[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 179 (Thursday, September 16, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 56597-56601]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-23114]
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[Docket No. 50-156; NRC-2010-0203]
University of Wisconsin; University of Wisconsin Nuclear Reactor
Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC or the Commission) is
considering issuance of a renewed Facility Operating License No. R-74,
to be held by the University of Wisconsin (the licensee), which would
authorize continued operation of the University of Wisconsin Nuclear
Reactor (UWNR), located in Madison, Dane County, Wisconsin. Therefore,
as required by Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR)
Section 51.21, the NRC is issuing this Environmental Assessment and
Finding of No Significant Impact.
Environmental Assessment
Identification of the Proposed Action
The proposed action would renew Facility Operating License No. R-74
for a period of 20 years from the date of issuance of the renewed
license. The proposed action is in accordance with the licensee's
application dated May 9, 2000, as supplemented by letter dated October
17, 2008. In accordance with 10
[[Page 56598]]
CFR 2.109, the existing license remains in effect until the NRC takes
final action on the renewal application.
Need for the Proposed Action
The proposed action is needed to allow the continued operation of
the UWNR to routinely provide teaching, research, and services to
numerous institutions for a period of 20 years.
Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action
The NRC has completed its safety evaluation of the proposed action
to issue a renewed Facility Operating License No. R-74 to allow
continued operation of the UWNR for a period of 20 years and concludes
there is reasonable assurance that the UWNR will continue to operate
safely for the additional period of time. The details of the NRC
staff's safety evaluation will be provided with the renewed license
that will be issued as part of the letter to the licensee approving its
license renewal application. This document contains the environmental
assessment of the proposed action.
The UWNR is located in the Mechanical Engineering Building on the
main campus of the University of Wisconsin. The UWNR is housed in the
Reactor Laboratory, a 13 meter (43 feet) by 22 meter (70 feet) room of
conventional construction within the Mechanical Engineering Building.
Throughout most of the Reactor Laboratory, the ceiling height is
approximately 11 meters (36 feet) with a portion of the ceiling above
the console area a height of only 7 meters (22 feet). The floor of the
room is concrete. There is no basement or crawl space below the Reactor
Laboratory floor. The walls are concrete and brick. The ceiling is a
2.25 centimeter (1\1/2\ inch) steel deck with 5 centimeters (2 inches)
of rigid insulation and a 4-ply, built-up surface roof. The Mechanical
Engineering Building also contains classrooms, laboratories, shops, and
staff offices for the Departments of Mechanical Engineering, Industrial
Engineering, and Engineering Physics. The Mechanical Engineering
Building is near the southwestern border of the University of Wisconsin
campus. The nearest property not owned by the University of Wisconsin
is 130 meters (425 feet) from the reactor site. The reactor site is 700
meters (2,300 feet) south of the shore of Lake Mendota. The nearest
permanent residence is approximately 150 meters (485 feet) west of the
reactor site and the nearest dormitory is approximately 400 meters
(1,300 feet) away. There are no nearby industrial, transportation, or
military facilities that pose a threat to the UWNR.
The UWNR is a heterogeneous pool-type nuclear reactor currently
fueled with low-enriched uranium TRIGA (Training, Research, Isotope
Production, General Atomics) fuel which is cooled by natural
convection. The aluminum-lined concrete pool is 2.5 meters (8 feet)
wide, 3.7 meters (12 feet) long, and 8.5 meters (27.5 feet) deep. Light
water acts as the coolant and the moderator as well as being a
biological shield. The reinforced concrete pool walls also serve as a
biological shield. The core is reflected on two sides by graphite and
on two sides by water. The water-reflected areas are being utilized as
irradiation facility locations. The reactor is shielded by concrete and
water. The core is normally covered by 6 meters (20 feet) of water.
Maximum steady-state power level is 1,000 kilowatts. Reactivity is
controlled by three shim safety blades, a regulating blade, and a
transient control rod. All control elements move vertically. The top
and bottom reflector region is partially graphite and partially water.
