[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 48 (Wednesday, March 12, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 11419-11420]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-6179]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
[Docket No. ETEC-023]
Certification of the Radiological Condition of Building 023 at
the Energy Technology Engineering Center Near Chatsworth, CA
AGENCY: Office of Environmental Restoration, DOE.
ACTION: Notice of certification.
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SUMMARY: The Department of Energy (DOE) has completed radiological
surveys and taken remedial action to decontaminate Building 023 located
at the Energy Technology Engineering Center (ETEC) near Chatsworth,
California. This property previously was found to contain radioactive
materials from activities carried out for the Atomic Energy Commission
and the Energy Research and Development Administration (AEC/ERDA),
predecessor agencies to DOE. Although DOE owns the majority of the
buildings and equipment, a subsidiary of Rockwell International,
Rocketdyne, owned the land. Rocketdyne has recently been sold to Boeing
North American Incorporated.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Don Williams, Program Manager, Office
of Northwestern Area Programs, Office of Environmental Restoration (EM-
44), U.S. Department of Energy, Washington, D.C. 20585.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: DOE has implemented environmental
restoration projects at ETEC (Ventura County, Map Book 3, Page 7,
Miscellaneous Records) as part of DOE's Environmental Restoration
Program. One objective of the program is to identify and clean up or
otherwise control facilities where residual radioactive contamination
remains from activities carried out under contract to AEC/ERDA during
the early years of the Nation's atomic energy program.
ETEC is comprised of a number of facilities and structures located
within Administrative Area IV of the Santa Susana Field Laboratory. The
work performed for DOE at ETEC consisted primarily of testing of
equipment, materials, and components for nuclear and energy related
programs. These nuclear energy research and development programs
conducted by Atomics International under contract to AEC/ERDA began in
1946. Several buildings and land areas became radiologically
contaminated as a result of facility operations and site activities. An
ETEC area that has been designated for cleanup under the DOE
Environmental Restoration Program is Building 023. Other areas
undergoing decontamination will be released as they are completed and
verified to meet established cleanup criteria and standards for release
without radiological restrictions as established in DOE Order 5400.5.
Building 023 is located within the central portion of ETEC and is
situated on B Street near 12th Street among several adjacent buildings
on paved ground. It is approximately 20 feet below the general grade of
12th Street. The facility consists of galvanized steel walls and roof
on a concrete slab floor with various types of internal walls and
partitions. It is a single floor structure which was constructed in two
phases: the first section (circa 1962), ``023'', has been used for the
storage and operation of a small sodium loop for studies of radioactive
contamination transport; the second section (circa 1976), ``023A'',
consists of a storage and setup room and a well-equipped analytical
chemistry laboratory.
The first Radiological User Permit for Building 023, Authorization
No. 105, was issued by AEC in November 1976. This authorization related
to the use of a small section (or sections) of activated stainless
steel Experimental Boiler Reactor fuel cladding to be used in a small
sodium test loop. The purpose of this test was to gather data on the
[[Page 11420]]
transport of radiological contamination in sodium loops. The sodium
loop tests were halted in 1982 and the loop was dismantled in 1986.
To allow the release of Building 023 for use without radiological
restrictions, all radioactive material/contamination was removed from
the facility. This decontamination and decommissioning was performed in
three phases, starting in 1986 with the removal of the sodium loop and
ending in 1993 after removal of the remainder of the radioactive liquid
waste holdup system. After the decontamination efforts were completed,
a comprehensive final survey of the building interior was performed to
demonstrate compliance with standards for release without radiological
restrictions. The State of California Department of Health Services has
concurred that the proposed release guidelines provide adequate
assurance for release without further radiological restrictions.
Rockwell/Rocketdyne performed a final radiological survey in 1994.
The Environmental Survey and Site Assessment Program of the Oak Ridge
Institute for Science and Education performed independent verification
of the decontamination project in 1994. Post-decontamination surveys
have demonstrated that Building 023 is in compliance with DOE
decontamination criteria and standards for release without radiological
restrictions. DOE intends to comply with applicable Federal, State, and
local requirements which relate to property transfer.
Final DOE costs for the decontamination of Building 023 were
$89,000, including final survey and waste disposal. The final cost for
Rockwell International was approximately $90,000.
No appreciable personnel radiation exposure was anticipated or
encountered from activities associated with the decontamination of
Building 023.
The certification docket will be available for review between 9:00
a.m. and 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday (except Federal holidays), in
the U.S. DOE Public Reading Room located in Room 1E-190 of the
Forrestal Building, 1000 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C.
Copies of the certification docket will also be available at the
following locations: DOE Public Document Room, U.S. DOE, Oakland
Operations Office, the Federal Building, 1301 Clay Street, Oakland,
California; California State University, Northridge, Urban Archives
Center, Oviatt Library, Room 4, 18111 Nordhoff, Northridge, California;
Simi Valley Library, 2629 Tapo Canyon Road, Simi Valley, California;
and the Platt Branch, Los Angeles Public Library, 23600 Victory
Boulevard, Woodland Hills, California.
DOE has issued the following statement of certification:
Statement of Certification: Energy Technology Engineering Center,
Building 023
The U.S. Department of Energy, Oakland Operations Office,
Environmental Restoration Division, has reviewed and analyzed the
radiological data obtained following decontamination of Building 023 at
the Energy Technology Engineering Center. Based on analysis of all data
collected and the results of independent verification, DOE certifies
that the following property is in compliance with DOE radiological
decontamination criteria and standards as established in DOE Order
5400.5. This certification of compliance provides assurance that future
use of the property will result in no radiological exposure above
applicable guidelines established to protect members of the general
public or site occupants. Accordingly, the property specified below is
released from DOE's Environmental Restoration Program.
Property owned by Boeing North American Incorporated:
Building 023, at the Energy Technology Engineering Center (situated
within Area IV of the Santa Susana Field Laboratory), located in a
portion of Tract ``A'' of Rancho Simi, in the County of Ventura, State
of California, as per map recorded in Book 3, Page 7 of Miscellaneous
Records of Ventura County.
Issued in Washington, D.C. on February 28, 1997.
James J. Fiore,
Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Environmental Restoration.
[FR Doc. 97-6179 Filed 3-11- 97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P