Washington State University; Facility Operating License No. R-76; Washington State University Modified TRIGA Nuclear Radiation Center Reactor (NRCR); Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact, 21928-21931 [2011-9436]

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• NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 75 (Tuesday, April 19, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 21928-21931]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-9436]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[Docket No. 50-027; NRC-2011-0083]


Washington State University; Facility Operating License No. R-76; 
Washington State University Modified TRIGA Nuclear Radiation Center 
Reactor (NRCR); Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant 
Impact

    The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC or the Commission) is 
considering the issuance of a renewed Facility Operating License No. R-
76, to be held by Washington State University (WSU or the licensee), 
which would authorize continued operation of the Washington State 
University Modified TRIGA Nuclear Radiation Center Reactor (NRCR), 
located in the Dodgen Research Facility on Roundtop Drive in Pullman, 
Whitman County, Washington. Therefore, as required by Title 10 of the 
Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR) Sec.  51.21, the NRC is issuing 
this Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact.

Environmental Assessment

Identification of Proposed Action

    The proposed action would renew Facility Operating License No. R-76 
for a period of twenty years from the date of issuance of the renewed 
license. The proposed action is in accordance with the licensee's 
application dated June 24, 2002, as supplemented by letters dated 
August 15, 2007, June 13, 2008, and April 7, 2010. In accordance with 
10 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 NRCR to routinely provide teaching opportunities, services and 
research for numerous institutions for a period of twenty 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-76 to allow 
continued operation of the NRCR for a period of twenty years and 
concludes there is reasonable assurance that the NRCR 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 NRCR is located 1.27 kilometers (0.79 miles) east of the French 
Administration Building on the main campus of WSU. The NRCR is located 
in the Dodgen Research Facility. The Dodgen Research Facility is a 
multi-purpose building constructed primarily of concrete, brick, steel, 
and aluminum. The entrance to the Dodgen Research Facility is secured 
and an access code is required for entry. Emergency exit doors in the 
Dodgen Research Facility are key-locked from the outside and only a few 
individuals are issued the key. Entry into the NRCR from the Dodgen 
Research Facility requires a special key or confirmation of identity 
through closed-circuit television and verbal contact with the reactor 
operators. There are three outside entrances allowing direct access to 
the NRCR. These entrances are secured and the area around each one is 
surrounded by a fence and jersey barriers. The exclusion zone is 
considered to be the perimeter of the reactor building. A road and 
unused land is located west of the site. Until late 2008, the site was 
surrounded for a distance of 400 meters (1300 feet) in all directions 
by grazing land for livestock which was owned by WSU. The land has 
since been converted into a golf course which surrounds the NRCR in all 
directions except the west. The land remains uninhabited. The golf 
course is separated from the NRCR by 100 to 200 meters (330 to 660 
feet) of land. There is a parcel of land abutting the NRCR of about 
10,000 square meters (109,000 square feet) of virgin prairie land 
which, by regulation or policy, WSU has no plans to use. The closest 
building is 411 meters (1350 feet) west of the NRCR. The closest 
occupied dwellings are 626 meters (2060 feet) to the west-southwest.
    The NRCR is a pool-type, light water moderated and cooled research 
reactor licensed to operate at a maximum steady-state power level of 1 
megawatt thermal power (MW(t)). The reactor is also licensed to operate 
in a pulse mode to a peak power of approximately 2,000 MW(t). The fuel 
is contained in a reactor vessel suspended from a movable bridge and is 
located near the bottom of an 8 meter (25 feet) deep concrete pool 
containing approximately 242,000 liters (63,930 gallons) of water. The 
reactor is fueled with standard low-enriched uranium TRIGA (Training, 
Research, Isotopes, General Atomic) fuel. A detailed description of the 
reactor can be found in the NRCR Safety Analysis Report (SAR). There 
have been two major modifications to the Facility Operating License 
since renewal of the license on August 11, 1982. Orders were issued: 
(1) Allowing for an increase in the possession limits for Uranium-235; 
and (2) conversion from high-enriched uranium fuel to low-enriched 
uranium fuel as amendments to the license.
    The licensee has not requested any changes in the NRCR design or 
operating conditions as part of the application for license renewal. No 
changes are being made in the types or quantities of effluents that may 
be released off site. The licensee has systems in place for controlling 
the releases of radiological effluents and implements a radiation 
protection program to monitor personnel exposures and releases of 
radioactive effluents. Accordingly, there would be no increase in 
routine occupational or public radiation exposure as a result of the 
license renewal. As discussed in the NRC staff's safety evaluation, the 
proposed action will not significantly increase the probability or 
consequences of accidents. Therefore, license renewal would not change 
the environmental impact of NRCR 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 NRCR 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 concludes that continued operation of the 
reactor would not have a significant environmental impact.

