United States Geological Survey Triga Reactor Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact, 32662-32663 [E5-2849]
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32662
Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 106 / Friday, June 3, 2005 / Notices
NUCLEAR REGULATORY
COMMISSION
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Geological Survey
[Docket No. 50–274]
United States Geological Survey Triga
Reactor Environmental Assessment
and Finding of No Significant Impact
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory
Commission (NRC) is considering
issuance of an amendment to Facility
License No. R–113, issued to the
Department of the Interior, United
States Geological Survey (the licensee),
which authorizes operation of the
United States Geological Survey TRIGA
Reactor (GSTR), in Lakewood, Colorado.
Therefore, as required by 10 CFR 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 revise
Facility License No. R–113 to change
the license expiration date from October
10, 2007, to February 24, 2009, to
recapture the construction time between
the issuance date of Construction Permit
No. CPRR–102 (October 10, 1967) and
issuance date of Facility Operating
License No. R–113 (February 24, 1969)
to allow a 40-year operating license
term.
The GSTR is located in a building on
the grounds of the Denver Federal
Center, a complex of U.S. Government
offices and laboratories owned by the
U.S. Government about 7 miles (11.3
km) southwest of the central Denver,
Colorado, business area. The reactor is
a General Atomics TRIGA-Mark I design
with a maximum steady state power
level of 1 megawatt thermal power
(MW(t)). The reactor can be operated in
a pulse mode with reactivity insertions
not to exceed 2.1% delta k/k. The
reactor core is at the bottom of an open
pool with about 20 ft (6 m) of water
above the core for radiation shielding.
The fuel moderator elements consist of
a homogeneous mixture of uraniumzirconium hydride. The elements are
rods about 28 inches (71 cm) long with
a diameter of about 1.5 inch (4 cm). The
fuel elements are clad in stainless steel.
The reactor pool is surrounded by a
biological shield. The reactor is inside a
confinement building.
The construction permit for the
facility (CPRR–102) was issued to the
licensee on October 10, 1967. On
February 24, 1969, Facility Operating
VerDate jul<14>2003
18:03 Jun 02, 2005
Jkt 205001
License No. R–113 was issued to the
licensee. The facility normally operates
during the day shift from Monday to
Friday.
The proposed action is in accordance
with the licensee’s application for
amendment dated April 30, 2002, as
supplemented by letters dated March 11
and 24, 2005.
an as low as is reasonably achievable
criteria for air emissions as a result of
which an individual member of the
public receives a total effective dose
equivalent (TEDE) of less than 10 mrem
per year.
The results of calculations for the
years 2000–2004, are as follows:
The proposed action is needed to
recapture the time spent constructing
the plant. The amendment will allow
operation of the GSTR reactor for a term
of 40 years from the date of issuance of
the facility license.
Environmental Impacts of the Proposed
Action
The NRC has completed its safety
evaluation of the proposed amendment
to change the expiration date of the
facility license to recapture time
between construction and operation to
allow a 40-year operating license term
and concludes there is reasonable
assurance that the GSTR will continue
to operate safely for the additional
period of time authorized by the
amendment.
The licensee has not requested any
changes to the facility design or
operating conditions as part of this
amendment request. Data from the last
5 years of operation was assessed to
determine the radiological impact of the
facility on the environment.
The licensee does environmental
surveys by measuring the exposure at
five outdoor environmental stations
near the GSTR facility with
thermoluminescent dosimeters (TLDs).
The results from the TLD with the
maximum exposure (with background
subtracted) were as follows:
Maximum
(rad/yr)
(except
2000, which
is in rem/yr)
Year
2004
2003
2002
2001
2000
..........................................
..........................................
..........................................
..........................................
..........................................
0.0226
0.0157
0.0233
0.0427
0.0974
These doses are within the regulatory
limits of 0.1 rem per year total effective
dose equivalent for doses to members of
the public given in 10 CFR 20.1301.
