Event Notification Report for May 20, 2010

OFFSITE NOTIFICATION - BETHEL FIRE DEPARTMENT RESPONDED TO GRASS FIRE NEXT TO PLANT

"Notification [was made] to make the NRC aware of a call to Bethel Fire Department for assistance in extinguishing a grass fire on Catawba property. The fire was caused by an arc flash, resulting from a large bird coming in contact with a York cooperative power line. [The] fire is extinguished. Fire was outside the owner controlled area. [The area burned] is approximately 100' x 100'. [There was] no property damage [to the site]."

Both units were unaffected by this event and maintained 100% reactor power. The fire was located in a brush field located in Catawba Park and took approximately 30 minutes to distinguish.

The licensee notified the NRC Resident Inspector. The licensee also notified Mecklenburg, Gaston, and York counties as well as the state of North Carolina and South Carolina.

OFFSITE NOTIFICATION DUE TO TRANSPORTATION ACCIDENT

"This is a Non-Emergency 4 hour notification being made in accordance with 10 CFR 50.72(b)(2)(xi), an Offsite Notification. On May 20, 2010, at approximately 1535 CDT Waterford 3 was notified by the Louisiana (LA) State Police that a transportation accident occurred involving a low level radioactive shipping container that was being carried by a tractor trailer truck located at mile marker 22 East on interstate highway I-12 near Walker, LA in Livingston Parish. The surface contaminated object (SCO) metal shipment container was being used by Miller Transfer Houston to transport a used Reactor Coolant Pump (RCP) motor from Waterford 3 nuclear plant in Killona, LA to Westinghouse Waltz Mill in Madison, PA. The shipment weighing approximately 145,000 pounds departed Waterford 3 at approximately 1230 CDT with identification number of 10-3044 and pre-shipment radiological survey information of contamination levels of less than or equal to 15,000 dpm/100cm2 and dose rates of less than or equal to 0.4 mR/Hr. The tractor trailer is on its side, just off the interstate, on the grass. The shipping container boxed cover lid has opened, exposing the RCP motor, showing that it is still wrapped with contamination protective covering and still fastened to the container base and trailer. The initial, basic radiological assessment performed by the LA State Police Hazmat technician supervisor resulted in no indication of hazardous levels of radiation dose rates. Waterford 3 dispatched a Radiation Protection field team who arrived at approximately 1840 CDT and surveyed the container and the contents. The survey results indicate no radiological breach, with smear results of contaminations no higher than background and radiation dose rates of no higher than 0.5 mR/Hr.

"There was no report of other vehicles involved. The driver was contacted by cell phone, who reported that he has been transported to the hospital emergency room for a CAT scan. The failure mode has yet to be determined."

The licensee has notified the NRC Resident Inspector.

TEXAS AGREEMENT STATE REPORT - TWO TRITIUM EXIT SIGNS MISSING

The following information was received via e-mail from the State of Texas Radiation Branch:

"On June 15, 2010, the Agency received a letter from a company operating under a General License in the State of Texas. [While] conducting an inventory of tritium (H-3) exit signs used at their facilities, they found that two signs containing 10 curies each of H-3 were missing from a facility in Hewitt, Texas. The signs were manufactured by SRB Technologies, Inc., Model BetaLux-E. A search of the facility was conducted and interview with the individuals working at the facility were held. The interviews did not provide any information on the location or disposition of the signs. The company is removing all exit signs containing tritium and returning them to the manufacturer to prevent a reoccurrence of the event. Additional information has been requested by this Agency and will be provided when received."

TX Incident # I-8754

* * * UPDATE FROM TEXAS (TUCKER) TO HUFFMAN (VIA E-MAIL) AT 1515 EDT ON 6/15/10 * * *

"The company provided the following information [to the Texas Radiation Branch] during a phone conversation.

"The signs were found to be missing on May 20, 2010. The loss was reported to the Health and Safety Group (HSG) on May 25,2010. The HSG Group incorrectly interpreted the reporting criteria for this event and believed that it only required a 30 day written report. The HSG manager stated that they would change their procedure to insure any future required reports would be done on time."

R4DO (Powers) and FSME (McIntosh) notified.

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. For additional information go to http://www-pub.iaea.org/MTCD/publications/PDF/Pub1227_web.pdf

This source is not amongst those sources or devices identified by the IAEA Code of Conduct for the Safety & Security of Radioactive Sources to be of concern from a radiological standpoint. Therefore is it being categorized as a less than Category 3 source

UTAH AGREEMENT STATE REPORT - TWO MISSING TRITIUM EXIT SIGNS

The following information was obtained from the State of Utah via email:

"Two tritium exit signs were purchased and installed between March 2004 and October of 2005 by Shaw Environmental, Inc., as part of a contract with the United States Army Corp of Engineers [performing] renovation of military recruiting centers. Shaw is conducting an inventory of all tritium exit signs purchased and installed under this contract and identified that the listed signs are not located where installation records indicated that they were installed."

"Manufacturer: SRB Technologies, Inc.; Model: BetaLux-E, each contains 10 Ci of H-3, Serial Numbers 000102 ([previously located at] 175 S. Main St., Salt Lake City, UT) and C000108 ([previously located at] 545 E. 4500 St., Ste. E-125, Salt Lake City, UT)"

This is the third report of missing tritium exit signs discovered during Shaw Environmental, Inc.'s inventory effort. See EN #45972 and EN #45885.

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. For additional information go to http://www-pub.iaea.org/MTCD/publications/PDF/Pub1227_web.pdf

This source is not amongst those sources or devices identified by the IAEA Code of Conduct for the Safety & Security of Radioactive Sources to be of concern from a radiological standpoint. Therefore is it being categorized as a less than Category 3 source