Event Notification Report for July 28, 2000
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Operations Center
Event Reports For
07/27/2000 - 07/28/2000
** EVENT NUMBERS **
37188 37189 37190 37191 37192 37193
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|General Information or Other |Event Number: 37188 |
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| REP ORG: FLORIDA BUREAU OF RADIATION CONTROL |NOTIFICATION DATE: 07/27/2000|
|LICENSEE: QORE, INC. d/b/a ATLANTA TESTING & EN|NOTIFICATION TIME: 10:13[EDT]|
| CITY: TAMPA REGION: 2 |EVENT DATE: 07/27/2000|
| COUNTY: STATE: FL |EVENT TIME: 08:30[EDT]|
|LICENSE#: 1646-1 AGREEMENT: Y |LAST UPDATE DATE: 07/27/2000|
| DOCKET: |+----------------------------+
| |PERSON ORGANIZATION |
| |STEPHEN CAHILL R2 |
| |JOHN HICKEY NMSS |
+------------------------------------------------+ |
| NRC NOTIFIED BY: CHARLEY ADAMS | |
| HQ OPS OFFICER: LEIGH TROCINE | |
+------------------------------------------------+ |
|EMERGENCY CLASS: N/A | |
|10 CFR SECTION: | |
|NAGR AGREEMENT STATE | |
| | |
| | |
| | |
| | |
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EVENT TEXT
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| AGREEMENT STATE REPORT INVOLVING A STOLEN TROXLER GAUGE OWNED BY QORE, INC. |
| d/b/a ATLANTA TESTING & ENGINEERING, INC. LOCATED IN TAMPA, FLORIDA |
| |
| The following text is a portion of a facsimile received from the Florida |
| Bureau of Radiation Control: |
| |
| "Licensee: Qore, Inc., d/b/a Atlanta Testing & Engineering, Inc." |
| |
| "City, State, and Zip Code: Tampa, FL 33313" |
| |
| "License #: 1646-1" |
| |
| "License Type; Category: Specific; 3L(1)" |
| |
| "Isotope(s): Cs-137; Am-241:Be" |
| |
| "Activity(s): 8 mCi, 40.2 mCi" |
| |
| "Material Form; Chemical Form; Physical Form: By-product: Special Form" |
| |
| "Probable Disposition of Material: Unknown" |
| |
| "Exposure? No" |
| |
| "Number: N/A" |
| |
| "Type of Individual(s): N/A" |
| |
| "Exposure Source: N/A" |
| |
| "Dose Delivered to: N/A" |
| |
| "Maximum Dose Received: N/A" |
| |
| "Incident Category: Loss of Control - Lost, Abandoned, or Stolen |
| Materials" |
| |
| "Incident Location: 2306 Isabel St., Tampa, FL" |
| |
| "Location Classification: Unrestricted Area" |
| |
| "Incident Description: [The] licensee reported that a gauge was stolen from |
| a technician's home between 8 p.m. on 26 July and 8 a.m. on 27 July. The |
| technician had worked late at a job and went home for the evening. When he |
| checked the container the next morning[,] the gauge was missing. The gauge |
| is locked[,] but the container had not been locked. The keys to the gauge |
| were not stolen. The Tampa PD and the Florida Bureau of Radiation Control |
| are investigating. The licensee is considering [offering] a $500 reward for |
| the gauge's return." |
| |
| "Device Type (Quantity): Soil Moisture/Density Gauge (1)" |
| |
| "Manufacturer: Troxler" |
| |
| "Model Number: 3430" |
| |
| "Serial Number: 23299" |
| |
| "Emergency Groups at Scene: None" |
| |
| "Organizations Notified: NRC, Tampa PD" |
| |
| "Media Contacted: None" |
| |
| "Investigator's Name; Title: Charles Adams, Environmental Specialist II" |
| |
| "Office: Environmental Radiation Control" |
| |
| "Date; Time Investigated: 27-Jul-00; 0830" |
| |
| "[NRC] Region II has been notified." |
| |
| Call the NRC operations officer for contact information. |
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|Fuel Cycle Facility |Event Number: 37189 |
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| FACILITY: WESTINGHOUSE ELECTRIC CORPORATION |NOTIFICATION DATE: 07/27/2000|
| RXTYPE: URANIUM FUEL FABRICATION |NOTIFICATION TIME: 11:33[EDT]|
| COMMENTS: LEU CONVERSION (UF6 to UO2) |EVENT DATE: 07/26/2000|
| COMMERCIAL LWR FUEL |EVENT TIME: 12:52[EDT]|
| |LAST UPDATE DATE: 07/27/2000|
| CITY: COLUMBIA REGION: 2 +-----------------------------+
| COUNTY: RICHLAND STATE: SC |PERSON ORGANIZATION |
|LICENSE#: SNM-1107 AGREEMENT: Y |STEPHEN CAHILL R2 |