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 for
PO 00000
Frm 00099
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
Dose
(mrem/yr)
Year
The Need for the Proposed Action
2004
2003
2002
2001
2000
..........................................
..........................................
..........................................
..........................................
..........................................
0.1
0.1
0.2
0.3
0.2
These doses are within the 10 mrem
per year TEDE constraint on air
emissions given in 10 CFR 20.1101(d).
The airborne effluent releases are as
follows:
Year
2004
2003
2002
2001
2000
..................
..................
..................
..................
..................
Curies released
(argon–41)
1.718
2.289
2.442
4.868
2.910
Curies released
(total)
1.719
2.290
2.443
4.869
2.912
Airborne effluent releases from the
facility consist primarily of argon-41.
This is characteristic for research
reactors. The releases from the facility
were below the average concentration
requirements of the facility technical
specifications.
The licensee has not released liquid
effluent to the sanitary sewer or the
environment since 1990. The small
amounts of liquid waste generated by
reactor operations are evaporated or are
solidified for disposal.
Shipments of solid radioactive waste
off site for disposal at approved sites
were as follows (note that these
numbers also include some solid waste
from other U.S. Geological Survey
activities and therefore are bounding for
the reactor facility):
Year
2004
2003
2002
2001
2000
..................
..................
..................
..................
..................
Volume
(cubic feet)
0
7.5
7.5
7.5
7.5
Activity
(mCi)
0
10
5
194
106
The NRC inspection program
confirmed that the waste shipments met
the requirements of the regulations in 10
CFR Part 20 for waste disposal. The
principal radioactive waste generated at
the GSTR is demineralizer resin. The
licensee did not ship radioactive waste
off site in 2004.
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03JNN1
Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 106 / Friday, June 3, 2005 / Notices
The licensee collects groundwater
samples from a monitoring well down
gradient from the GSTR. These samples
were analyzed for tritium, which is the
only significant reactor-produced
radionuclide in the primary coolant.
Tritium is also soluble in water, which
makes it a sensitive indicator of the
reactor’s impact, if any, on groundwater.
Between 2000 and 2004, except for one
sample, the results have been below the
licensee’s lower limit of measuring
detection. The sample that showed a
positive result was slightly above the
licensee’s lower limit of measuring
detection and significantly below
regulatory limits.
The radiological releases from the
facility and the associated doses to the
public are within regulatory limits or
facility technical specifications and do
not have a significant impact on human
health or the environment. The
licensee’s environmental radiation
monitoring includes soil and water
sampling and direct radiation readings.
The results of the monitoring program
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
previous levels, which were within
regulatory limits.
Occupational doses to GSTR staff and
users meet the regulatory requirements
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, no
significant radiological environmental
impacts are associated with the
proposed action.
With regard to potential
nonradiological impacts, the proposed
action does not have a potential to
impact historic properties.
No chemicals which are discharged to
the environment are used for activities
under the reactor license.
The facility uses approximately
600,000 gallons of water annually. The
water is supplied by a utility, Denver
Water, which is able to supply 745
million gallons of potable water a day.
Most of the water is used in the cooling
tower and the water is lost to the
atmosphere as water vapor or
VerDate jul<14>2003
18:03 Jun 02, 2005
Jkt 205001
discharged to the sanitary sewer as
bleedoff water. Wastewater from the
facility discharges to the Denver
Wastewater Management Division
system.
The site for the reactor facility is
several rooms in a building at the
Denver Federal Center. No Federal- or
State-listed plants or animals are known
to be found on the GSTR site.
The GSTR uses a minimal amount of
water 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 nonradiological
environmental impacts associated with
the proposed action.
Accordingly, the NRC concludes that
no significant environmental impacts
are associated with the proposed action.
