[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 237 (Wednesday, December 10, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 73343-73345]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-29001]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[Docket No. No. 50-134; NRC-2010-0053]


Worcester Polytechnic Institute's Leslie C. Wilbur Nuclear 
Reactor Facility

AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

ACTION: License termination; issuance.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is noticing the 
termination of Facility Operating License No. R-61 for the Leslie C.

[[Page 73344]]

Wilbur Nuclear Reactor Facility (LCWNRF). The NRC has terminated the 
license of the decommissioned LCWNRF at the Worcester Polytechnic 
Institute (WPI or the licensee) in Worcester, Massachusetts, and has 
released the site for unrestricted use.

DATES: Notice of termination of Facility Operating License No. R-61 
given on December 10, 2014.

ADDRESSES: Please refer to Docket ID NRC-2010-0053 when contacting the 
NRC about the availability of information regarding this document. You 
may obtain publicly-available information related to this document 
using any of the following methods:
     Federal Rulemaking Web site: Go to http://www.regulations.gov and search for Docket ID NRC-2010-0053. Address 
questions about NRC dockets to Carol Gallagher; telephone: 301-287-
3422; email: [email protected]. For technical questions, contact 
the individual listed in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section of 
this document.
     NRC's Agencywide Documents Access and Management System 
(ADAMS): You may obtain publicly-available documents online in the 
ADAMS Public Documents collection at http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html. To begin the search, select ``ADAMS Public Documents'' and 
then select ``Begin Web-based ADAMS Search.'' For problems with ADAMS, 
please contact the NRC's Public Document Room (PDR) reference staff at 
1-800-397-4209, 301-415-4737, or by email to [email protected]. The 
ADAMS accession number for each document referenced (if it is available 
in ADAMS) is provided the first time that it is mentioned in the 
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section.
     NRC's PDR: You may examine and purchase copies of public 
documents at the NRC's PDR, Room O1-F21, One White Flint North, 11555 
Rockville Pike, Rockville, Maryland 20852.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Theodore Smith, Office of Nuclear 
Material Safety and Safeguards, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, 
Washington DC 20555-0001; telephone: 301-415-6721; email: 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The LCWNRF provided graduate and 
undergraduate students with reactor operating experience and 
experimental practice in the fields of nuclear engineering, metallurgy, 
chemistry, and physics, as well as irradiation services for other 
teaching, medical, and industrial institutions. The licensee ceased 
operation of the facility on June 30, 2007. The reactor fuel was 
removed in July 2011, with the fuel being delivered to the University 
of Massachusetts Lowell. The LCWNRF underwent decommissioning 
activities in late 2012, followed by Final Status Surveys (FSS) in the 
fall of 2013 to assess the final radiological status of the facility.
    The licensee submitted a Decommissioning Plan (DP) dated March 31, 
2009 (ADAMS Accession No. ML090960651), for NRC approval. The NRC 
requested additional information for its review of the DP by letter 
dated June 23, 2009 (ADAMS Package Accession No. ML091730007), and the 
licensee responded to that request with a revised DP on September 30, 
2009 (ADAMS Accession No. ML092880231). The NRC approved the revised 
WPI DP by Amendment No. 12 to License R-61, dated March 29, 2011 (ADAMS 
Package Accession No. ML103120030).
    As required by the WPI DP, the WPI submitted a Final Status Survey 
Plan (FSSP), dated January 31, 2013 (ADAMS Package Accession No. 
ML130460119), as a supplement to the DP. By letter dated June 11, 2013 
(ADAMS Accession No. ML13156A041), the NRC reviewed the survey plan and 
determined that it was consistent with the guidance in NUREG-1757, 
``Consolidated Decommissioning Guidance'' (ADAMS Accession No. 
ML063000243), and NUREG-1575, ``Multi-Agency Radiation Survey and Site 
Investigation Manual'' (ADAMS Accession No. ML082470583).
    On March 5, 2014, the WPI submitted its Final Status Survey Report 
(FSSR) (ADAMS Package Accession No. ML14080A176) and requested 
termination of the LCWNRF license. The report demonstrates that the 
criteria for termination set forth in WPI's license (R-61), and as 
established in its DP and FSSP, have been satisfied. The FSSP indicates 
that all individual radiological measurement determinations made 
throughout the facility for surface contamination (both total and 
removable) were found to be less than the criteria established in the 
DP. Similarly, sample results from concrete, metallic liners, soil, and 
sediments were found to be less than the volumetric radionuclide 
concentration criteria established in the DP. Additionally, all the 
radioactive wastes have been removed from the facility, and 
documentation regarding its removal disposition is provided in the 
FSSR. As such, the NRC staff has determined that the survey results in 
the report comply with the criteria in the NRC approved DP and the 
release criteria in subpart E of part 20 of Title 10 of the Code of 
Federal Regulations (10 CFR).
    On July 11-12, 2012, May 2-3, 2013 (ADAMS Accession No. 
ML13161A084), and August 22, 2013 (ADAMS Package Accession No. 
ML14024A421), Region 1 of the NRC conducted safety inspections at the 
LCWNRF. The inspections were an examination of WPI's licensed 
activities as they relate to radiation safety and to compliance with 
the Commission's regulations and the license conditions, including the 
DP and FSSP. The inspections consisted of observations by the 
inspectors, interviews with personnel, and a review of procedures and 
records and acquisition of split samples. No health and safety concerns 
were identified during these inspections. The samples, consisting of 
concrete cores and sediments collected during the inspections, were 
sent to Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU) for analysis. The ORAU 
provided the results of the sample analysis in a report dated October 
7, 2013 (ADAMS Accession No. ML13309B020). The ORAU analyzed the 
samples for Cobalt-60, Europium-152, Europium-154, and Cesium-137. The 
report showed that results of all samples were found to be less than 
the volumetric radionuclide concentration criteria established in the 
DP.
    Based on observations during NRC inspections, decommissioning 
activities have been carried out by the WPI in accordance with the 
LCWNRF DP. Additionally, NRC staff have evaluated the WPI FSSR and 
conducted independent confirmatory surveys. All FSSR measurements were 
found to be less than the DP FSSP criteria, and NRC's analytical 
results from independent confirmatory surveys were consistent with the 
WPI FSSR results. Therefore, the NRC staff has concluded that the WPI 
LCWNRF has completed decommissioning in accordance with the approved 
DP. Additionally, the NRC staff determined in its March 29, 2011, 
letter that DP FSS criteria would provide residual radioactivity that 
will not exceed 25 millirem (0.25 milliSievert) per year, and that 
doses would be reduced to levels as low as reasonably achievable, 
consistent with the release criteria in subpart E of 10 CFR part 20. 
Therefore, NRC evaluation of the WPI LCWNRF FSSR, DP, and associated 
documentation has determined that the facilities and site are suitable 
for unrestricted release in accordance with the criteria for license 
termination in 10 CFR part 20, subpart E.
    Therefore, pursuant to 10 CFR 50.82(b)(6), the WPI LCWNRF in 
Worcester, Massachusetts, has completed decommissioning and

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Facility Operating License No. R-61 is terminated.

    Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 25th day of November 2014.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Andrew Persinko,
Deputy Director, Division of Decommissioning, Uranium Recovery, and 
Waste Programs, Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards.
[FR Doc. 2014-29001 Filed 12-9-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P