[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 125 (Thursday, June 30, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-15943]


[[Page Unknown]]

[Federal Register: June 30, 1994]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[Docket 70-1257; License SNM-1227]

 

In the Matter of: Siemens Power Corporation, Richland, 
Washington.

Order and Demand for Information

I

    Siemens Power Corporation (SPC) is the holder of Special Nuclear 
Materials License SNM-1227, issued by the Nuclear Regulatory 
Commission. The license authorizes possession and use of uranium for 
the manufacture of fuel assemblies for commercial nuclear power plants. 
The license also authorizes possession and use of plutonium in sealed 
sources and as mixed oxide in stored waste. The license was last 
renewed on September 10, 1987, and was due to expire September 30, 
1992. The licensee submitted an application for renewal of the license 
on August 25, 1992. The license has continued in effect since then 
under the timely renewal provision of 10 CFR 70.33(b).

II

    The Commission's regulations in 10 CFR Part 20 (Standards for 
Protection Against Radiation) prohibit the release of insoluble non-
biological licensed materials to sanitary sewers. Specifically, 10 CFR 
20.2003(a)(1) provides that a licensee may discharge licensed material 
into sanitary sewer systems only if, among other things, the material 
is readily soluble in water. The purpose of this prohibition is to 
prevent accumulation and possible reconcentration of the materials in 
the sanitary sewer system, sewage treatment plants, and sewage sludge. 
While revised Part 20 was effective in June 1991, licensees were 
permitted to defer implementation of the rule until January 1, 1994. 56 
Fed. Reg. 23360, May 21, 1991; 57 Fed. Reg. 38588, August 26, 1992.
    On January 28, 1994, the NRC issued Information Notice (IN) 94-07, 
which discussed two approaches that could be used for determining a 
chemical compound's solubility in water. The IN emphasized that unless 
releases qualify as being ``readily soluble,'' 10 CFR 20.2003(a)(1) 
would prohibit release to sanitary sewers absent the grant of an 
exemption to that regulation.
    SPC is authorized by License SNM-1227, Safety Condition S-1, to 
operate a laundry facility for the cleaning of protective clothing and 
equipment contaminated with uranium compounds and to discharge liquid 
effluents to the Richland Municipal Sewerage System. These effluents 
are continuously monitored, and composite samples are analyzed for 
uranium and regulated chemicals. Results of the liquid effluent 
monitoring are reported to the NRC in accordance with 10 CFR 70.59. The 
results are also reported to the Washington State Department of 
Ecology, Water Quality Division and the Director, Water and Waste 
Utilities, of the City of Richland.
    On April 14, 1994, SPC submitted an application for an exemption 
from 10 CFR 20.2003(a)(1). SPC stated that based on 1993 data an 
evaluation of liquid effluents had demonstrated that the sewer 
discharge from its retention tanks, which receive the bulk of their 
input from the contaminated clothing laundry, contained small amounts 
of insoluble uranium. SPC reported that the average uranium 
concentration was 0.24 parts per million; the liquid discharge was 
approximately 4,000 gallons per day; the total uranium discharged to 
the sanitary sewer annually was 1.47 kilograms, or 0.0026 curies of 
uranium; and the insoluble uranium fraction measured by filtration is 
approximately 59 percent of the total discharged uranium, or 0.0015 
curies.
    The information contained in SPC's exemption request indicates that 
SPC may be in violation of 10 CFR 20.2003(a)(1). SPC was required to 
comply with the provisions of 10 CFR 20.2003 by January 1, 1994, and 
yet has reported that 59 percent of the uranium discharges to the 
sanitary sewer from its retention tanks are insoluble. The filing of an 
exemption request did not and does not relieve SPC from the obligation 
to comply with NRC regulations. The NRC staff's review of the exemption 
request has not been completed.
    SPC is hereby notified that it must comply with the provisions of 
10 CFR 20.2003 notwithstanding the fact that it has requested an 
exemption from that regulation. Only in the event that the exemption 
request is granted may SPC discharge any non-biological insoluble 
licensed material into sanitary sewerage. While the request is pending, 
SPC could be subject to enforcement action for violating NRC 
regulations prohibiting such discharges.

III

    In light of the information contained in SPC's exemption request, 
further information is needed. Accordingly, pursuant to Sections 161c, 
161o, 182, and 186 of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended, and 
the Commission's regulations in 10 CFR 2.204, in order for the 
Commission to determine whether enforcement action should be taken to 
ensure compliance with NRC statutory and regulatory requirements, SPC 
is required to submit by July 6, 1994, to the Director, Office of 
Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory 
Commission, Washington, D.C. 20555, with a copy to the Chief, Fuel 
Cycle Licensing Branch, the following information, in writing and under 
oath or affirmation:
    1. a. State what actions SPC has taken to ensure compliance with 10 
CFR 20.2003(a)(1) since January 1, 1994.
    b. Describe the circumstances, since January 1, 1994, under which 
non-biological insoluble licensed materials were discharged into 
sanitary sewerage, and the actions, if any, which were taken to prevent 
further discharges.
    2. State what actions SPC will take to ensure future compliance 
with 10 CFR 20.2003(a)(1).
    Copies also shall be sent to the Assistant General Counsel for 
Hearings and Enforcement at the same address. After receiving your 
response, the NRC will determine whether further action is necessary to 
ensure compliance with statutory and regulatory requirements.

    Dated at Rockville, Maryland this 24th day of June 1994.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Robert M. Bernero,
Director, Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards.
[FR Doc. 94-15943 Filed 6-29-94; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P