Environmental Impacts of the
Alternatives to the Proposed Action
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 will result in expiration of the
current license in October 2007, and the
commencement of decommissioning if
an application for license renewal is not
made. If the application is denied, the
licensee is expected to apply for
renewal of the license. Whether the
reactor is operating under the proposed
action or a renewed license or during
the evaluation of a timely renewal
application, 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 no significant impact on the
environment. The environmental
impacts of the proposed action and this
alternative action are similar. In
addition, the benefits of research
conducted by the facility would be lost.
Alternative Use of Resources
This action does not involve the use
of any resources not previously
considered in the Hazards Summary
Report dated December 1966 prepared
for initial licensing of the facility.
Agencies and Persons Consulted
In accordance with the agency’s stated
policy, on March 18 and 21, and April
7, 2005, the staff consulted with the
Colorado State official, Mr. Steve
PO 00000
Frm 00100
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
32663
Tarlton, Unit Leader, Radiation
Protection Program, Hazardous
Materials and Waste Management
Division, Colorado Department of Public
Health and Environment, regarding the
environmental impact of the proposed
action. The State official discussed the
fact that groundwater-monitoring wells
existed at the Denver Federal Center.
The State official was not aware if any
groundwater samples were analyzed for
radionuclides. However, if data existed,
it would contribute to the discussion of
the environmental impact of the GSTR.
This issue was discussed with the
licensee, who confirmed that samples
from a groundwater-monitoring well
down gradient from the GSTR were
routinely collected and analyzed. This
data has been added to the
environmental assessment.
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 April 30, 2002, as supplemented
by letters dated March 11 and 24, 2005.
Documents may be examined, and/or
copied for a fee, at the NRC’s Public
Document Room (PDR) at One White
Flint North, Public File Area O–1–F–21,
11555 Rockville Pike (first floor),
Rockville, Maryland. Publicly available
records will be accessible electronically
from the Agencywide Documents
Access and Management System
(ADAMS) Public Electronic Reading
Room on the Internet at 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 by telephone at
1–800–397–4209 or 301–415–4737 or by
e-mail to pdr@nrc.gov.
Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 23rd day
of May 2005.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Patrick M. Madden,
Section Chief, Research and Test Reactors
Section, New, Research and Test Reactors
Program, Division of Regulatory Improvement
Programs, Office of Nuclear Reactor
Regulation.
[FR Doc. E5–2849 Filed 6–2–05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590–01–P
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03JNN1
Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 106 (Friday, June 3, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 32662-32663]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E5-2849]
[[Page 32662]]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Geological Survey
[Docket No. 50-274]
United States Geological Survey Triga Reactor Environmental
Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is considering
issuance of an amendment to Facility License No. R-113, issued to the
Department of the Interior, United States Geological Survey (the
licensee), which authorizes operation of the United States Geological
Survey TRIGA Reactor (GSTR), in Lakewood, Colorado. Therefore, as
required by 10 CFR 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 revise Facility License No. R-113 to
change the license expiration date from October 10, 2007, to February
24, 2009, to recapture the construction time between the issuance date
of Construction Permit No. CPRR-102 (October 10, 1967) and issuance
date of Facility Operating License No. R-113 (February 24, 1969) to
allow a 40-year operating license term.
The GSTR is located in a building on the grounds of the Denver
Federal Center, a complex of U.S. Government offices and laboratories
owned by the U.S. Government about 7 miles (11.3 km) southwest of the
central Denver, Colorado, business area. The reactor is a General
Atomics TRIGA-Mark I design with a maximum steady state power level of
1 megawatt thermal power (MW(t)). The reactor can be operated in a
pulse mode with reactivity insertions not to exceed 2.1% delta k/k. The
reactor core is at the bottom of an open pool with about 20 ft (6 m) of
water above the core for radiation shielding. The fuel moderator
elements consist of a homogeneous mixture of uranium-zirconium hydride.
The elements are rods about 28 inches (71 cm) long with a diameter of
about 1.5 inch (4 cm). The fuel elements are clad in stainless steel.