| DOCKET: 07001151 |JOSIE PICCONE NMSS |
+------------------------------------------------+ |
| NRC NOTIFIED BY: JIM HEATH | |
| HQ OPS OFFICER: BOB STRANSKY | |
+------------------------------------------------+ |
|EMERGENCY CLASS: N/A | |
|10 CFR SECTION: | |
|NBNL RESPONSE-BULLETIN | |
| | |
| | |
| | |
| | |
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EVENT TEXT
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| 24-HOUR NRC BULLETIN 91-01 REPORT |
| |
| "During a routine procedure review associated with a plant-wide procedure |
| upgrade process, a Nuclear Criticality Safety (NCS) engineer noted that a |
| procedure was not written in compliance with the documented criticality |
| safety evaluation. |
| |
| "The procedure under review was 'Filter Disassembly Process' which provides |
| instructions for the disassembly of HEPA filters to remove non-combustible |
| material and recover gross contamination (i.e. particles which are not |
| imbedded in the media) prior to incineration. The procedure instructed the |
| operator to 'Place paper filter media into a 30-gal paper bag for |
| shredding.' The NCS engineer subsequently examined the criticality safety |
| evaluation for the shredder system and found that mass control in the system |
| is maintained by administrative controls which prohibit the shredding of |
| filters surveyed to contain greater than 5g U-235/10 liters. It was |
| determined that the procedure for shredding of the paper bags filled with |
| un-assayed filter media failed to provide the documented double contingency |
| protection for the system. |
| |
| "Double Contingency Protection: |
| Double contingency protection for the shredder is based on mass control |
| (prevent greater than 43 kg U from accumulating in the feeder hopper or the |
| receiver drums). It was determined that less than double contingency |
| protection remained for the system. However, at no time was greater than a |
| safe mass involved. In accordance with Westinghouse Operating License |
| (SNM-1107), paragraph 3.7.3 (c.5), this event meets the criteria for a 24 |
| hour notification because it constitutes a 'nuclear criticality safety |
| incident, in an analyzed system, for which less than previously documented |
| double contingency protection remains ...and: Less than a safe mass ... is |
| involved...' |
| |
| "Summary of Activity: |
| Immediately upon determining that less than double contingency protection |
| remained, the NCS engineer directed that shredding of bags containing |
| disassembled filter media be stopped. Thus double contingency protection was |
| immediately restored. |
| |
| "Conclusions: |
| * Loss of double contingency protection occurred. |
| * At no time was greater than a safe mass involved. |
| * At no time was there any risk to the health or safety of any employee or |
| member of the public. No exposure to hazardous material was involved. |
| * The Incident Review Committee (IRC) determined that this is a safety |
| significant incident in accordance with governing procedures. A formal root |
| cause analysis is underway. |
| * Notification was the result of a deficient procedure, not 'a deficient |
| NCS analysis." |
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|Power Reactor |Event Number: 37190 |
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| FACILITY: PALISADES REGION: 3 |NOTIFICATION DATE: 07/27/2000|
| UNIT: [1] [] [] STATE: MI |NOTIFICATION TIME: 11:50[EDT]|
| RXTYPE: [1] CE |EVENT DATE: 07/26/2000|
+------------------------------------------------+EVENT TIME: 14:27[EDT]|
| NRC NOTIFIED BY: SHERI KING |LAST UPDATE DATE: 07/27/2000|
| HQ OPS OFFICER: STEVE SANDIN +-----------------------------+
+------------------------------------------------+PERSON ORGANIZATION |
|EMERGENCY CLASS: N/A |THOMAS KOZAK R3 |
|10 CFR SECTION: | |
|AARC 50.72(b)(1)(v) OTHER ASMT/COMM INOP | |
| | |
| | |
| | |
