[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 75 (Friday, April 18, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 19140-19141]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-10070]
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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
Termination of License SNM-145 for the Babcock & Wilcox Apollo
Site and Release of the Property for Unrestricted Use
AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
ACTION: Notice of license termination.
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SUMMARY: This notice is to advise the public of the U.S. Nuclear
Regulatory Commission's decision to terminate License SNM-145 for the
Babcock & Wilcox (B&W) Apollo, Pennsylvania, site and release the
property for unrestricted use.
The Apollo facility was used for the manufacture of nuclear fuel
under NRC License SNM-145, which was issued in December of 1957. The
primary activity at the site was the conversion of uranium hexafluoride
(UF6) into uranium dioxide (UO2). Operations at the site
ceased in 1983 and decommissioning activities were completed in 1995.
Based on the results of NRC's inspections, Oak Ridge Institute for
Science and Education's Confirmatory Surveys, B&W's Termination
Surveys, and B&W's groundwater monitoring program results, the staff
concludes that decommissioning activities are complete and the site is
suitable to be released for unrestricted use.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Apollo facility was used for the
manufacture of nuclear fuel under NRC License SNM-145, which was issued
in December of 1957. The primary activity at the site was the
conversion of UF6 into UO2.
The site is located on Warren Avenue in Apollo, Armstrong County,
Pennsylvania, about 40 km (25 miles) east-northeast of Pittsburgh along
the Kiskiminetas River. The Apollo site consisted of three areas: (1)
The Main Facility containing the process buildings, laundry building,
and parking lot, which were located between Warren Avenue and the
river; (2) another industrial facility located next to the Main
Facility, but not owned nor operated by B&W; and (3) the Apollo office
building, which was located outside the restricted area, on the
opposite side of Warren Avenue. The site was located in a residential
neighborhood with some privately owned houses within several hundred
yards of the facility.
Atlantic Richfield Company (ARCO) was the operator of the site from
1967 to 1971. In 1971, ARCO sold its shares of Nuclear Material and
Equipment Corporation (NUMEC) stock to B&W, who then operated the site
from 1971 to the present. Low-level waste containing thorium and
uranium was shipped for disposal at a number of locations, including
the neighboring Parks Township Shallow Land Disposal Area, which is
also listed on the Site Decommissioning Management Plan (SDMP) and is
being assessed for remediation. Decommissioning of inactive portions of
the facility began in 1978 and continued through 1995. The Apollo site
was included on the SDMP because of the large quantity of building and
soil contamination which was present on-site. All operations at the
site ceased in 1983 and on August 30, 1991, B&W submitted a specific
decommissioning plan to complete the final activities necessary to
remediate the entire site to NRC requirements for unrestricted use. In
a letter dated April 15, 1992, B&W requested that NRC terminate this
license. The staff reviewed the decommissioning submittal and developed
an Environmental Assessment (EA) to consider the impacts to the
environment from the remediation of the site. The EA was published in
the Federal Register on June 25, 1992, along with the staff's Finding
of No Significant Impact and an opportunity for a hearing (57 FR
28539).
A request for a hearing was filed by petitioners on July 27, 1992,
which cited 20 areas of concern about the amendment request. The
petitioners submitted a supplement dated October 9, 1992, requesting an
immediate cessation of site clean-up activities. Memorandum and Order
LBP-92-31, dated November 12, 1992, denied the petitioners' request to
cease clean-up activities. During the remainder of the proceedings,
there were several requests for information from the presiding officer
and several additional submittals by the participants. Then, in
Memorandum and Order LBP-93-4, dated February 5, 1993, the judge denied
the hearing request and terminated the proceedings.
Decommissioning activities at the site continued, and in 1995 the
Apollo office building, the last major remaining structure on the site,
was dismantled. The Apollo office building had been used for office
space since the mid-1950s. Portions of the building had been used for
an analytical laboratory and to develop and manufacture calibration
sources in the 1960s and early 1970s. Both laboratory operations had
been terminated by 1972. NRC contracted with Oak Ridge Institute for
Science and Education (ORISE) to perform several radiological surveys
in 1993. Both B&W and the NRC regional inspector performed additional
surveys. By letter dated September 7, 1994, NRC staff released the
building for unrestricted use and removed it from License SNM-145. The
building was then dismantled and returned to a green area.
B&W has completed decommissioning activities at the remainder of
the site, which included: dismantlement of the main building; The
removal or replacement of three sewer lines; remediation and
reconstruction of the riverbank; and remediation of other contaminated
areas. B&W removed over 22,000 m3 (800,000 ft3) of
contaminated soil and building rubble and disposed of it at Envirocare
in Utah, and Barnwell in South Carolina. B&W submitted radiological
survey data for each phase of remediation, which staff reviewed. NRC
and ORISE performed several confirmatory radiological surveys during
the period from 1992 to 1995. These surveys consisted of document and
data reviews, gamma surface scans, exposure rate measurements, and
soil, sediment, water, and miscellaneous sampling. The final surveys
showed that the site meets NRC's criteria for unrestricted use.
Based on the results of NRC's inspections, ORISE's Confirmatory
Surveys, B&W's Termination Surveys, and groundwater monitoring program
results, the staff concludes that decommissioning activities are
complete. The staff has informed the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) of NRC's intent to release the Apollo site. In addition,
in accordance with the recently issued Memorandum of Understanding with
the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PADEP), staff
has also informed PADEP of NRC's intent to release the site. The staff
is notifying B&W that remediation of the site is complete, that the
site is suitable for unrestricted use, and that license SNM-145 is
terminated.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Heather Astwood, Division of Waste
Management, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Mail Stop T-7F-27,
Washington, D.C., 20555, telephone (301) 415-5819.
Dated at Rockville, MD this 14th day of April 1997.
[[Page 19141]]
For the U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
John W.N. Hickey,
Chief, Low-Level Waste and Decommissioning Projects Branch, Division of
Waste Management, Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards.
[FR Doc. 97-10070 Filed 4-17-97; 8:45 am]
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