A detailed description of the reactor can be found in the licensee's
Safety Analysis Report.
On June 11, 2009, the NRC issued an order for UWNR to convert from
high-enriched uranium fuel to low-enriched uranium fuel (Agencywide
Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS) Accession No.
ML091390802). The conversion to low-enriched uranium fuel was completed
and normal operations resumed on January 22, 2010. As part of the
analysis for the conversion, the staff determined that the changes
involved no significant hazards consideration, no significant increase
in the amount of effluents, no significant change in the type of
effluents that may be released off site, and no significant increase in
individual or cumulative occupational radiation exposure.
The licensee has not requested any further changes to the facility
design or operating conditions as part of the application for license
renewal. No significant changes have been made in the types or
quantities of effluents that may be released offsite.
The licensee has systems in place for controlling the release of
radiological effluents and implements a radiation protection program to
monitor personnel exposures and releases of radioactive effluents. The
design of the experimental facilities, the reactor pool, and the
reactor shield includes protective measures and devices which limit
radiation exposures and limit releases of radioactive material to the
environment. The systems and radiation protection program are
appropriate for the types and quantities of effluents expected to be
generated by continued operation of the reactor. Accordingly, there
would be no increase in routine occupational or public radiation
exposure as a result of license renewal. The proposed action will not
significantly increase the probability or consequences of accidents.
Therefore, license renewal would not change the environmental impact of
facility operation. The NRC staff evaluated information contained in
the licensee's application and data reported to the NRC by the licensee
for the last five years of operation to determine the projected
radiological impact of the facility on the environment during the
period of the renewed license. The NRC staff finds that releases of
radioactive material and personnel exposures were all well within
applicable regulatory limits. Based on this evaluation, the NRC staff
concluded that continued operation of the reactor would not have a
significant environmental impact.
I. Radiological Impact
Environmental Effects of Reactor Operations
The radiation protection program at the reactor facility is similar
to the campus radiation safety program but the reactor program has some
specific aspects that apply only to the reactor facility. These
protective measures and devices are discussed more thoroughly in the
UWNR Safety Analysis Report.
The ventilation system is designed to prevent the spread of
airborne particulate radioactive material into occupied areas outside
the Reactor Laboratory. It removes particulates with high efficiency
filtration and assures that all releases of both gaseous and
particulate activity are monitored and discharged at an elevated
release point. Calculations and measurements have been performed by the
licensee to determine production and release rates of the various
activities that might be discharged due to normal operation. Argon-41
is the only activity released in significant quantities during normal
operations. The maximum release rate for Argon-41 activity is 13.3
microCuries per second ([mu]Ci/sec). Using the ventilation system rated
flow-rate of 9,600 standard cubic feet per minute, this activity is
diluted to 2.94E-6 microCuries per milliliter ([mu]Ci/ml) at the stack
outlet. The resulting maximum concentration downwind is calculated to
be 1.25E-9 [mu]Ci/ml. The maximum release rate of Argon-41 would occur
with the reactor operating continuously at 1,000 kilowatts and all four
beam
[[Page 56599]]
ports and the thermal column open. Such operation is not reasonable,
but it does establish an upper limit to the activity that might be
discharged. Using the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) COMPLY
program, it was calculated that the maximally exposed receptor, in the
above-mentioned worst case, would receive a dose of 0.6 millirem/year
if all activity generated was discharged continuously. Total gaseous
radioactive releases reported to the NRC in the licensee's annual
reports were less than the air effluent concentration limits set by 10
CFR Part 20, Appendix B.