+-----+----------+-------+--------+-----------------+--------+-----------------+
|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
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| EMERGENCY OFFSITE FACILITY (EOF) TELEPHONE LAND LINES CUT DURING |
| CONSTRUCTION. |
| |
| "ON 7/26/00 AT APPROXIMATELY 1427 HOURS, IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT ALL LAND |
| LINKED TELEPHONES IN THE EMERGENCY OFFSITE RESPONSE FACILITY WERE |
| INOPERATIVE. SUBSEQUENT INVESTIGATION REVEALED A MAJOR TELEPHONE TRUNK LINE |
| HAD BEEN SEVERED AT APPROXIMATELY 1130 HOURS DURING CONSTRUCTION ACTIVITIES |
| APPROXIMATELY ONE MILE FROM THE EOF. THIS SIGNIFICANT LOSS OF TELEPHONES |
| WOULD HAVE IMPAIRED THE CAPABILITY TO ACTIVATE THE EOF IN THE EVENT OF AN |
| ACCIDENT OR EMERGENCY. AT THE TIME OF THE DISCOVERY, COMMUNICATIONS FROM |
| THE CONTROL ROOM TO THE NRC AND OFFSITE AGENCIES WERE VERIFIED AS |
| OPERATIONAL. THE PHONE LINES WERE REPAIRED BY 1700 HOURS ON 7/26/00. |
| |
| "REPORTABILITY OF THE OCCURRENCE WAS DETERMINED AT 1100 HOURS ON 7/27/00." |
| |
| THE LICENSEE INFORMED THE NRC RESIDENT INSPECTOR. |
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!!!!!!!!! THIS EVENT HAS BEEN RETRACTED. THIS EVENT HAS BEEN RETRACTED !!!!!!!
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|Research Reactor |Event Number: 37191 |
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| FACILITY: UNIV OF ARIZONA |NOTIFICATION DATE: 07/27/2000|
| RXTYPE: 100 KW TRIGA MARK I |NOTIFICATION TIME: 12:00[EDT]|
| COMMENTS: |EVENT DATE: 07/27/2000|
| |EVENT TIME: 08:45[MST]|
| |LAST UPDATE DATE: 07/27/2000|
| CITY: TUCSON REGION: 4 +-----------------------------+
| COUNTY: PIMA STATE: AZ |PERSON ORGANIZATION |
|LICENSE#: R-52 AGREEMENT: Y |BILL JONES R4 |
| DOCKET: 05000113 |JIM LYONS NRR |
+------------------------------------------------+JOSIE PICCONE NMSS |
| NRC NOTIFIED BY: J.G. WILLIAMS | |
| HQ OPS OFFICER: STEVE SANDIN | |
+------------------------------------------------+ |
|EMERGENCY CLASS: N/A | |
|10 CFR SECTION: | |
|NLTR LICENSEE 24 HR REPORT | |
| | |
| | |
| | |
| | |
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EVENT TEXT
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| 24-HOUR REPORT INVOLVING POTENTIAL I-131 CONTAMINATION |
| |
| "FACILITY LICENSE R-52 |
| |
| "Report, possibly spurious, of I-131 contamination |
| |
| "July 27, 2000 |
| |
| "Description of the Occurrence: |
| |
| "On the afternoon of July 18, 2000, a routine contamination survey was |
| performed at the Nuclear Reactor Laboratory (NRL), University of Arizona by |
| staff of the Radiation Control Office (RCO). On July 26, at approximately |
| 0845, the Reactor Supervisor received word that four out of 30 wipe samples |
| showed contamination, with the highest count rate about 1100 counts per |
| minute. Subsequently, he was told that I-131 (8-day half life) was |
| identified by gamma spectrometry. |
| |
| "Immediate surveys of the Reactor Laboratory and reviews of records showed |
| no confirmatory evidence, which should have been found if the reported |
| contamination was genuine. |
| |
| "Contamination of the samples while in RCO custody is suspected, and this |
| possibility is being investigated. |
| |
| "On the morning of 18 July a group of 20 visitors, members of the public, |
| was present for about one hour in the morning. One half of the visitors, |
| mostly school children grades 6 to 9, carried pocket dosimeters, which |
| showed no exposure. The continuous air monitor showed no indication. The |
| area monitors showed no indication. Finally, no indication of I-131 could be |
| found in the laboratory yesterday, even though no clean-up had been |
| attempted. |
| |
| "The report we received from RCO is at the moment considered to be spurious. |
| This report is transmitted within 24 hours of our receiving that report, |
| however, in case it proves to have some foundation. Investigation is in any |
