The NRC is modernizing nrc.gov with an updated design and improved navigation to enhance usability. We are committed to a smooth transition and will work to minimize any disruption. The site may be briefly unavailable at times during launch. Thank you for your patience.
Event Notification Report for December 5, 2000
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Operations Center
Event Reports For
12/04/2000 - 12/05/2000
** EVENT NUMBERS **
37565 37566 37567
+------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|General Information or Other |Event Number: 37565 |
+------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
+------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| REP ORG: ILLINOIS DEPT OF NUCLEAR SAFETY |NOTIFICATION DATE: 12/04/2000|
|LICENSEE: ILLINOIS DEPT OF NUCLEAR SAFETY |NOTIFICATION TIME: 17:06[EST]|
| CITY: ROCKFORD REGION: 3 |EVENT DATE: 12/01/2000|
| COUNTY: STATE: IL |EVENT TIME: 10:00[CST]|
|LICENSE#: AGREEMENT: Y |LAST UPDATE DATE: 12/04/2000|
| DOCKET: |+----------------------------+
| |PERSON ORGANIZATION |
| |MICHAEL PARKER R3 |
| |LARRY CAMPER NMSS |
+------------------------------------------------+ |
| NRC NOTIFIED BY: JOE KLINGER | |
| HQ OPS OFFICER: JOHN MacKINNON | |
+------------------------------------------------+ |
|EMERGENCY CLASS: N/A | |
|10 CFR SECTION: | |
|NAGR AGREEMENT STATE | |
| | |
| | |
| | |
| | |
+------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
EVENT TEXT
+------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| BARE UNMARKED 8 MILLICURIE CESIUM-137 SOURCE FOUND IN SCRAPYARD. |
| |
| On December 01, 2000, around 1000 CT the Illinois Department of Nuclear |
| Safety was notified by Joseph Behr Metals, Inc., that a bare 8 millicurie |
| Cesium-137 source had been discovered after their truck portal monitor had |
| alarmed. Illinois Department of Nuclear Safety immediately sent personnel to |
| the site. The area around the Cesium-137 was secured and the source was leak |
| tested, doubled bagged, labeled, and locked in a secure facility at the site |
| by Illinois Department of Nuclear Safety personnel. Joseph Behr Metals, |
| Inc., will have the source properly disposed of in the very near future. |
| |
| The source is unmarked and it looks like it has been through a shredder and |
| nobody came in contact with or was exposed to the source. The source appears |
| to have belonged to a Moisture Density gauge. |
| |
| The Illinois Department of Nuclear Safety has placed the 8 millicurie |
| Cesium-137 on their orphan source list. |
+------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
+------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|General Information or Other |Event Number: 37566 |
+------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
+------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| REP ORG: WA DIVISION OF RADIATION PROTECTION |NOTIFICATION DATE: 12/04/2000|
|LICENSEE: ZIPPER ZEMAN ASSOCIATES |NOTIFICATION TIME: 20:43[EST]|
| CITY: CENTRALIA REGION: 4 |EVENT DATE: 11/19/2000|
| COUNTY: STATE: WA |EVENT TIME: 22:00[PST]|
|LICENSE#: WN-I-507-1 AGREEMENT: Y |LAST UPDATE DATE: 12/04/2000|
| DOCKET: |+----------------------------+
| |PERSON ORGANIZATION |
| |BLAIR SPITZBERG R4 |
| |LARRY CAMPER NMSS |
+------------------------------------------------+ |
| NRC NOTIFIED BY: TERRY FRAZEE | |
| HQ OPS OFFICER: JOHN MacKINNON | |
+------------------------------------------------+ |
|EMERGENCY CLASS: N/A | |
|10 CFR SECTION: | |
|NAGR AGREEMENT STATE | |
| | |
| | |
| | |
| | |
+------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
EVENT TEXT
+------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| STOLEN CPN GAUGE RECOVERED |
| |
| An authorized user was working at a temporary job site on Saturday, November |
| 18 and stayed overnight at a local motel to continue work the next day. The |
| authorized user secured a CPN model MC-1 portable gauge, serial number |
| MD81104670, containing 10 millicuries of cesium-137 and 50 millicuries of |
| americium-241/beryllium into its locked case. The locked case was then |
