Event Notification Report for July 11, 2006

U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Operations Center

Event Reports For
07/10/2006 - 07/11/2006

** EVENT NUMBERS **


42200 42688 42693 42695

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General Information or Other Event Number: 42200
Rep Org: ALABAMA RADIATION CONTROL
Licensee: GOODWIN, MILLS & CAWOOD, INC
Region: 1
City: BIRMINGHAM State: AL
County:
License #: 1404
Agreement: Y
Docket:
NRC Notified By: DAVID TURBERVILLE
HQ OPS Officer: JOHN KNOKE
Notification Date: 12/13/2005
Notification Time: 14:00 [ET]
Event Date: 12/12/2005
Event Time: 18:30 [CST]
Last Update Date: 07/11/2006
Emergency Class: NON EMERGENCY
10 CFR Section:
AGREEMENT STATE
Person (Organization):
ANTHONY DIMITRIADIS (R1)
MICHELE BURGESS (NMSS)
TAS email (TAS)

This material event contains a "Less than Cat 3" level of radioactive material.

Event Text

STOLEN MOISTURE DENSITY TROXLER GAUGE

The licensee provided the following information via facsimile:

"On the evening of December 12, 2005 at approximately 6:30 pm CST, a Troxler model 3440 moisture density gauge, serial number 503557, containing 8 millicuries of Cs-137 and 40 millicuries of Am-241/Be was stolen from the back of a pickup truck at a Home Depot parking lot in Birmingham, Alabama. The licensee, Goodwyn, Mills & Cawood, Inc., notified the Birmingham Police Department and the Alabama Office of Radiation Control. The Alabama Office of Radiation Control advised the Alabama Emergency Management Agency of the event. Goodwyn, Mills & Cawood, Inc. is authorized to possess and use radioactive material under their Alabama Radioactive Material License No. 1404. The licensee representative stated that the transport case was not locked and chained in the bed of the truck as required. The licensee representative did state that the gauge shutter was locked. A pressure meter was stolen in addition to the gauge. The Agency advised the licensee to consider issuing a press release and a reward. The licensee has been able to view surveillance tapes from Home Depot which appear to indicate that the gauge was stolen by individuals riding around the parking lot looking for unsecured items to steal in the back of trucks. The licensee has provided the Birmingham Police Department with a picture of the gauge and is checking with the local businesses and pawn shops. This is all the information that this Agency has at this time and is current as of 11:20 am CST."

Alabama Event 05-70.

* * * UPDATE AT 0931 EDT ON 7/11/06 FROM DAVID A. TUBERVILLE TO S. SANDIN * * *

The following information was received as an update via fax:

"SUBJECT: Found Gauge Containing Radioactive Material. - Alabama Event 05-70 - UPDATE.

"On the morning of July 10, 2006, the Alabama Office of Radiation Control was contacted by Alabama Emergency Management Agency concerning a container found behind a convenience store in Irondale, Alabama that had radioactive material markings. The Irondale Fire Department was at the scene. The item was determined to be a Troxler model 3440 moisture density gauge within its transport container. It was determined that this gauge is the one that was stolen on the evening of December 12, 2005 from the back of a Goodwyn, Mills & Cawood, Inc. pickup truck at a Rome Depot parking lot in Birmingham, Alabama. Goodwyn, Mills & Cawood, Inc. is authorized to possess and use radioactive material under their Alabama Radioactive Material License No. 1404. The licensee was notified of the found gauge and took possession of the device that morning. The licensee representative advised the Alabama Office of Radiation Control that the device was intact and confirmed that the device was the one stolen on December 12, 2005. The licensee representative was advised to perform a leak test and obtain the results before placing the gauge back in service. Also, the licensee representative was requested to submit a written report to the Agency describing the event with results of the leak test.

"It was noted that the serial number for the gauge found (14822) did not match with the serial number of the gauge stolen (503557). The serial numbers were confirmed with the licensee representative who indicated that the 503557 serial number was inaccurate. The correct serial number for this incident should be 14822."

Notified R1DO (Meyer), NMSS (Morell) and ILTAB via email.

THIS MATERIAL EVENT CONTAINS A "LESS THAN CAT 3" LEVEL OF RADIOACTIVE MATERIAL

Sources that are "Less than IAEA Category 3 sources," are either sources that are very unlikely to cause permanent injury to individuals or contain a very small amount of radioactive material that would not cause any permanent injury. Some of these sources, such as moisture density gauges or thickness gauges that are Category 4, the amount of unshielded radioactive material, if not safely managed or securely protected, could possibly - although it is unlikely - temporarily injure someone who handled it or were otherwise in contact with it, or who were close to it for a period of many weeks.

