[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 148 (Wednesday, August 1, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 39803-39805]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-19177]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[Docket No. 50-186]


University of Missouri-Columbia, University of Missouri-Columbia 
Research Reactor; Request for Public Comment, Environmental Assessment 
and Finding of No Significant Impact

    Notice is hereby given that the U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission 
(NRC) is seeking public comment on the attached Environmental 
Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact (EA), regarding a 
license amendment request to change the expiration date of the reactor 
facility license from November 21, 2001, to October 11, 2006, to 
recapture the period of construction for the University of Missouri-
Columbia Research Reactor (MURR) located in Columbia, Missouri. The NRC 
has elected to provide the EA to the public for a 30-day comment period 
in response to a request from the State of Missouri Department of 
Natural Resources.
    Any interested party may submit comments on the EA for 
consideration by the NRC staff. To be certain of consideration, 
comments on the EA must be received within 30 days of the date of this 
Federal Register notice. Comments received after the due date will be 
considered if it is practical to do so, but the NRC staff is able to 
assure consideration only for comments received on or before this date. 
Written comments on the EA should be sent to: Michael T. Lesar, Chief, 
Rules and Directives Branch, Division of Administrative Services, MS 
T6-D59, U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001. 
For further information contact: Mr. Alexander Adams Jr., Operational 
Experience and Non-Power Reactors Branch, Division of Regulatory 
Improvement Programs, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, 
DC 20555. Mr. Adams may be contacted by telephone at (301) 415-1127 or 
at the e-mail address [email protected].
    Comments may be hand-delivered to the NRC at 11545 Rockville Pike, 
Rockville, Maryland, between 7:45 a.m. and 4:15 p.m. on Federal 
workdays. All comments received by the NRC will be accessible 
electronically through NRC's Public Electronic Reading Room (PERR) link 
listed below, and can be examined, or copied for a fee, at the NRC's 
Public Document Room (PDR) in Rockville, Maryland.
    The NRC's Public Electronic Reading Room (PERR) is found on the 
Internet at the following web address: http://www.nrc.gov/NRC/ADAMS/index.html. From this site, the public can gain access to the NRC's 
Agencywide Document Access and Management System (ADAMS), which 
provides text and image files of NRC's public documents. Documents 
concerning the MURR, including comments received on the EA, can be 
found under docket number 05000186. 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]. Documents can also be examined, or copied for 
a fee, at the NRC's Public Document Room found at One White Flint 
North, 11555 Rockville Pike (first floor), Rockville, MD.

    Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 26th day of July 2001.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Ledyard B. Marsh,
Chief, Operational Experience and Non-Power Reactors Branch, Division 
of Regulatory Improvement Programs, Office of Nuclear Reactor 
Regulation.

    The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is considering 
issuance of an amendment to Amended Facility License No. R-103, issued 
to the University of Missouri-Columbia (the licensee), for operation of 
the University of Missouri-Columbia Research Reactor (MURR), located in 
Columbia, Missouri.

Environmental Assessment

Identification of the Proposed Action

    The proposed action would revise Amended Facility License No. R-103 
to change the license expiration date from November 21, 2001, to 
October 11, 2006, to recapture the construction time between the 
issuance date of Construction Permit No. CPRR-68 (November 21, 1961) 
and issuance of Facility Operating License No. R-103 (October 11, 1966) 
to allow a 40-year operating license term.
    The proposed action is in accordance with the licensee's 
application for amendment dated December 27, 2000, as supplemented by 
letters dated April 12 and June 6, 2001.

The Need for the Proposed Action

    The proposed action is needed to recapture the time spent under the 
construction permit to allow operation of the MURR reactor for a term 
of 40 years from the date of issuance of the facility license.

Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action

    The MURR is located on a 7.5-acre lot in University Research Park, 
about one mile (1.6 km) southwest of the University of Missouri main 
campus in Columbia, Missouri. MURR is a pressurized, reflected, light-
water moderated and cooled heterogeneous design reactor. The reactor is 
fueled with high-enriched, aluminum-clad, plate type fuel. The reactor 
has a maximum steady-state power level of 10 Megawatts thermal [MW(t)] 
with the reactor core located in a pressure vessel. The reactor 
pressure vessel is located in a cylindrically shaped pool and is 
covered by about 23 feet (7 m) of water during operation for radiation 
shielding. The reactor pool is surrounded by a biological shield. The 
reactor is located within a containment building.
    The construction permit for the facility (CPRR-68) was issued to 
the University of Missouri on November 21, 1961. On October 11, 1966, 
Facility Operating License No. R-103 was issued to the University with 
a maximum power level of 5 MW(t). On July 9, 1974, Amendment No. 2 to 
the license was issued increasing the maximum operating power level to 
10 MW(t). The facility normally operates on a 24-hour-a-day schedule 
with a shutdown once a week for refueling and maintenance.
    The NRC has completed its evaluation of the proposed action and 
concludes that the proposed amendment to change the expiration date of 
the facility license to recapture time between construction and 
operation to allow for a 40-year operating license term will not result 
in a significant increase in environmental impacts. The licensee has 
not requested any changes to the facility design or operating 
conditions as part of this amendment request. Data from the last ten 
years of operation was assessed to determine the radiological impact of 
the facility on the environment.
    Environmental surveys are performed by measuring the exposure to 41 
thermoluminescent dosimeters (TLDs)

