Event Notification Report for July 14, 1999

                    U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission
                              Operations Center

                              Event Reports For
                           07/13/1999 - 07/14/1999

                              ** EVENT NUMBERS **

35837  35915  35916  35917  

!!!!!!!!! THIS EVENT HAS BEEN RETRACTED. THIS EVENT HAS BEEN RETRACTED  !!!!!!!
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|Fuel Cycle Facility                              |Event Number:   35837       |
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| FACILITY: PORTSMOUTH GASEOUS DIFFUSION PLANT   |NOTIFICATION DATE: 06/17/1999|
|   RXTYPE: URANIUM ENRICHMENT FACILITY          |NOTIFICATION TIME: 14:15[EDT]|
| COMMENTS: 2 DEMOCRACY CENTER                   |EVENT DATE:        06/16/1999|
|           6903 ROCKLEDGE DRIVE                 |EVENT TIME:        16:31[EDT]|
|           BETHESDA, MD 20817    (301)564-3200  |LAST UPDATE DATE:  07/13/1999|
|    CITY:  PIKETON                  REGION:  3  +-----------------------------+
|  COUNTY:  PIKE                      STATE:  OH |PERSON          ORGANIZATION |
|LICENSE#:  GDP-2                 AGREEMENT:  N  |JOHN MADERA          R3      |
|  DOCKET:  0707002                              |FREDRICK COMBS       NMSS    |
+------------------------------------------------+                             |
| NRC NOTIFIED BY:  JIM McCLEERY                 |                             |
|  HQ OPS OFFICER:  WILLIAM POERTNER             |                             |
+------------------------------------------------+                             |
|EMERGENCY CLASS:                                |                             |
|10 CFR SECTION:                                 |                             |
|NCFR                     NON CFR REPORT REQMNT  |                             |
|                                                |                             |
|                                                |                             |
|                                                |                             |
|                                                |                             |
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                                   EVENT TEXT                                   
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| ACTUATION OF A "Q" SAFETY SYSTEM.                                            |
|                                                                              |
| At 1631 hours on 6/16/99, operations personnel responded to a high voltage   |
| outleakage smokehead alarm at the X-333 Low Assay Withdrawal (LAW) condenser |
| accumulator area.  Operators responded per alarm response procedures and     |
| checked for outleakage and observed smoke at Instrument Control Panel (ICP)  |
| Number 13.  Operators immediately evacuated the area, called 911, and        |
| initiated a building recall.                                                 |
|                                                                              |
| The Emergency Response Organization (ERO) responded and monitored air        |
| quality for hydrogen fluoride, airborne radioactivity, and surveyed for      |
| surface contamination.  All sample results were less than minimum detectable |
| activity.  Investigation determined that a Dalton fitting in ICP#13 was      |
| cross threaded and was considered a possible source of the outleakage.       |
|                                                                              |
| This is reportable as a valid actuation of a "Q" safety system in accordance |
| with Safety Analysis Report, Section 6.9 (24-Hour Report).                   |
|                                                                              |
| The NRC resident inspector has been notified.                                |
|                                                                              |
| *** RETRACTION AT 1201 7/13/99 FROM J. MCCLEERY TO W. POERTNER ***           |
|                                                                              |
| Further management review has determined that the high voltage outleakage    |
| smokehead alarm is not a "Q" safety system as previously reported.           |
|                                                                              |
| Notified R3DO (Gardner), NMSS (Hickey)                                       |
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|General Information or Other                     |Event Number:   35915       |
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| REP ORG:  IDAHO NAT. ENG & ENVIRONMENTAL LAB   |NOTIFICATION DATE: 07/12/1999|
|LICENSEE:  IDAHO NAT. ENG & ENVIRONMENTAL LAB   |NOTIFICATION TIME: 23:55[EDT]|
|    CITY:                           REGION:  4  |EVENT DATE:        07/12/1999|
|  COUNTY:                            STATE:  ID |EVENT TIME:        21:33[MDT]|
|LICENSE#:                        AGREEMENT:  N  |LAST UPDATE DATE:  07/14/1999|
|  DOCKET:                                       |+----------------------------+
|                                                |PERSON          ORGANIZATION |
|                                                |BLAIR SPITZBERG      R4      |
|                                                |JOHN SURMEIER        NMSS    |
+------------------------------------------------+                             |
| NRC NOTIFIED BY:  BROWN                        |                             |
|  HQ OPS OFFICER:  CHAUNCEY GOULD               |                             |
+------------------------------------------------+                             |
|EMERGENCY CLASS:          N/A                   |                             |
|10 CFR SECTION:                                 |                             |
|NINF                     INFORMATION ONLY       |                             |
|                                                |                             |
|                                                |                             |
|                                                |                             |
|                                                |                             |
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                                   EVENT TEXT                                   
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| THE IDAHO NATIONAL ENGINEERING & ENVIRONMENTAL LABORATORY DECLARED AN ALERT  |
| DUE TO LOSS OF OFF SITE POWER AND A DIESEL FAILURE.                          |
|                                                                              |
| THE LABORATORY REPORTED THAT THEY HAD A LOSS OF COMMERCIAL POWER DUE TO A    |
| FIRE IN THE ELECTRICAL SUBSTATION.  THERE WAS ALSO A FAILURE OF THE DIESEL   |
| GENERATOR.  THIS CLASSIFICATION IS A DOE TYPE ALERT AND NOT A NRC TYPE       |
| ALERT.  THE LABORATORY DOES HAVE TMI FUEL ON SITE, BUT IT IS NOT AFFECTED BY |
| THIS ALERT.                                                                  |
|                                                                              |
| *** UPDATE ON 7/13/99 @ 0045 BY BROWN TO GOULD ***                           |
|                                                                              |
| THEY UPGRADED TO A DOE TYPE SITE AREA EMERGENCY DUE TO THE LOSS OF POWER     |
| WITH THE FAILURE TO START OF ONE STANDBY DIESEL GENERATOR AND THE FAILURE OF |
| ONE OPERATING STANDBY DIESEL GENERATOR.  THIS SITE AREA IS ALSO A DOE        |
| GENERATED CLASSIFICATION AND NOT A NRC GENERATED CLASSIFICATION.             |
|                                                                              |
| ****  UPDATE ON 7/13/99 @ 0356 FROM GARCIA TO GOULD  ****                    |
|                                                                              |
| OFF SITE POWER RESTORED AT 0140 MDT AND EVENT WAS TERMINATED AT THAT TIME.   |
+------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