[[Page 21929]]

I. Radiological Impact

Environmental Effects of Reactor Operations
    Gaseous radioactive effluents are vented from the reactor building 
by the NRCR exhaust system via two vents. The vents discharge the 
effluents to a common stack located on the roof of the Dodgen Research 
Facility. The effluents are discharged at a volumetric flow rate of 
approximately 5.504 E+12 milliliters per month (4,500 cubic feet per 
minute). The only significant radionuclide found in the gaseous 
effluent stream is Argon-41. The licensee performed measurements of 
Argon-41 production over a five-year period to obtain an average 
release rate. Licensee calculations, based on those measurements, 
indicate that annual Argon-41 releases result in an offsite 
concentration of 2.1 E-10 microcuries per milliliter (uCi/ml), which is 
below the limit of 1.0 E-08 uCi/ml specified in 10 CFR part 20, 
Appendix B for air effluent releases. The NRC staff performed 
independent calculations and found the licensee's calculations to be 
reasonable. The NRC staff also reviewed measurements and calculations 
performed by the licensee to estimate the potential release of tritium 
resulting from evaporation of the reactor pool water, and found them to 
be reasonable. The potential airborne tritium concentration was found 
to be a small fraction of the air effluent concentration limit 
specified in 10 CFR Part 20, Appendix B. Total gaseous radioactive 
releases reported to the NRC in the licensee's annual reports were less 
than 0.1 percent of the air effluent concentration limits set by 10 CFR 
part 20, Appendix B. The potential radiation dose to a member of the 
general public resulting from this concentration is approximately 0.001 
milliSieverts (mSv) (0.1 millirem (mrem)) and this demonstrates 
compliance with the dose limit of 1 mSv (100 mrem) set by 10 CFR 
20.1301. Additionally, this potential radiation dose demonstrates 
compliance with the air emissions dose constraint of 0.1 mSv (10 mrem) 
specified in 10 CFR 20.1101(d).
    The licensee disposes of liquid radioactive waste by discharge to 
the sanitary sewer. The Radiation Safety Office (RSO), which is part of 
the WSU Department of Environmental Health and Safety, monitors the 
levels of radioactive waste discharged to the sanitary sewer. Discharge 
of liquid waste is initially to a holdup tank where levels of 
radioactive waste are measured and the contents diluted, if necessary 
to meet 10 CFR Part 20 discharge limits to the sanitary sewer. The RSO 
calculated that discharges to the sanitary sewer were in the order of 4 
E-08 uCi/ml. The NRC staff reviewed the licensee's procedures and 
results and found they met the requirements of 10 CFR 20.2003 for 
disposal by release to the sanitary sewer.
    An NRC inspection was performed from September 8-10, 1998, to 
review the circumstances behind the leakage of pool water through the 
concrete of the reactor pool wall. The licensee determined that leakage 
was due to the porosity of the concrete and the penetrations for the 
beam tubes. The pool water which leaked either evaporated or collected 
in the fuel storage area and drained into the facility waste holding 
tank where it was analyzed and found to comply with the release limits 
of 10 CFR Part 20, Appendix B for liquid effluent. The reactor pool 
leak was successfully repaired in 1999. The NRC inspection report 
related to the reactor pool leakage concluded that management of liquid 
effluents was appropriate and identified no findings of significance.
    The licensee monitored the activity level in the waters in the 
vicinity of the NRCR, including the South Fork of the Palouse River, 
local tap water, and effluent from the sewage treatment plant and did 
not detect elevated levels of radioactive material attributable to the 
operation of the NRCR.
    The RSO oversees the handling of solid low-level radioactive waste 
generated at the NRCR. Solid radioactive waste consists mainly of spent 
ion resins and neutron activation products which are packaged by the 
licensee for shipment by a low-level waste broker in accordance with 
all applicable regulations for transportation of radioactive materials. 
If neutron activated or other licensed material is removed from the 
NRCR by the RSO or a researcher, the licensed material is transferred 
to the University for uses authorized under its broad scope byproduct 
material license. The licensee transferred the irradiated high-enriched 
uranium and FLIP fuels to Idaho National Engineering Laboratory in 
August 2009. The remaining unirradiated FLIP fuel will be transferred 
to Oak Ridge National Laboratory. To comply with the Nuclear Waste 
Policy Act of 1982, WSU entered into a contract with the U.S. 
Department of Energy (DOE) that provides that DOE retains title to the 
fuel utilized at the NRCR and that DOE is obligated to take the fuel 
from the site for final disposition.
    As described in Section 7, ``Personnel and Visitor Radiation 
Exposures,'' of the NRCR Annual Reports from 2004 through 2009, 
personnel exposures are well within the limits set by 10 CFR 20.1201, 
and as low as reasonably achievable (ALARA). The RSO tracks personnel 
exposures, which are usually less than 0.85 mSv (85 mrem) per year 
whole body. The WSU ALARA program requires the RSO to investigate any 
annual personnel exposures greater than 90 mrem deep dose, 940 mrem 
extremities or 10 mrem fetal dose. Personnel monitors were mounted in 
locations throughout the controlled access areas of the NRCR, the 
control room, reactor hall, and beam room. The monitors provide a 
quarterly measurement of total radiation exposures at those locations. 
These dosimeters typically measure annual doses of less than 0.5 mSv 
(50 mrem) in the control room and less than 2 mSv (200 mrem) in the 
reactor hall and beam room. The above information is based on the NRC 
staff's review of the past five years of radiation exposure data as 
monitored by the licensee using NVLAP-approved and processed dosimetry. 
No changes in reactor operation that would lead to an increase in 
occupational dose are expected as a result of the proposed action.
    The licensee conducts an environmental monitoring program to record 
and track the radiological impact of NRCR operation on the surrounding 
unrestricted area. The program consists of quarterly exposure 
measurements at 12 locations adjacent to the Nuclear Radiation Center 
and at 24 control locations away from any direct influence from the 
reactor. The RSO administers the program and maintains the appropriate 
records. Over the past five years, the survey program indicated that 
radiation exposures at the monitoring locations were not significantly 
higher than those measured at the control locations. Year-to-year 
trends in exposures are consistent between monitoring locations. Also, 
no correlation exists between total annual reactor operation and annual 
exposures measured at the monitoring locations. Based on the NRC 
staff's review of the past five years of data, the NRC staff concludes 
that operation of the NRCR does not have any significant radiological 
impact on the surrounding environment. No changes in reactor operation 
that would affect offsite radiation levels are expected as a result of 
license renewal.
Environmental Effects of Accidents
    Accident scenarios are discussed in Chapter 13 of the NRCR SAR. The 
maximum hypothetical accident (MHA) is the uncontrolled release of the 
gaseous fission products contained in