The reactor pool is surrounded by a biological shield. The reactor is
inside a confinement building.
The construction permit for the facility (CPRR-102) was issued to
the licensee on October 10, 1967. On February 24, 1969, Facility
Operating License No. R-113 was issued to the licensee. The facility
normally operates during the day shift from Monday to Friday.
The proposed action is in accordance with the licensee's
application for amendment dated April 30, 2002, as supplemented by
letters dated March 11 and 24, 2005.
The Need for the Proposed Action
The proposed action is needed to recapture the time spent
constructing the plant. The amendment will allow operation of the GSTR
reactor for a term of 40 years from the date of issuance of the
facility license.
Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action
The NRC has completed its safety evaluation of the proposed
amendment to change the expiration date of the facility license to
recapture time between construction and operation to allow a 40-year
operating license term and concludes there is reasonable assurance that
the GSTR will continue to operate safely for the additional period of
time authorized by the amendment.
The licensee has not requested any changes to the facility design
or operating conditions as part of this amendment request. Data from
the last 5 years of operation was assessed to determine the
radiological impact of the facility on the environment.
The licensee does environmental surveys by measuring the exposure
at five outdoor environmental stations near the GSTR facility with
thermoluminescent dosimeters (TLDs). The results from the TLD with the
maximum exposure (with background subtracted) were as follows:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Maximum
(rad/yr)
(except
Year 2000, which
is in rem/
yr)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
2004....................................................... 0.0226
2003....................................................... 0.0157
2002....................................................... 0.0233
2001....................................................... 0.0427
2000....................................................... 0.0974
------------------------------------------------------------------------
These doses are within the regulatory limits of 0.1 rem per year total
effective dose equivalent for doses to members of the public given in
10 CFR 20.1301.
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 for an as
low as is reasonably achievable criteria for air emissions as a result
of which an individual member of the public receives a total effective
dose equivalent (TEDE) of less than 10 mrem per year.
The results of calculations for the years 2000-2004, are as
follows:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dose (mrem/
Year yr)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
2004....................................................... 0.1
2003....................................................... 0.1
2002....................................................... 0.2
2001....................................................... 0.3
2000....................................................... 0.2
------------------------------------------------------------------------
These doses are within the 10 mrem per year TEDE constraint on air
emissions given in 10 CFR 20.1101(d).
The airborne effluent releases are as follows:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Curies Curies
Year released released
(argon-41) (total)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
2004.......................................... 1.718 1.719
2003.......................................... 2.289 2.290
2002.......................................... 2.442 2.443
2001.......................................... 4.868 4.869
2000.......................................... 2.910 2.912
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Airborne effluent releases from the facility consist primarily of
argon-41. This is characteristic for research reactors. The releases
from the facility were below the average concentration requirements of
the facility technical specifications.
The licensee has not released liquid effluent to the sanitary sewer
or the environment since 1990. The small amounts of liquid waste
generated by reactor operations are evaporated or are solidified for
disposal.
Shipments of solid radioactive waste off site for disposal at
approved sites were as follows (note that these numbers also include
some solid waste from other U.S. Geological Survey activities and
therefore are bounding for the reactor facility):
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Volume
Year (cubic Activity
feet) (mCi)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
2004.......................................... 0 0
2003.......................................... 7.5 10
2002.......................................... 7.5 5
2001.......................................... 7.5 194
2000.......................................... 7.5 106
------------------------------------------------------------------------
The NRC inspection program confirmed that the waste shipments met
the requirements of the regulations in 10 CFR Part 20 for waste
disposal. The principal radioactive waste generated at the GSTR is
demineralizer resin. The licensee did not ship radioactive waste off
site in 2004.
[[Page 32663]]
The licensee collects groundwater samples from a monitoring well
down gradient from the GSTR. These samples were analyzed for tritium,
which is the only significant reactor-produced radionuclide in the
primary coolant. Tritium is also soluble in water, which makes it a
sensitive indicator of the reactor's impact, if any, on groundwater.