The only activity produced in liquid form in amounts sufficient to
present a personnel exposure hazard is Nitrogen-16, which is produced
in the reactor coolant as it passes through the reactor core when
operating at power levels above 100 kilowatts. Nitrogen-16 is
controlled by use of the diffuser system, which reduces the dose rate
at the pool surface to 2 to 3 millirem/hour during full power
operation. If the diffuser system fails during full power operation,
the dose rate at the pool surface is less than 100 millirem/hour. Small
quantities of liquid radioactive waste are generated by regeneration of
the demineralizer and from liquids irradiated as part of sample
irradiation. The radiation level from such liquids is extremely low and
does not produce radiation exposure hazards. Liquid wastes can be
transferred to the campus University Safety Department, Radiation
Safety Office, but most are placed into the holdup tank. The Reactor
Laboratory occasionally discharges liquid waste from the holdup tank to
the sewer system. Before discharging liquid waste into the sanitary
sewer, the discharges are filtered so that no particulate activity
above 0.5 micron size is discharged. Sampling, analysis, and release of
the holdup tank contents are governed by a written procedure that
assures releases are within 10 CFR Part 20 Appendix B Table 3 limits,
and that the pH of the aqueous liquid is within local limits for
discharge to the sewer. Annual liquid releases have ranged from 0 to
10,000 gallons, with 3,000 gallons being typical. The licensee
maintains a pool leak surveillance program. The pool water leak
surveillance program continues to monitor the pool water evaporation
rate, the pool water make-up volume, and pool water radioactivity. The
pool leak surveillance program indicated that approximately 2,449
gallons of water have been released to the environment in 2008-2009 and
736 gallons in 2007-2008. The annual reports for 2006-2007 and 2005-
2006 indicate there was no water released to the environment associated
with pool surveillance; however, the 2004-2005 annual report indicates
that water had been released. The radionuclide of concern associated
with pool water leakage would be hydrogen-3 (tritium). Annual reports
indicate that the maximum concentrations and maximum quantity released
from the facility would have no significant impact.
Annual reports reviewed from the last five years indicate that when
solid waste is generated from use of the UWNR, it is transferred to the
University of Wisconsin broad scope license for ultimate disposal in
accordance with regulations set forth under that license. In the years
that solid waste was generated, less than 400 milliCuries of solid
waste was transferred for disposal.
Dosimeters are used for monitoring operating personnel and
individuals that frequently conduct experiments. Electronic dosimeters
are used for visitors and for tour groups. Doses received by visitors
and tour groups are so low that they are often unmeasurable. The
maximum dose rate permitted during any tour is 0.5 millirem/hour. The
maximum dose rate permitted for non-radiation workers is 2.0 millirem/
hour. Visitors who are radiation workers but not part of the campus
dosimetry program, such as visiting researchers, are allowed access to
higher dose rates; however, rarely does the dose rate exceed 2.0
millirem/hour. No student dosimeter has ever received a measurable
radiation exposure from reactor operation. Occupational exposures
received by operations and maintenance personnel have historically been
very low, seldom exceeding 0.5 rem total effective dose equivalent in a
year and usually below 100 millirem/year. The occupational exposure
limit for total effective dose equivalent from 10 CFR 20.1201(a)(1)(i)
is 5 rem per year. No changes that would lead to an increase in
occupational dose are expected as a result of the proposed action.
The licensee has in place an environmental monitoring program that
uses area monitors placed in most volume occupied areas around the
reactor laboratory. The area monitors are changed out quarterly. The
exposure reading would indicate the maximum exposure an individual
would receive if continuously present in that area. Presently, there
are 26 monitoring points. Effluents are also monitored at the point of
release. According to the licensee's annual reports, the dose a person
would receive if continuously present in any of the monitored areas
would be less than limits set forth in 10 CFR Part 20 for dose to the
general public.
The licensee conducts an environmental monitoring program to record
and track the radiological impact of UWNR operation on the surrounding
unrestricted area. The program consists of quarterly exposure
measurements at four locations on the site boundary and at two control
locations away from any direct influence from the reactor. Review of
the last five annual reports submitted by the licensee indicates that
radiation exposure at the monitoring locations were not significantly
higher than those measured at the control locations. Based on the NRC
staff's review of the past five years of data, the NRC staff concludes
that operation of the UWNR does not have any significant radiological
impact on the surrounding environment. No changes in reactor operation
that would affect off-site radiation levels are expected as a result of
the license renewal.