[[Page 21930]]

the gap between the fuel and the fuel cladding in one fuel element in 
the reactor building and into the environment. The licensee 
conservatively calculated doses to NRCR personnel and the maximum 
potential dose to a member of the general public. The NRC staff 
performed independent calculations to verify that the doses represent 
conservative estimates for the MHA. Occupational doses resulting from 
this accident would be well below the 10 CFR Part 20 limit of 50 mSv 
(5,000 mrem). Maximum doses for members of the general public resulting 
from this accident would be well below the 10 CFR Part 20 limit of 1 
mSv (100 mrem). The proposed action will not increase the probability 
or consequences of accidents.

II. Non-Radiological Impacts

    The NRCR core is cooled by a light water primary system consisting 
of the reactor pool, a heat removal system, and an evaporative cooling 
system. Cooling occurs by natural convection, with the heated coolant 
rising out of the core and into the bulk pool water. The heated coolant 
is dissipated by using a heat exchanger and an evaporative induced 
draft cooling tower located on the north side of the NRCR. Higher 
pressure is maintained on the secondary side of the heat exchanger so 
that, in case of the failure of the heat exchanger, coolant would flow 
back into the pool. The cooling tower transfers heat to the atmosphere 
by evaporation, an average of 120,000 liters (32,000 gallons) per 
month. A minor amount of heat removal occurs due to evaporation (5,000 
liters (1,330 gallons) per month) of coolant from the reactor pool's 
surface. Replacement water is pumped from dedicated wells not 
associated with the municipal well water system of Pullman, Washington. 
Coolant leakage from the primary pump or the heat exchanger is diverted 
to a hold up tank for analysis, dilution, and transfer to the sanitary 
sewer.
    Release of thermal effluents from the NRCR will not have a 
significant effect on the environment. According to the licensee, 
Washington State University maintains and complies with the appropriate 
Washington Department of Health permit for secondary water discharge. 
Given that the proposed action does not involve any change in the 
operation of the reactor and the heat load dissipated to the 
environment, the NRC staff concludes that the proposed action will not 
have a significant impact on the local water supply.
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 
Executive Order 12898 Environmental Justice. The following provides a 
brief discussion of impacts associated with these laws and other 
requirements.
I. Endangered Species Act
    No effects on the terrestrial or aquatic habitat in the vicinity of 
the plant, or to threatened, endangered, or protected species under the 
Endangered Species Act would be expected.
II. Coastal Zone Management Act
    The NRCR is not located within any managed coastal zones, nor would 
NRCR effluents and emissions 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. The National Register of Historic 
Places (NRHP) lists 9 historic sites located in and around Pullman, 
Washington with two of the sites on the WSU main campus. None of the 
sites are located within 0.8 kilometers (0.5 miles) of the NRCR and all 
are to the west of the NRCR except one site to the south. Given the 
distance between the NRCR and the 9 historical sites listed in the 
NRHP, continued operation of the NRCR will not impact any historical 
sites. Based on this information, the NRC staff finds that the 
potential impacts of license renewal would have no adverse effect on 
historic and archaeological resources.
IV. Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act
    The licensee is not planning any water resource development 
projects, including any modifications related 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 NRCR. 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 NRCR, and all are exposed to the same health 
and environmental effects generated from activities at the NRCR.
    Minority Populations in the Vicinity of the NRCR--According to 2000 
census data, 9.5 percent of the population (approximately 159,000 
individuals) residing within a 50-mile radius of the NRCR identified 
themselves as minority individuals. There are 14 counties that fall 