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General Information or Other Event Number: 42688
Rep Org: LOUISIANA RADIATION PROTECTION DIV
Licensee: GLOBAL X-RAY AND TESTING CORP
Region: 4
City: AMELIA State: LA
County:
License #: LA-0577-L01
Agreement: Y
Docket:
NRC Notified By: RICHARD PENROD
HQ OPS Officer: MARK ABRAMOVITZ
Notification Date: 07/06/2006
Notification Time: 15:15 [ET]
Event Date: 06/12/2006
Event Time: [CDT]
Last Update Date: 07/06/2006
Emergency Class: NON EMERGENCY
10 CFR Section:
AGREEMENT STATE
Person (Organization):
GREG MORELL (NMSS)
GREG PICK (R4)

Event Text

AGREEMENT STATE - RADIOGRAPHY SOURCE DISCONNECTED FROM CAMERA

The State provided the following information via facsimile:

"Global X-Ray had a source disconnect at the McDermott Fabrication Facility in Amelia, LA on June 12, 2006. The radiographers were performing routine radiography on some welded pipe sections. After several exposures, the radiographers began having trouble with the crankout. The radiographers realized that the source had not come back to the shielded position at the end of the exposure. The radiographers followed Global X-Ray & Testing Operating and Emergency Procedures. The radiographers reset their boundaries to a 2 mR/hr level and maintained surveillance and called the office. The source was found in the source guide tube. The source was retrieved and returned to the exposure device with minimal exposure during retrieval. Both the exposure device and controls were sent to SPEC for evaluation. It appears that there was enough wear on the control adapter and the drive cable connector to allow a disconnect. Global ruled out a source misconnect being the problem due to the fact that the film that was exposed prior to the crank out trouble was developed and came out just as it should. There were no excessive exposures to the radiographers. The radiographers dosimeters read 10-12 mR and 35-40 mR. The retrieval process produced an exposure of 85 mR. The device that was involved with the disconnect is a SPEC 150 camera with serial number 139. The source in the camera was an 82 Ci [Curie] source of Ir-192 manufactured by SPEC with model number G-60 and serial number ND-1002."

LA Event Report Number: LA060012

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Power Reactor Event Number: 42693
Facility: PERRY
Region: 3 State: OH
Unit: [1] [ ] [ ]
RX Type: [1] GE-6
NRC Notified By: ROBERT KIDDER
HQ OPS Officer: BILL GOTT
Notification Date: 07/08/2006
Notification Time: 09:22 [ET]
Event Date: 07/08/2006
Event Time: 09:18 [EDT]
Last Update Date: 07/11/2006
Emergency Class: NON EMERGENCY
10 CFR Section:
50.72(b)(2)(xi) - OFFSITE NOTIFICATION
Person (Organization):
KENNETH RIEMER (R3)

Unit SCRAM Code RX CRIT Initial PWR Initial RX Mode Current PWR Current RX Mode
1 N Y 66 Power Operation 66 Power Operation

Event Text

OFFSITE NOTIFICATION - EXCEEDED LIMIT FOR SUSPENDED SOLIDS IN DISCHARGE

"On 6/29/06 at 1630 Neutralization Basin A was pumped to Lake Erie. On 7/7/06 the analysis of suspended solids for this discharge was completed with results outside of the daily limit. Results for the suspended solids for the basin discharge was 142 ppm with a limit of 100 ppm. State of Ohio EPA was notified for this non-compliance. This 4 hour notification is being made due to the notification to the State of Ohio EPA. Notification to the Ohio EPA was made at 0918 on 7/08/06. Specific. Reporting details required by Part 12.A are as follows:

"Discharge occurred- 6/29/06 at 16:30; Discovered 7/7/06 at 14:38 (analysis reported by First Energy Beta Drive Lab)
Approximate amount 18,300 gallons; 7.94 Ph; 142 ppm Total Suspended Solids [backup sample 148 ppm]"

The licensee notified the NRC Resident Inspector.

* * * UPDATE AT 1007 EDT ON 7/11/06 FROM JIM CASE TO S. SANDIN * * *

"This 4 hour notification is being made due to the additional notification to the State of Ohio EPA.

"This was follow-up information regarding event number 42693 ('Offsite Notification - exceeded limit for suspended solids in discharge'). On 7/10/06 final data analysis for NPDES Monthly Report was obtained and the 6/29/06 exceedance resulted in an exceedance in the monthly average of total suspended solids (TSS). Results for monthly average suspended solids were 44.2 ppm with a limit of 30 ppm. State of Ohio EPA was notified of this non-compliance at 0925 on 7/11/06."

The licensee informed the NRC Resident Inspector. Notified R3DO (Steve Orth).

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Other Nuclear Material Event Number: 42695
Rep Org: READING SITE CONTRACTORS
Licensee: WINDSOR SERVICES
Region: 1
City: READING State: PA
County:
License #: 37-18494-01
Agreement: N
Docket:
NRC Notified By: STAN LEGANZA
HQ OPS Officer: JOE O'HARA
Notification Date: 07/10/2006
Notification Time: 10:23 [ET]
Event Date: 07/10/2006
Event Time: 09:41 [EDT]
Last Update Date: 07/10/2006
Emergency Class: NON EMERGENCY
10 CFR Section:
INFORMATION ONLY
Person (Organization):
GLENN MEYER (R1)
GREG MORELL (NMSS)

Event Text

DAMAGED MOISTURE DENSITY GAUGE

A Troxler Model 4640B moisture density gauge was damaged when it was run over by an asphalt roller at a construction site located approximately 150 feet south of the intersection of Route 10 (Morgantown Road) and Upland Avenue in Reading, PA. A perimeter has been established around the gauge and the licensee's RSO has been notified and is enroute to the site. The gauge contains a Cs-137 source with a 8 millicurie activity level. Subsequent discussions with a Berks County Emergency Management official indicates that radiation levels are normal and that the source is intact inside the gauge. Berks County Emergency Management is awaiting authorization from PEMA to remove the gauge from the earth and perform surveys underneath the gauge.

Page Last Reviewed/Updated Wednesday, March 24, 2021