[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 195 (Wednesday, October 8, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 52528-52530]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-26635]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
[Docket No. ETEC-012]
Certification of the Radiological Condition of Building T012 at
the Energy Technology Engineering Center Near Chatsworth, California
AGENCY: U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Environmental Restoration.
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 T012
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: Mike Lopez, Program Manager,
Environmental Restoration Division, Oakland Operations Office, U.S.
Department of Energy, Oakland, CA 94612-5208.
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 several 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
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.
Building T012 is one ETEC area that has been designated for cleanup
under the DOE Environmental Restoration Program. Other areas undergoing
decontamination will be released as they are completed and are verified
to meet established cleanup criteria and standards for release without
radiological restrictions as established in DOE Order 5400.5.
Building T012 is located in the north-central section of Area IV.
It originally consisted of two sections connected with an enclosed
passageway.
[[Page 52529]]
Building T012 consisted of a critical cell that was a sealed room
with 4-ft. thick concrete walls, lined with a \1/4\-in. steel liner,
used to test Systems for Nuclear Auxiliary Power (SNAP) critical
assemblies. The cell floor is a mat-type concrete foundation. Sealed
during operation, this room was designed to withstand the pressure
release and to contain radioactive materials in the event of a burst
condition from the assemblies.
The equipment room adjacent to the critical cell has 9-in. thick
concrete walls and ceiling and a spread concrete foundation. A fuel
storage area was located in the west section of the room consisting of
a concrete shield wall containing 1 percent boron by weight. Embedded
in the wall were 110 cadmium-plated tubes, 3\1/2\ in. inside diameter
by 20 in. long. The tubes were located on 1-ft. centers, 5 tubes high,
and 22 tubes wide.
Operations in Building T012 began with systems for SNAP critical
assemblies in 1962. These experiments used three different critical
assembly machines: SCA-4A, -4B, and SCA-5. Most tests were directed at
determining criticality of various configurations and conditions, such
as water immersion, and were performed well below the allowed high
power limit of about 100 watts. No significant amounts of induced
activity were produced by these operations.
Clad reactor fuel elements (U-ZrH) were stored as shipped in
containers and in the fuel storage tubes located in room 109. The SNAP
critical experiments continued intermittently through 1968, when the
fuel was shipped to the SSN Storage Vault (Building T064), and the
facility was placed in a standby mode.
To allow the release of building T012 for use without radiological
restriction, all detectable radioactive material/contamination was
removed from the facility. This decontamination and decommissioning was
performed in two phases: (1) starting in 1986 with the removal of the
operations control room and (2) the enclosed passageway connecting
those structures to the equipment room and the critical cell.
The second and final stage of decontamination of Building T012
began in February 1995 and required slightly less than five months to
complete.
Briefly, the decontamination steps involved in the second stage
were to decontaminate and decommission the remaining concrete vault
structure of Building T012 sufficiently to permit its use without
radiological or chemical contamination restrictions.
The accomplishment of this objective included removal of asbestos
containing floor tiles and pipe insulation; removal of eight
contaminated fuel storage tubes; removal of light fixtures, conduit,
and ventilation systems; paint sampling and removal, and scabbing of
the floor, wall, ceiling surfaces; and completion of the ``Final
Radiological and Chemical Contamination Assessment Survey.''
Rockwell/Rocketdyne performed a final radiological survey in 1996.
The Environmental Survey and Site Assessment Program of the Oak Ridge
Institute for Science and Education performed independent verification
of the decontamination work performed by Rockwell/Rocketdyne in 1996.
Post-decontamination surveys have demonstrated that Building T012 is in
compliance with DOE decontamination criteria and 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. In the event of property transfer, DOE intends to comply
with applicable Federal, State, and local requirements.
None of the engineering or radiation and nuclear safety personnel
assigned to the Building T012 decommissioning project received any
measurable exposure to ionizing radiation.
Final costs for the decontamination of Building T012 were $389,632.
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. Department of
Energy, 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 T012
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Oakland Operations Office,
Environmental Restoration Division, has reviewed and analyzed the
radiological data obtained following decontamination of Building T012
at the Energy Technology Engineering Center. Based on analysis of all
data collected and the results of the 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 T012, at the Energy Technology 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 September 26, 1997.
James J. Fiore,
Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Environmental Restoration.
Statement of Certification: Energy Technology Engineering Center,
Building 012
The U.S. Department of Energy, Oakland Operations Office,
Environmental Restoration Division, has reviewed and analyzed the
radiological data obtained following decontamination of the Energy
Technology Engineering Center Building 012. Based on this analysis of
all data collected, the Department of Energy (DOE) certifies that the
following property is in compliance with DOE decontamination criteria
and standards. 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 Rockwell International Corporation:
Building 012, at the Energy Technology Engineering Center, located
in a portion of Tract ``A'' of Rancho Simi, in the County of Ventura,
State of California, as per map recorded in Book
[[Page 52530]]
3, Page 7 of Miscellaneous Records of Ventura County.
Certification:
Dated: August 29, 1997
Hannibal Joma,
ETEC Site Manager.
[FR Doc. 97-26635 Filed 10-7-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P