entirely or partly within the 50-mile radius, seven in Washington and 
seven in Idaho. The largest minority was American Indian (5,800 persons 
or 3.6 percent), followed by Asian (4,300 persons or 2.7 percent). For 
Whitman County, (where the NRCR is located), the 2000 Census data shows 
that about 13.3 percent of the population identified themselves as 
minorities, with persons of Asian origin comprising the largest 
minority group (6.6 percent). According to American Community Survey 3-
year average census data estimates for 2006-2008, the minority 
population of Whitman County, as a percent of the total population, had 
increased to 16.6 percent.
    Low-income Populations in the Vicinity of the NRCR--According to 
2000 Census data, approximately 3,700 families and 25,000 individuals 
(approximately 9.6 and 15.7 percent, respectively) residing within a 
50-mile radius of the NRCR 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 American Community Survey 3-year average census data 
estimates for 2006-2008, the median household income for Washington was 
$57,234, while 11.6 percent of the state population and 7.9 percent of 
families were determined to be living below the Federal poverty 
threshold. Whitman County had a lower median household income average 
($35,945) and higher percentages (25.1 percent) of individuals and 
families (9.0 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 
NRC

[[Page 21931]]

staff finds that the proposed action would not have disproportionately 
high and adverse human health and environmental effects on minority and 
low-income populations residing in the vicinity of NRCR.
Environmental Impacts of the Alternatives to the Proposed Action
    As an alternative to license renewal, the NRC staff considered 
denying the proposed action. If the NRC denied the application for 
license renewal, reactor operations would cease and decommissioning 
would be required. The NRC notes that, even with a renewed license, the 
NRCR 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 reactor 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 application for license renewal would be 
similar. In addition, denying the application for license renewal would 
eliminate the benefits of teaching opportunities, research, and 
services provided by the NRCR.
Alternative Use of Resources
    The proposed action does not involve the use of any different 
resources or significant quantities of resources beyond those 
previously considered in the issuance of Amendment No. 10 to Facility 
Operating License No. R-76 for the Washington State University Nuclear 
Research Center Reactor dated August 11, 1982, which renewed the 
Facility Operating License for a period of 20 years.

Agencies and Persons Consulted

    In accordance with the agency's stated policy, the staff consulted 
with the State Historic Preservation Officer between May 13 and October 
21, 2010, and the State Liaison Officer between May 13 and December 2, 
2010, regarding the environmental impact of the proposed action. The 
consultation involved a thorough explanation of the environmental 
review, the details of this environmental assessment, and the NRC's 
findings. The State officials stated that they understood the NRC 
review and had no comments regarding the proposed action.

III. Finding of No Significant Impact

    On the basis of the environmental assessment, the NRC staff 
concludes that the proposed action will not have a significant effect 
on the quality of the human environment. Accordingly, the NRC staff 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 application dated June 24, 2002 (ML092390202), as 
supplemented by letters dated August 15, 2007 (ML072410493), June 13, 
2008 (ML082380266), and April 7, 2010 (ML101031097). 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 Agencywide Documents Access and 
Management System (ADAMS) Public Electronic Reading Room on the NRC Web 
site https://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 pdr@nrc.gov.


    Dated at Rockville, Maryland this 8th day of April, 2011.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Jessie F. Quichocho,
Chief, Research and Test Reactors Licensing Branch, Division of Policy 
and Rulemaking, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. 2011-9436 Filed 4-18-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P