email at
[email protected].
Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 27th day of November 2001.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Alexander Adams, Jr.,
Senior Project Manager, Operational Experience and Non-Power Reactors
Branch, Division of Regulatory Improvement Programs, Office of Nuclear
Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. 01-30239 Filed 12-5-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P