[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 71 (Tuesday, April 14, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 20017-20018]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-08576]
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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[Docket No. 50-134; NRC-2015-0090]
University of Michigan's Ford 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-28 for the Ford Nuclear
Reactor (FNR). The NRC has terminated the license of the decommissioned
FNR at the University of Michigan (UM or the licensee) in Ann Arbor,
Michigan, and has released the site for unrestricted use.
DATES: Notice of termination of Facility Operating License No. R-28
given on April 14, 2015.
ADDRESSES: Please refer to Docket ID NRC-2015-0090 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-2015-0090. Address
questions about NRC dockets to Carol Gallagher; telephone: 301-415-
3463; 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 FNR was operated by the Michigan
Memorial Phoenix Project (MMPP) at the UM as a memorial to students and
alumni of the UM who served in World War II, including the 588 who died
in the war. The MMPP's purpose has been to encourage and support
research on the peaceful uses of nuclear energy and its social
implications. The FNR was used by students, faculty and staff of the UM
and other institutions and entities for research, experiments, and
education classes. The FNR operations provided major assistance to a
wide variety of research and educational programs, including neutron
irradiation services, neutron beam port experimental facilities,
classes in reactor operations, reactor related laboratory work, neutron
activation analysis, isotope preparation, radiochemical preparation,
gamma irradiation services, neutron radiography, testing services, and
training programs. The licensee ceased operation of the facility in
July 2003, and the fuel was subsequently removed in December 2003. The
FNR underwent decommissioning activities from 2006 until 2012, followed
by Final Status Surveys (FSS) in the winter of 2012 to assess the final
radiological status of the facility.
The licensee submitted a proposed Decommissioning Plan (DP) on June
23, 2004 (ADAMS Package No. ML041810586) which was revised on January
10, 2006 (ADAMS Package No. ML060180411). The NRC approved the revised
UM DP by Amendment No. 50 to License R-28, dated June 26, 2006 (ADAMS
Accession No. ML061220260).
As required by the FNR DP, the UM submitted a Final Status Survey
Plan (FSSP), in letters dated April 8, 2011, July 12, 2011, January 20,
2012, June 1, 2012, July 13, 2012, and September 17, 2012 (ADAMS
Accession Nos. ML11119A004, ML11199A009, ML12025A125, ML12157A266,
ML12199A018, and ML12264A562, respectively). Additional site
characterization information for the FNR was provided on February 14,
2012, and September 18, 2012 (ADAMS Package No. ML120950629 and ADAMS
Accession No. ML12264A064).
By letter dated October 25, 2012 (ADAMS Accession No. ML12293A302),
the NRC reviewed the FSSP and determined that after a change to one
paragraph, it was acceptable and 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'' (MARSSIM) (ADAMS Accession No. ML082470583). The
UM provided the modified FSSP with the revised paragraph on November 2,
2012 (ADAMS Accession No. ML12312A130). The modification required an
additional final status survey for three special areas of the FNR.
The UM provided a final status survey report (FSSR) which included
information on the three special FSS
[[Page 20018]]
areas in a letter dated July 11, 2013 (ADAMS Package ML13205A152),
followed by a corrected background count rate for the FSSR on August
19, 2013 (ADAMS Accession No. ML13235A009).
In a letter dated February 26, 2014 (ADAMS Accession No.
ML14063A207), the UM confirmed that FNR systems and components had been
transferred to the UM Broad Scope license No. 21-00215-04 by Amendment
No. 102, in accordance with the approved DP, and requested termination
of the FNR license. The Amendment No. 102 transfer was approved by the
NRC, with a correction, on February 19, 2014 (ADAMS Accession No.
ML14055A189). On June 23, 2014, NRC inspectors confirmed that site
conditions were acceptable for license termination (ADAMS Accession No.
ML14197A232). Additionally, NRC staff has reviewed the FNR FSSR. The
FNR FSSR states that the criteria for termination set forth in FNR's
license (R-28), and as established in its DP and FSSP have been
satisfied.
The FSSR indicates that all but one of the 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, which is acceptable in accordance with
the MARSSIM statistical methodology. Similarly, sample results from
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. For these reasons, 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 August 9 through 11, 2011 the NRC conducted an on-site
inspection of the decommissioning activities at the FNR. The NRC
inspector evaluated decommissioning performance and conducted
independent radiation surveys and soil sampling, with soil sample
evaluation of the NRC samples by the Oak Ridge Associated Universities
(ORAU). The inspection was an examination of UM'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 inspection consisted of observations by the inspectors,
interviews with personnel, and a review of procedures and records and
acquisition of split samples. As a result of this inspection, a Notice
of Violation was issued to the UM for failing to independently monitor
or audit either decommissioning operations or the quality assurance
program annually as required (ADAMS Accession No. ML11299A076). This
violation has been resolved by the UM reinitiating audits and quality
assurance reviews as part of semi-annual Decommissioning Review
Committee meetings, as documented in an October 10, 2012 NRC inspection
report. (ADAMS Accession No. ML12284A282). The final report from ORAU
of the results of the soil sample analysis was provided to the NRC on
August 23, 2011 (ADAMS Accession No. ML112420852). One of the soil
samples exceeded the FNR DP's soil derived concentration guideline
level for Cobalt-60, which was addressed by the UM subsequently
remediating all the soil from the cavity area, and resampling as part
of the final status survey.
At the request of NRC staff, on January 16, 2015 (ADAMS Accession
No. ML15020A725), UM provided the results of eight additional soil
samples, taken to a depth of thirteen feet, in the area where
stockpiled soils were reused to refill the excavation in the former
storage ports area of the FNR. All samples were below minimum
detectable activity and well below the soil derived concentration
guideline levels, which demonstrates that the reused stockpiled soils
are acceptable for unrestricted release. Additionally, three split
samples were sent to ORAU for laboratory analysis (ADAMS Accession No.
ML15030A311). The results contained in the analytical report are
consistent with UM's report.
Pursuant to 10 CFR 50.82(b)(6), the NRC staff has concluded that
the UM FNR in Ann Arbor, Michigan, has been decommissioned in
accordance with the approved DP and that the FSSR and associated
documentation demonstrates that the facilities and site may be released
in accordance with the criteria for license termination in 10 CFR part
20, subpart E. Further, on the basis of the decommissioning activities
carried out by the UM, the NRC's review of the licensee's FSSR, the
results of the NRC inspections conducted at the reactor facility, and
the results of confirmatory lab analyses, the NRC has concluded that
the decommissioning process is complete and the facilities and sites
may be released for unrestricted use.
Therefore, Facility Operating License No. R-28 is terminated.
Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 2nd day of April 2015.
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. 2015-08576 Filed 4-13-15; 8:45 am]
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