Between 2000 and 2004, except for one sample, the results have been
below the licensee's lower limit of measuring detection. The sample
that showed a positive result was slightly above the licensee's lower
limit of measuring detection and significantly below regulatory limits.
The radiological releases from the facility and the associated
doses to the public are within regulatory limits or facility technical
specifications and do not have a significant impact on human health or
the environment. The licensee's environmental radiation monitoring
includes soil and water sampling and direct radiation readings. The
results of the monitoring program 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 previous levels, which were within regulatory
limits.
Occupational doses to GSTR staff and users meet the regulatory
requirements 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, no significant radiological environmental impacts are
associated with the proposed action.
With regard to potential nonradiological impacts, the proposed
action does not have a potential to impact historic properties.
No chemicals which are discharged to the environment are used for
activities under the reactor license.
The facility uses approximately 600,000 gallons of water annually.
The water is supplied by a utility, Denver Water, which is able to
supply 745 million gallons of potable water a day. Most of the water is
used in the cooling tower and the water is lost to the atmosphere as
water vapor or discharged to the sanitary sewer as bleedoff water.
Wastewater from the facility discharges to the Denver Wastewater
Management Division system.
The site for the reactor facility is several rooms in a building at
the Denver Federal Center. No Federal- or State-listed plants or
animals are known to be found on the GSTR site.
The GSTR uses a minimal amount of water 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 nonradiological
environmental impacts associated with the proposed action.
Accordingly, the NRC concludes that no significant environmental
impacts are associated with the proposed action.
Environmental Impacts of the Alternatives to the Proposed Action
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 will result in expiration of the current license
in October 2007, and the commencement of decommissioning if an
application for license renewal is not made. If the application is
denied, the licensee is expected to apply for renewal of the license.
Whether the reactor is operating under the proposed action or a renewed
license or during the evaluation of a timely renewal application, 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 no significant impact on the environment. The environmental
impacts of the proposed action and this alternative action are similar.
In addition, the benefits of research conducted by the facility would
be lost.
Alternative Use of Resources
This action does not involve the use of any resources not
previously considered in the Hazards Summary Report dated December 1966
prepared for initial licensing of the facility.
Agencies and Persons Consulted
In accordance with the agency's stated policy, on March 18 and 21,
and April 7, 2005, the staff consulted with the Colorado State
official, Mr. Steve Tarlton, Unit Leader, Radiation Protection Program,
Hazardous Materials and Waste Management Division, Colorado Department
of Public Health and Environment, regarding the environmental impact of
the proposed action. The State official discussed the fact that
groundwater-monitoring wells existed at the Denver Federal Center. The
State official was not aware if any groundwater samples were analyzed
for radionuclides. However, if data existed, it would contribute to the
discussion of the environmental impact of the GSTR. This issue was
discussed with the licensee, who confirmed that samples from a
groundwater-monitoring well down gradient from the GSTR were routinely
collected and analyzed. This data has been added to the environmental
assessment.
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 April 30, 2002, as supplemented by letters
dated March 11 and 24, 2005. Documents may be examined, and/or copied
for a fee, at the NRC's Public Document Room (PDR) at One White Flint
North, Public File Area O-1-F-21, 11555 Rockville Pike (first floor),
Rockville, Maryland. Publicly available records will be accessible
electronically from the Agencywide Documents Access and Management
System (ADAMS) Public Electronic Reading Room on the Internet at 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
by telephone at 1-800-397-4209 or 301-415-4737 or by e-mail to
pdr@nrc.gov.
Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 23rd day of May 2005.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Patrick M. Madden,
Section Chief, Research and Test Reactors Section, New, Research and
Test Reactors Program, Division of Regulatory Improvement Programs,
Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. E5-2849 Filed 6-2-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P