[[Page 39804]]

placed on and off site at various distances and directions from the 
facility. The results of this monitoring for all TLDs averaged by year 
from 1991 to 2000, and the TLD with maximum exposure (both do not 
include TLDs affected by shipping operations) is as follows:

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                  Average      Maximum
                     Year                        (mrem/yr)    (mrem/yr)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
2000..........................................         -1.3         18.6
1999..........................................         13.5         43.5
1998..........................................          3.4         51.9
1997..........................................          9.2         34.8
1996..........................................          9.2         34.9
1995..........................................         14.6         44.2
1994..........................................         20.5         49.7
1993..........................................         18.1         28.2
1992..........................................          6.3         26.7
1991..........................................          4.4         27.3
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    In addition, the licensee has calculated the dose to the individual 
member of the public likely to receive the highest dose from air 
emission of radioactive material to the environment to demonstrate 
compliance with 10 CFR 20.1101(d). This regulation provides as low as 
is reasonably achievable criteria for air emissions which must result 
in an individual member of the public receiving a total effective dose 
equivalent (TEDE) of less than 10 mrem per year. The results of 
calculations for the years 1991-2000, is as follows:

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                             Dose  (mrem/
                            Year                                 yr)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
2000.......................................................          0.8
1999.......................................................          0.9
1998.......................................................          0.9
1997.......................................................          0.7
1996.......................................................          0.6
1995.......................................................          0.7
1994.......................................................          0.5
1993.......................................................          0.6
1992.......................................................          0.4
1991.......................................................          0.4
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    These doses are within the constraint on air emissions of 10 mrem 
per year total effective dose equivalent in 10 CFR 20.1101(d).
    The radioactive material released from the facility in airborne 
effluents is given as follows:

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                   Curies       Curies
                     Year                         released     released
                                                 (Argon-41)    (Total)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
2000..........................................          975          982
1999..........................................         1130         1137
1998..........................................         1130         1134
1997..........................................          861          870
1996..........................................          728          739
1995..........................................          878          888
1994..........................................          370          385
1993..........................................          409          425
1992..........................................          470          475
1991..........................................          440          441
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Airborne effluent releases from the facility consist primarily of 
argon-41. The releases from the facility met the average concentration 
requirements of the facility technical specifications. The increase in 
the amount of radioactive effluents reported released between 1994 and 
1995 was the result of a change in the method used by the licensee to 
sample the effluent. Prior to 1995, the results were based on the 
analysis of a daily grab sample. From 1995, the activity released was 
based on calculations performed on data recorded from the gas channel 
of the exhaust stack radioactivity monitor which is in operation 24 
hours a day. Analysis of continuous data provided better accuracy than 
the grab sample method that only measured the radioactive material 
concentration in the airborne effluent once per day at the time the 
sample was taken.
    Liquid effluent releases to the sanitary sewer were as follows:

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                   Curies
                                                  released      Curies
                     Year                        (Hydrogen-    released
                                                     3)        (Total)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
2000..........................................       0.1199       0.1420
1999..........................................       0.1670       0.1740
1998..........................................       0.5901       0.5980
1997..........................................       0.1460       0.1510
1996..........................................       0.1487       0.1560
1995..........................................       0.0818       0.0900
1994..........................................       0.1089       0.1270
1993..........................................       0.2574       0.3160
1992..........................................       0.1711       0.2150
1991..........................................       0.2094       0.2580
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Liquid effluent releases from the facility to the sanitary sewer 
consisted primarily of hydrogen-3. The NRC inspection program confirmed 
that monthly concentrations met regulatory requirements found in 
Appendix B Table 3 of 10 CFR part 20 in accordance with 10 CFR 20.2003.
    Shipments of radioactive waste offsite for disposal at approved 
sites were as follows:

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                   Volume
                     Year                          (cubic      Activity
                                                   feet)        (mCi)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
2000..........................................      1,207.5          249
1999..........................................        565.0          281
1998..........................................        910.0           53
1997..........................................        420.0          404
1996..........................................        337.5        1,409
1995..........................................          0.0            0
1994..........................................        460.0        1,228
1993..........................................        392.0       60,105
1992..........................................        679.0        1,924
1991..........................................        772.5        1,146
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The NRC inspection program confirmed that waste shipments met the 
requirements of the regulations in 10 CFR part 20 for waste disposal.
    Radiological releases from the facility and associated doses to the 
public are within regulatory limits or the facility technical 
specifications and do not have a significant impact on human health or 
the environment. Monitoring of radiation levels in the environment 
includes soil, vegetative, and water sampling and direct radiation 
readings. Results of the monitoring program are reported in the Reactor 
Operations Annual Report and indicate that the facility does not have a 
significant impact on human health or the environment. Releases of 
radioactive material from the facility to the environment for the 
proposed construction permit recapture period are estimated to continue 
at levels similar to those above, which are well within regulatory 
limits.
    Occupational doses to MURR staff and users meet the regulatory 
requirements found in 10 CFR part 20, subpart C, and are as low as is 
reasonably achievable. No changes in reactor operation that would lead 
to an increase in occupational dose are expected as a result of the 
proposed action.
    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, there are no significant radiological environmental impacts 
associated with the proposed action.
    With regard to potential non-radiological impacts, the proposed 
action does not have a potential to impact historic properties. The 
facility uses and disposes of small quantities of chemicals [e.g., up 
to about 5 gallons (20 liters) per year of hydrochloric acid, nitric 
acid, aqua regia and isopropyl alcohol] in research laboratories. These 
chemicals are disposed of in compliance with Environmental Protection 
Agency (EPA) and Missouri Department of Natural Resources requirements 
by the University of Missouri Environmental Health and Safety 
Department. These chemical forms and quantities are consistent with 
small laboratory use at universities.
    The quality of the secondary cooling water is maintained using two 
commercial biocides, a corrosion inhibitor, and sulfuric acid (for pH 
control). These chemicals are similar to those used in cooling towers 
for the air conditioning systems of large buildings

[[Page 39805]]

and enter the environment by evaporation from the tower to the air and 
by blowdown to the sanitary sewer. About 105 gallons (400 liters) of 
the two biocides, 700 gallons (2,650 liters) of corrosion inhibitor, 
and 4,000 gallons (15,150 liters) of sulfuric acid are used annually. 
The use of these chemicals is approved by EPA. These chemicals are 
stored in a manner that will contain the chemicals in the event of 
material storage container failure. The use and disposal of these 
chemicals will not have a significant impact on the environment. The 
proposed action will not result in significant increases in the use of 
these chemicals.
    The facility uses approximately 38 million gallons of water 
annually. The water is supplied by university owned and maintained deep 
wells which provide water to the campus. Most of the water (28 million 
gallons) is used in the cooling tower with the majority of the water 
lost to the atmosphere as water vapor. Wastewater from the facility 
discharges to the City of Columbia sewer system and is treated at the 
Columbia Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant.
    The Missouri Department of Conservation has determined that no 
Federal or State listed plants or animals are known to occur on the 
MURR site, but did identify two species in the vicinity of the project 
site. One species, the Topeka Shiner, is listed as endangered. MURR 
withdraws a minimal amount of groundwater for reactor operation, has no 
major refurbishment or construction activities planned, and will have 
no significant change in the types or amounts of effluents leaving the 
facility as a result of construction permit recapture. Therefore, the 
proposed action is not expected to affect aquatic and terrestrial 
biota. The staff concludes 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

    As an alternative to the proposed action, the staff considered 
denial of the proposed action (i.e., the ``no-action'' alternative). 
Denial of the proposed action would result in expiration of the current 
license in November 2001, and the commencement of decommissioning if an 
application for license renewal is not made. If the application is 
denied, it is expected that the licensee would apply for renewal of the 
license. With operation under the proposed action or with a renewed 
license approved by the Commission, the environmental impacts of the 
proposed action and the alternative are similar. If the Commission 
denied the application for license renewal, facility operations would 
end and decommissioning would be required with a likely small impact on 
the environment. In addition, the benefits of education and research 
conducted by the facility would be lost. The environmental impacts of 
the proposed action and this alternative action are similar.

Alternative Use of Resources

    This action does not involve the use of any resources not 
previously considered in the Hazards Analysis Report prepared for 
initial licensing of the facility and the power upgrade to 10 MW(t).

Agencies and Persons Consulted

    In accordance with its stated policy, on [insert date] the staff 
consulted with the Missouri State official, Mr. Ron Kucera, Director of 
Intergovernmental Cooperation and Special Projects of the Missouri 
Department of Natural Resources, regarding the environmental impact of 
the proposed action. The State official ____________. In addition, the 
NRC elected to provide the Environmental Assessment and Finding of No 
Significant Impact to the public for a 30-day comment period in 
response to a request from the State of Missouri Department of Natural 
Resources. Comments received related to this Environmental Assessment 
were ____________.

Finding of No Significant Impact

    On the basis of the environmental assessment, the NRC 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 December 27, 2000, as supplemented by letter 
dated April 12 and June 6, 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/NRC/ADAMS/index.html. 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].

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

Ledyard B. Marsh,
Chief, Operational Experience and Non-Power Reactors Branch, 
Division of Regulatory Improvement Programs, Office of Nuclear 
Reactor Regulation.

[FR Doc. 01-19177 Filed 7-31-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P]