[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 219 (Wednesday, November 12, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 66950-66951]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-26806]
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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[Docket No. 040-01957 (Terminated)]
Notice of Completion of Remediation at the Homer Laughlin China
Co. Site In Newell, WV
AGENCY: United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC).
ACTION: Notice of Completion of Remediation at the Homer Laughlin China
Co. site in Newell, West Virginia.
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FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: John Nicholson, Health Physicist,
Decommissioning Branch, Division of Nuclear Materials Safety, Region I,
475 Allendale Road, King of Prussia, PA 19406; telephone 610-337-5236;
fax number 610-337-5269 or by e-mail: [email protected].
Background
The Homer Laughlin China Company (HLC) operates on the banks of the
Ohio River in Newell, West Virginia, located in the state's northern
panhandle. HLC's 37-acre site contains a number of plant buildings and
structures used in the production of commercial and retail tableware.
In 1959, the NRC's Predecessor agency, the Atomic Energy Commission
(AEC) issued License No. SUB-81 authorizing possession at the site of
100,000 pounds of source material for use as a glazing agent (up to 20%
uranium) in the production of ceramic tableware. The finished glazed
ceramic tableware products were exempt from licensing requirements. The
AEC license was terminated in 1972, based upon an HLC letter stating
that all remaining licensed materials had been returned to their
supplier. A routine review of the terminated license file by the Oak
Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), under contract to the NRC, later
determined that there was no record of a licensee closeout survey or
any confirmatory survey. Based on the terminated license's possession
limit and the results of the ORNL review, the NRC determined that a
further assessment of HLC's site for residual radioactivity was needed.
Thus, in 1994, it was found that approximately 500 pounds of
depleted uranium oxide (U3O8) sand was still on
HLC's site. A contractor was hired to survey areas where licensed
materials were used and stored, and to provide a radiological
characterization of the site. Several additional areas of fixed and
removable contamination exceeding NRC guidelines for unrestricted use
were identified during the characterization survey. The HLC committed
to package and dispose of the bulk source material, limit access to
contaminated areas, and submit a decommissioning plan (DP). The NRC
approved the DP in 1995, and HLC and its contractor began implementing
the DP.
Discussion
The HLC did not complete decommissioning in some of the production
areas because it was unable to remove fixed contamination (which
exceeded NRC unrestricted release guidelines) from surfaces of
equipment and structures using conventional remediation techniques.
After consultation with NRC, HLC developed a risk assessment to
demonstrate that the residual fixed contamination would meet the NRC
release criteria. At various times during the period 1996-2004, HLC
provided additional information to NRC refining its computer-based risk
analysis, to demonstrate that the regulatory standard of 25 mrem/yr for
unrestricted release (established in 10 CFR Part 20, Subpart E in 1997)
would be met.
In March 2005, the NRC accepted HLC's revised risk assessment
(ML043090164). The NRC determined that this analysis would be
acceptable, pending removal of all radioactive waste from the site and
review of the final survey results from the waste storage area. The
uranium oxide sand and the waste material from decommissioning
activities remained on site until final disposal options could be
assessed. The materials were packaged and were stored in a posted and
infrequently-used area of the plant. After further characterization of
the waste was performed and cost estimates for disposal were obtained,
HLC arranged for disposal of the waste. The waste was removed in July
2008, and sent to Waste Control Specialists, Inc. (WCS) in Texas. The
waste storage area was surveyed after the waste was removed. An NRC
inspector observed the waste removal and radiological survey
activities. The survey results were forwarded to the NRC in September
2008. NRC staff reviewed the survey results and performed independent,
bounding calculations that demonstrated that the dose rate to a worker
from potential residual activity would be less than the 25 millirem/
year unrestricted release standard.
Conclusion
Based on the above, the NRC staff finds that a reasonable effort
had been made by HLC to eliminate residual radioactive contamination at
its site and that NRC regulatory requirements are
[[Page 66951]]
satisfied. The NRC thus concludes that: (1) Radioactive material above
release limits has been properly disposed; (2) reasonable effort has
been made to eliminate residual radioactive contamination; and (3)
surveys and associated documentation, demonstrate that the site meets
the requirements for unrestricted release set forth in 10 CFR Part 20,
Subpart E.
Further Information: Additional relevant information is available
for public inspection at the Commission's Public Document Room (PDR),
located at One White Flint North, Public File Area O1 F21, 11555
Rockville Pike (first floor), Rockville, Maryland. Publicly available
records will be accessible electronically from the Agency-wide
Documents Access and Management System's (ADAMS) Public Electronic
Reading Room on the Internet at the NRC Web site, http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html (ML043090164, ML072430077, ML072950154,
ML073541298, ML080320468, ML082820580). 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, 301-415-4737 or by e-mail to [email protected]. The PDR
reproduction contractor will copy documents for a fee.
Dated King of Prussia, Pennsylvania this 3rd day of November
2008.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Raymond Lorson,
Chief, Decommissioning Branch, Division of Nuclear Materials Safety,
Region I.
[FR Doc. E8-26806 Filed 11-10-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P