[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 219 (Wednesday, November 12, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 66950-66951]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-26806]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[Docket No. 040-01957 (Terminated)]


Notice of Completion of Remediation at the Homer Laughlin China 
Co. Site In Newell, WV

AGENCY: United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC).

ACTION: Notice of Completion of Remediation at the Homer Laughlin China 
Co. site in Newell, West Virginia.

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FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: John Nicholson, Health Physicist, 
Decommissioning Branch, Division of Nuclear Materials Safety, Region I, 
475 Allendale Road, King of Prussia, PA 19406; telephone 610-337-5236; 
fax number 610-337-5269 or by e-mail: [email protected].

Background

    The Homer Laughlin China Company (HLC) operates on the banks of the 
Ohio River in Newell, West Virginia, located in the state's northern 
panhandle. HLC's 37-acre site contains a number of plant buildings and 
structures used in the production of commercial and retail tableware.
    In 1959, the NRC's Predecessor agency, the Atomic Energy Commission 
(AEC) issued License No. SUB-81 authorizing possession at the site of 
100,000 pounds of source material for use as a glazing agent (up to 20% 
uranium) in the production of ceramic tableware. The finished glazed 
ceramic tableware products were exempt from licensing requirements. The 
AEC license was terminated in 1972, based upon an HLC letter stating 
that all remaining licensed materials had been returned to their 
supplier. A routine review of the terminated license file by the Oak 
Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), under contract to the NRC, later 
determined that there was no record of a licensee closeout survey or 
any confirmatory survey. Based on the terminated license's possession 
limit and the results of the ORNL review, the NRC determined that a 
further assessment of HLC's site for residual radioactivity was needed.
    Thus, in 1994, it was found that approximately 500 pounds of 
depleted uranium oxide (U3O8) sand was still on 
HLC's site. A contractor was hired to survey areas where licensed 
materials were used and stored, and to provide a radiological 
characterization of the site. Several additional areas of fixed and 
removable contamination exceeding NRC guidelines for unrestricted use 
were identified during the characterization survey. The HLC committed 
to package and dispose of the bulk source material, limit access to 
contaminated areas, and submit a decommissioning plan (DP). The NRC 
approved the DP in 1995, and HLC and its contractor began implementing 
the DP.

Discussion

    The HLC did not complete decommissioning in some of the production 
areas because it was unable to remove fixed contamination (which 
exceeded NRC unrestricted release guidelines) from surfaces of 
equipment and structures using conventional remediation techniques. 
After consultation with NRC, HLC developed a risk assessment to 
demonstrate that the residual fixed contamination would meet the NRC 
release criteria. At various times during the period 1996-2004, HLC 
provided additional information to NRC refining its computer-based risk 
analysis, to demonstrate that the regulatory standard of 25 mrem/yr for 
unrestricted release (established in 10 CFR Part 20, Subpart E in 1997) 
would be met.
    In March 2005, the NRC accepted HLC's revised risk assessment 
(ML043090164). The NRC determined that this analysis would be 
acceptable, pending removal of all radioactive waste from the site and 
review of the final survey results from the waste storage area. The 
uranium oxide sand and the waste material from decommissioning 
activities remained on site until final disposal options could be 
assessed. The materials were packaged and were stored in a posted and 
infrequently-used area of the plant. After further characterization of 
the waste was performed and cost estimates for disposal were obtained, 
HLC arranged for disposal of the waste. The waste was removed in July 
2008, and sent to Waste Control Specialists, Inc. (WCS) in Texas. The 
waste storage area was surveyed after the waste was removed. An NRC 
inspector observed the waste removal and radiological survey 
activities. The survey results were forwarded to the NRC in September 
2008. NRC staff reviewed the survey results and performed independent, 
bounding calculations that demonstrated that the dose rate to a worker 
from potential residual activity would be less than the 25 millirem/
year unrestricted release standard.

Conclusion

    Based on the above, the NRC staff finds that a reasonable effort 
had been made by HLC to eliminate residual radioactive contamination at 
its site and that NRC regulatory requirements are

[[Page 66951]]

satisfied. The NRC thus concludes that: (1) Radioactive material above 
release limits has been properly disposed; (2) reasonable effort has 
been made to eliminate residual radioactive contamination; and (3) 
surveys and associated documentation, demonstrate that the site meets 
the requirements for unrestricted release set forth in 10 CFR Part 20, 
Subpart E.
    Further Information: Additional relevant information is available 
for public inspection at the Commission's Public Document Room (PDR), 
located at One White Flint North, Public File Area O1 F21, 11555 
Rockville Pike (first floor), Rockville, Maryland. Publicly available 
records will be accessible electronically from the Agency-wide 
Documents Access and Management System's (ADAMS) Public Electronic 
Reading Room on the Internet at the NRC Web site, http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html (ML043090164, ML072430077, ML072950154, 
ML073541298, ML080320468, ML082820580). Persons who do not have access 
to ADAMS or who encounter problems in accessing the documents located 
in ADAMS, should contact the NRC PDR Reference staff by telephone at 1-
800-397-4209, 301-415-4737 or by e-mail to [email protected]. The PDR 
reproduction contractor will copy documents for a fee.

    Dated King of Prussia, Pennsylvania this 3rd day of November 
2008.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Raymond Lorson,
Chief, Decommissioning Branch, Division of Nuclear Materials Safety, 
Region I.
 [FR Doc. E8-26806 Filed 11-10-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P