[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 75 (Tuesday, April 19, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 21928-21931]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-9436]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
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 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 at 1-800-
397-4209, or 301-415-4737, or send an e-mail to [email protected].
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