[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