| chained and locked into the canopy covered bed of a 1988 Toyota four-wheel |
| drive pick-up. The pick-up was last seen at 10 PM on Saturday night. At 9 |
| AM Sunday, November 19, the authorized user discovered that the pick-up had |
| been stolen. The theft was reported to the Centralia police, the licensee |
| and the Department emergency line (206 Nuclear). |
| |
| On November 27, the pick-up truck was found abandoned in an apartment |
| complex in Puyallup, WA. The canopy was gone, the rear slider window was |
| broken and the stereo and speakers had been removed along with the portable |
| gauge. A pipe bomb was discovered under the front seat and destroyed by the |
| Washington State Patrol bomb squad. |
| |
| On December 3, in response to complaints from neighbors, police in Bonney |
| Lake, WA investigated a suspected meth lab in a trailer park. While there, |
| officers spotted a bright orange carrying case in one of several junk piles |
| and noted the labels indicating it contained radioactive material. The |
| Department's emergency line was called. Staff from the Department retrieved |
| the CPN gauge on December 4 and determined that it was intact and still in |
| its locked carrying case. The gauge is being held by the Department until |
| the licensee picks it up. |
| |
| What is the notification or reporting criteria involved? WAC 246-221-240 |
+------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
+------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|Power Reactor |Event Number: 37567 |
+------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
+------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| FACILITY: OCONEE REGION: 2 |NOTIFICATION DATE: 12/04/2000|
| UNIT: [1] [] [] STATE: SC |NOTIFICATION TIME: 20:51[EST]|
| RXTYPE: [1] B&W-L-LP,[2] B&W-L-LP,[3] B&W-L-L|EVENT DATE: 12/04/2000|
+------------------------------------------------+EVENT TIME: 20:25[EST]|
| NRC NOTIFIED BY: NEIL CONSTANCE |LAST UPDATE DATE: 12/04/2000|
| HQ OPS OFFICER: JOHN MacKINNON +-----------------------------+
+------------------------------------------------+PERSON ORGANIZATION |
|EMERGENCY CLASS: N/A |EDWARD MCALPINE R2 |
|10 CFR SECTION: | |
|ADAS 50.72(b)(2)(i) DEG/UNANALYZED COND | |
| | |
| | |
| | |
+-----+----------+-------+--------+-----------------+--------+-----------------+
|UNIT |SCRAM CODE|RX CRIT|INIT PWR| INIT RX MODE |CURR PWR| CURR RX MODE |
+-----+----------+-------+--------+-----------------+--------+-----------------+
|1 N N 0 Refueling |0 Refueling |
| | |
| | |
+------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
EVENT TEXT
+------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| BORON FOUND ON REACTOR HEAD THERMOCOUPLE NOZZLE. |
| |
| On November 25, 2000, at approximately 1500 hours, during a routine visual |
| inspection, engineering identified a small amount (about 1 cup) of boron |
| accumulation at the interface between the outside of the reactor vessel head |
| and an unused reactor head thermocouple nozzle. The source of the boron |
| could not be concluded. Unit 1 has eight unused thermocouple nozzles that |
| were used during original startup. Oconee Units 2 and 3 do not have these |
| nozzles. |
| |
| On December 4, 2000, at 2025 hours, a preliminary review of the eddy current |
| test results from the subject unused thermocouple nozzle indicated that the |
| source of the observed boron was most likely from a degraded pressure |
| boundary associated with this thermocouple nozzle. In addition, a video |
| inspection of the reactor head revealed trace amounts of boron around three |
| (3) additional thermocouple nozzles and one (1) control rod drive nozzle. |
| Leakage of this magnitude would not typically be detectable during |
| operation. |
| |
| A failure investigation team has been formed to evaluate this condition. |
| |
| The NRC Resident Inspector was notified of this event by the licensee. |
+------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
Page Last Reviewed/Updated Thursday, March 25, 2021
Page Last Reviewed/Updated Thursday, March 25, 2021