Environmental Effects of Accidents
Accident analyses are discussed in Chapter 13 of the UWNR Safety
Analysis Report and updated in the low-enriched uranium conversion
report dated August 25, 2008 (ADAMS Accession No. ML090760776). The
maximum hypothetical accident for UWNR is postulated as damage to a
fuel element resulting in failure of the fuel cladding. The likelihood
of a major fuel element cladding failure is considered small. The
elements must meet rigid quality control standards; pool water quality
is carefully controlled; and care is taken in handling fuel. Though the
likelihood is small, such a cladding failure is possible. In the event
of such an accident, the amount of volatiles released to the room would
be 11.28 Curies. If this activity is distributed uniformly in the
laboratory volume, the resulting concentration would be 5.18E-3 Ci/
m\3\. The maximum dose to a worker in confinement for 5 minutes would
be 1.35 rem total effective dose equivalent, 35.8 rem committed dose
equivalent to the thyroid gland, and 278 millirem effective dose
equivalent. The proposed action will not result in any changes that
will increase the probability or consequences of accidents.
II. Non-Radiological Impacts
The UWNR is cooled by a system that contains three loops: The
closed loop primary system; the closed loop intermediate coolant
system; and the closed loop campus chilled water system. Heat from the
primary coolant system is transferred to the intermediate
[[Page 56600]]
coolant system through the primary heat exchanger. Heat from the
intermediate cooling system is then transferred to the campus chilled
water system through the intermediate heat exchanger. The system is
designed to maintain a pressure gradient towards the pool in order to
prevent the inadvertent loss of pool water. A 5 centimeter (2 inch)
diameter line whose rupture could have caused loss of pool water has
been permanently plugged inside the concrete shield and is presently
sealed off outside the shield. A pool drain line and valve have been
eliminated. There are no valves in the system that, if opened, can
drain the pool. The proposed action would not make any changes that
would increase the non-radiological consequences of accidents.
National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) Considerations
The NRC has responsibilities that are derived from NEPA and from
other environmental laws, which include the Endangered Species Act
(ESA), Coastal Zone Management Act (CZMA), National Historic
Preservation Act (NHPA), Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act (FWCA), and
the Executive Order on Environmental Justice. The following presents a
brief discussion of impacts associated with these laws and other
requirements.
I. Endangered Species Act
No effects on the aquatic or terrestrial habitat in the vicinity of
the facility, or to threatened, endangered, or protected species under
the Endangered Species Act, would be expected.
II. Coastal Zone Management Act
The site occupied by the UWNR is not located within any managed
coastal zones, nor do the UWNR effluents impact any managed coastal
zones.
III. National Historic Preservation Act
The NHPA requires Federal agencies to consider the effects of their
undertakings on historic properties. There are a few historic sites
located on the UW campus within 0.5 miles of the site but the closest
to the site of the UWNR is the old U. S. Forest Products Laboratory.
The location of the old U. S. Products Laboratory is approximately 31
meters (100 feet) from the Mechanical Engineering Building where the
UWNR is located. Continued operation of the UWNR will not affect this
historic designation. It is unlikely that there would be any potential
impacts of license renewal that would have an adverse effect on
historic and archaeological resources at UWNR.
IV. Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act
The licensee is not planning any water resource development
projects, including any of the modifications relating to impounding a
body of water, damming, diverting a stream or river, deepening a
channel, irrigation, or altering a body of water for navigation or
drainage.
V. Executive Order 12898--Environmental Justice
The environmental justice impact analysis evaluates the potential
for disproportionately high and adverse human health and environmental
effects on minority and low-income populations that could result from
the relicensing and the continued operation of the UWNR. Such effects
may include human health, biological, cultural, economic, or social
impacts. Minority and low-income populations are subsets of the general
public residing around the UWNR, and all are exposed to the same health
and environmental effects generated from activities at the UWNR.