| case needed of how this occurred, and of why the report we received from RCO |
| was not timely." |
| |
| * * * UPDATE 7/27/00 FROM J. WILLIAMS TO S. SANDIN VIA FAX * * * |
| |
| The licensee is retracting this report based on the following: |
| |
| "FACILITY LICENSE R-52 |
| |
| Withdrawn: previous report, dated today, entitled, "Report, possibly |
| spurious, of I-131 contamination" |
| |
| "July 27, 2000 |
| |
| "Investigation of information that formed the basis for my previous report, |
| dated today, has led to the conclusion that there exists no credible |
| evidence of any violation of 10CFR20 at this facility or of any other basis |
| for an immediate report in accordance with our Technical Specification. In |
| particular no exposure or contamination of any person has occurred. |
| Therefore, the previous report is withdrawn. |
| |
| "The basis for this conclusion, briefly, is as follows: |
| |
| "- The Radiation Control Office has reason to believe that the gamma |
| spectrometer used to identify I-131 may have been previously contaminated |
| with I-131. |
| |
| "- I-131 is not an isotope in use in the Reactor Laboratory. It is present |
| in the reactor fuel elements, but could not have leaked from them without |
| causing other indications that were not present. |
| |
| "- The liquid scintillation counts were incorrectly reported by an |
| inexperienced analyst (though experienced in operating the equipment). |
| |
| "- At low counting levels, the techniques used to obtain the liquid |
| scintillation counts may be sensitive to spurious effects such as static |
| electricity. |
| |
| "- Even if accurate, the count rates reported would not credibly lead to |
| the possibility of exposures above 10CFR20 limits. |
| |
| "- The absence of indications from Reactor Laboratory instruments, as |
| reported previously, cannot be explained if there were any reactivity |
| released from the reactor. Channel checks of those instruments had been |
| performed on the day in question (7/18/00), and their calibrations were |
| current. |
| |
| "- In addition to the absence of air monitor indication and area monitor |
| indication, the reactor pool water monitoring system showed no indication. |
| |
| "- Further wipe samples of the locations occupied by visitors on 7/18/00, |
| showed no indications of activity above background, and other wipes from |
| areas not accessible to visitors showed no significant indications. |
| |
| "As stated in the original report, the reasons for the reporting of possibly |
| spurious data, also after an apparently undue delay, require investigation. |
| The results will be reported in writing to the NRC within 30 days, as an |
| 'observed inadequacy in the implementation of administrative or procedural |
| controls,' (Tech. Specs. 6.7.c.4)." |
| |
| Notified R4DO(Jones) and NMSS(Collins). |
+------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
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|Power Reactor |Event Number: 37192 |
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| FACILITY: RIVER BEND REGION: 4 |NOTIFICATION DATE: 07/27/2000|
| UNIT: [1] [] [] STATE: LA |NOTIFICATION TIME: 13:54[EDT]|
| RXTYPE: [1] GE-6 |EVENT DATE: 07/27/2000|
+------------------------------------------------+EVENT TIME: 09:02[CDT]|
| NRC NOTIFIED BY: VERNON CARLSON |LAST UPDATE DATE: 07/27/2000|
| HQ OPS OFFICER: STEVE SANDIN +-----------------------------+
+------------------------------------------------+PERSON ORGANIZATION |
|EMERGENCY CLASS: N/A |BILL JONES R4 |
|10 CFR SECTION: | |
|AIND 50.72(b)(2)(iii)(D) ACCIDENT MITIGATION | |
| | |
| | |
| | |
+-----+----------+-------+--------+-----------------+--------+-----------------+
|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
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| POTENTIAL LOSS OF SAFETY FUNCTION RELATED TO CONTROL ROOM CHILLED WATER |
| SYSTEM |
| |
| "While alternating Divisions of Control Room Chilled water to perform post |