+------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|Power Reactor                                    |Event Number:   35916       |
+------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
+------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| FACILITY: GINNA                    REGION:  1  |NOTIFICATION DATE: 07/13/1999|
|    UNIT:  [1] [] []                 STATE:  NY |NOTIFICATION TIME: 13:40[EDT]|
|   RXTYPE: [1] W-2-LP                           |EVENT DATE:        07/13/1999|
+------------------------------------------------+EVENT TIME:        13:00[EDT]|
| NRC NOTIFIED BY:  DAVID ODONNELL               |LAST UPDATE DATE:  07/13/1999|
|  HQ OPS OFFICER:  BOB STRANSKY                 +-----------------------------+
+------------------------------------------------+PERSON          ORGANIZATION |
|EMERGENCY CLASS:          UNU                   |JOHN WHITE           R1      |
|10 CFR SECTION:                                 |CHRIS GRIMES         NRR     |
|AAEC 50.72 (a) (1) (I)   EMERGENCY DECLARED     |CHARLES MILLER       IRO     |
|                                                |KEN SWEETZER         FEMA    |
|                                                |                             |
|                                                |                             |
+-----+----------+-------+--------+-----------------+--------+-----------------+
|UNIT |SCRAM CODE|RX CRIT|INIT PWR|   INIT RX MODE  |CURR PWR|  CURR RX MODE   |
+-----+----------+-------+--------+-----------------+--------+-----------------+
|1     N          Y       100      Power Operation  |100      Power Operation  |
|                                                   |                          |
|                                                   |                          |
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                                   EVENT TEXT                                   
+------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| UNUSUAL EVENT DECLARED DUE TO FIRE IN AUXILIARY BUILDING                     |
|                                                                              |
| The licensee declared an Unusual Event due to a fire in the waste evaporator |
| feed tank room lasting longer than 10 minutes. While removing abandoned      |
| equipment from the room, welders inadvertently set fire to a temporary       |
| ventilation filter. No safety equipment was damaged, and no personnel        |
| injuries occurred as a result of the fire.                                   |
|                                                                              |
| The fire was declared to be extinguished at 1340 EDT. The licensee is        |
| currently performing radiological surveys of the auxiliary building. A press |
| release may be made regarding this event. The NRC resident inspector has     |
| been informed of this notification.                                          |
|                                                                              |
| * * * UPDATE 1417 FROM ODONNELL TAKEN BY POERTNER * * *                      |
|                                                                              |
| The Unusual Event was terminated at 1415. Notified R1DO (White), NRR         |
| (Grimes), FEMA (Sweetzer).                                                   |
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|Other Nuclear Material                           |Event Number:   35917       |
+------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
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| REP ORG:  HOWARD UNIVERSITY                    |NOTIFICATION DATE: 07/13/1999|
|LICENSEE:  HOWARD UNIVERSITY                    |NOTIFICATION TIME: 14:56[EDT]|
|    CITY:  WASHINGTON               REGION:  1  |EVENT DATE:        06/14/1999|
|  COUNTY:                            STATE:  DC |EVENT TIME:        16:30[EDT]|
|LICENSE#:  0800386-19            AGREEMENT:  N  |LAST UPDATE DATE:  07/13/1999|
|  DOCKET:                                       |+----------------------------+
|                                                |PERSON          ORGANIZATION |
|                                                |JOHN WHITE           R1      |
|                                                |DON COOL             NMSS    |
+------------------------------------------------+                             |
| NRC NOTIFIED BY:  GREGORY TALLEY               |                             |
|  HQ OPS OFFICER:  WILLIAM POERTNER             |                             |
+------------------------------------------------+                             |
|EMERGENCY CLASS:                                |                             |
|10 CFR SECTION:                                 |                             |
|BAB2 20.2201(a)(1)(ii)   LOST/STOLEN LNM>10X    |                             |
|                                                |                             |
|                                                |                             |
|                                                |                             |
|                                                |                             |
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                                   EVENT TEXT                                   
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| MISSING SHIPMENT OF IODINE-125                                               |
|                                                                              |
| The licensee reported that a shipment from Amersham Inc. on June 7, 1999     |
| containing 2 millicuries (mCi) of I-125 in liquid form was missing.   The    |
| package arrived at Howard University and can not be located at this time.    |
| The licensee identified that the shipment was lost on June 14, 1999.         |
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