Minority Populations in the Vicinity of the UWNR--According to 2000
census data, 9 percent of the population (approximately 1,014,000
individuals) residing within a 50-mile radius of UWNR identified
themselves as minority individuals. The largest minority groups were
Black or African American and Hispanic or Latino (32,000 persons or 3.2
percent), followed by Asian (21,000 or 2.0 percent). According to the
U.S. Census Bureau, about 12.7 percent of the Dane County population
identified themselves as minorities, with persons of Black or African
American origin comprising the largest minority group (6.1 percent).
According to the census data 3-year average estimates for 2006-2008,
the minority population of Dane County, as a percent of the total
population, had increased to 15.5 percent.
Low-income Populations in the Vicinity of the UWNR--According to
2000 Census data, approximately 10,500 families and 75,000 individuals
(approximately 4.1 and 7.4 percent, respectively) residing within a 50-
mile radius of the UWNR were identified as living below the Federal
poverty threshold in 1999. The 1999 Federal poverty threshold was
$17,029 for a family of four.
According to Census data in the 2006-2008 American Community Survey
3-Year Estimates, the median household income for Wisconsin was
$52,249, while 7.0 percent of families and 10.7 percent of the state
population were determined to be living below the Federal poverty
threshold. Dane County had a higher median household income average
($61,818) and a lower percent of families (4.6 percent) and similar
percentage of individuals (10.9 percent) living below the poverty
level, respectively.
Impact Analysis--Potential impacts to minority and low-income
populations would mostly consist of radiological effects; however,
radiation doses from continued operations associated with this license
renewal are expected to continue at current levels, and would be well
below regulatory limits.
Based on this information and the analysis of human health and
environmental impacts presented in this environmental assessment, the
proposed relicensing would not have disproportionately high and adverse
human health and environmental effects on minority and low-income
populations residing in the vicinity of UWNR.
Environmental Impacts of the Alternatives to the Proposed Action
As an alternative to license renewal, the NRC considered denying
the proposed action. If the NRC denied the request for license renewal,
reactor operations would cease and decommissioning would be required.
The NRC notes that, even with a renewed license, the UWNR will
eventually be decommissioned, at which time the environmental effects
of decommissioning would occur. Decommissioning would be conducted in
accordance with an NRC-approved decommissioning plan, which would
require a separate environmental review under 10 CFR 51.21. Cessation
of facility operations would reduce or eliminate radioactive effluents
and emissions. However, as previously discussed in this environmental
assessment, radioactive effluents and emissions from reactor operations
constitute a small fraction of the applicable regulatory limits.
Therefore, the environmental impacts of license renewal and the denial
of the request for license renewal would be similar. In addition,
denying the request for license renewal would eliminate the benefits of
teaching, research, and services provided by the UWNR.
Agencies and Persons Consulted
In accordance with the agency's stated policy, on July 1, 2010, the
staff consulted with the State Liaison Officer regarding the
environmental impact of the proposed action. In an electronic mail
message dated July 2, 2010, the State Liaison Officer indicated that
the State had no comments with respect to
[[Page 56601]]
the environmental assessment and for the Finding of No Significant
Impact.
In a communication dated July 9, 2010, the Wisconsin State Historic
Preservation Office agreed that no historic properties would be
affected as a result of continued operation of the UWNR.
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 May 9, 2000 (ADAMS Accession No. ML093570404),
as supplemented by letter dated October 17, 2008 (ADAMS Accession No.
ML100740573). Documents may be examined, and/or copied for a fee, at
the NRC's Public Document Room (PDR), located at One White Flint North,
11555 Rockville Pike (first floor), Rockville, Maryland. Publicly
available records will be accessible electronically from the ADAMS
Public Electronic Reading Room on the NRC Web site http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html. 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 at 1-800-397-4209, or 301-415-4737,
or send an e-mail to [email protected].
Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 10th day of September 2010.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Linh Tran,
Senior Project Manager, Research and Test Reactors Licensing Branch,
Division of Policy and Rulemaking, Office of Nuclear Reactor
Regulation.
[FR Doc. 2010-23114 Filed 9-15-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P