| maintenance testing on HVK-CHL1B the 'B' chiller tripped. When actions |
| were taken to restart the 'A' chiller the breaker for the service water |
| recirc valve SWP-MOV 27A tripped. The breaker was reset and the chiller was |
| started. Due to the indeterminate nature of the breaker trip on the valve, |
| the 'A' chiller was declared Inoperable. The 'C' & 'D' chillers were |
| already Inoperable due to non-related existing conditions. This places the |
| unit in Action 'B' of Tech Spec 3.7.3. We are conservatively reporting |
| this pending the investigation of the condition and it's affect on the |
| system response to postulated events to determine if the safety function was |
| truly lost. System is currently operating and maintaining normal control |
| room temperature." |
| |
| The licensee will inform the NRC Resident Inspector. |
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|General Information or Other |Event Number: 37193 |
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| REP ORG: IDAHO NAT ENGR & ENVIRONMENTAL LAB |NOTIFICATION DATE: 07/27/2000|
|LICENSEE: IDAHO NAT ENGR & ENVIRONMENTAL LAB |NOTIFICATION TIME: 19:22[EDT]|
| CITY: IDAHO FALLS REGION: 4 |EVENT DATE: 07/27/2000|
| COUNTY: STATE: ID |EVENT TIME: 15:55[MDT]|
|LICENSE#: AGREEMENT: N |LAST UPDATE DATE: 07/28/2000|
| DOCKET: |+----------------------------+
| |PERSON ORGANIZATION |
| |BILL JONES R4 |
| |ELLIS MERSCHOFF RA |
+------------------------------------------------+ELMO COLLINS NMSS |
| NRC NOTIFIED BY: JOE GARCIA |CHARLES MILLER IRO |
| HQ OPS OFFICER: STEVE SANDIN |STEINDURF FEMA |
+------------------------------------------------+DOE, USDA, HHS (fax) |
|EMERGENCY CLASS: N/A | |
|10 CFR SECTION: | |
|NINF INFORMATION ONLY | |
| | |
| | |
| | |
| | |
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EVENT TEXT
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| COURTESY NOTIFICATION OF A DOE EMERGENCY DECLARATION AT AN INDEPENDENT SPENT |
| FUEL STORAGE INSTALLATION (ISFSI) IN IDAHO |
| |
| At 1555MDT, DOE INEEL declared a Site Area Emergency due to wildland fires |
| on DOE controlled property. The ISFSI containing the TMI spent fuel is not |
| threatened. This notification is a courtesy call only and does not involve |
| the NRC Radiological Emergency Plan. No NRC assistance is requested. |
| |
| DOE INEEL has notified the State of Idaho, all surrounding counties and DOE |
| Headquarters. |
| |
| *** UPDATE AT 0304 EDT ON 07/28/00 FROM JOE GARCIA AND FOREST HOLMS TO LEIGH |
| TROCINE *** |
| |
| This event status update was provided as a courtesy notification. The Site |
| Area Emergency remains in progress. There is a site-wide emergency action |
| level in effect because of a wildland fire. The TMI-2 ISFSI is located at |
| the Idaho National Engineering & Environmental Laboratory (INEEL), but the |
| Site Area Emergency does not impact the TMI-2 ISFSI. However, INEEL has |
| been directed by the Department of Energy (DOE) to notify the NRC when |
| emergency action levels of this nature are in place. The Site Area |
| Emergency will remain in effect until the fire is extinguished. |
| |
| The following text is a portion of a facsimile received from the INEEL: |
| |
| "Description of Incident: Wildland fire on the INEEL. Fire suppression |
| efforts continue. Emergency response centers [are] operational at RWMC, |
| CFA, INTEC, TRA, EOC with reduced staffing. INTEC and TRA [are] continuing |
| to monitor facilities." |
| |
| The NRC operations officer notified the R4DO (Jones), R4RA (Merschoff), NMSS |
| EO (Collins), IRO (Miller), and the Federal Emergency Management Agency |
| (FEMA) (Storer). DOE, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Department of |
| Health and Human Services (HHS), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and |
| Department of Transportation (DOT) (via the National Response Center) were |
| also notified via facsimile. |
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