U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Operations Center Event Reports For 08/30/2005 - 08/31/2005 ** EVENT NUMBERS ** | General Information or Other | Event Number: 41949 | Rep Org: WISCONSIN RADIATION PROTECTION Licensee: UNKNOWN Region: 3 City: MADISON State: WI County: License #: N/A Agreement: Y Docket: NRC Notified By: MICHAEL WELLING HQ OPS Officer: PETE SNYDER | Notification Date: 08/26/2005 Notification Time: 13:27 [ET] Event Date: 08/26/2005 Event Time: [CDT] Last Update Date: 08/26/2005 | Emergency Class: NON EMERGENCY 10 CFR Section: AGREEMENT STATE | Person (Organization): KENNETH O'BRIEN (R3) E. WILLIAM BRACH (NMSS) | Event Text AGREEMENT STATE - TRITIUM EXIT SIGNS FOUND IN RECYCLABLES The State provided the following information via facsimile: "Wisconsin Radiation Protection Section [RPS] was contacted by Cascade Asset Management Company on August 25th. Workers at Cascade found several exit signs containing Tritium with a shipment of recyclable material. WI RPS staff were dispatched to investigate. Six intact signs and pieces of other signs were found in a trash barrel. Wipes were taken of the signs and barrel, and are being analyzed for contamination. The signs were placed in bags, sealed and placed in a remote part of the building. An investigation into the origin of the signs is under way." Wisconsin Event Report ID No.: 30 This is less than the quantity of an IAEA Category 3 source. 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. For some of these sources, such as moisture density gauges or thickness gauges that are IAEA 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. | General Information or Other | Event Number: 41950 | Rep Org: COLORADO DEPT OF HEALTH Licensee: PROTECHNICS Region: 4 City: TRINIDAD State: CO County: License #: CO-545-01 Agreement: Y Docket: NRC Notified By: ED STROUD HQ OPS Officer: PETE SNYDER | Notification Date: 08/26/2005 Notification Time: 13:59 [ET] Event Date: 08/22/2005 Event Time: [MDT] Last Update Date: 08/26/2005 | Emergency Class: NON EMERGENCY 10 CFR Section: AGREEMENT STATE | Person (Organization): WILLIAM JONES (R4) E. WILLIAM BRACH (NMSS) | Event Text AGREEMENT STATE - VEHICLE ACCIDENT WITH SPILLED SOURCE The State provided the following information via facsimile: "A well logging licensee notified the [Colorado Department of Health] on 8/26/05, that one of their well logging vehicles was involved in a roll-over accident in Colorado on Monday, 8/22/05, resulting in the spill of a small quantity of Scandium-46. No other vehicles or personnel were involved. "The licensee, ProTechnics, of Trinidad, Colorado, License Number CO-545-01, stated that the accident occurred in a remote area on state highway 550, south of Ouray, Colorado. Emergency vehicles responded to the scene, and the driver was taken to a local hospital with minor injuries. The licensee sent additional personnel to the site with survey meters, and they assisted with the clean up. They reported that the shipping container was ejected from the vehicle, and broke open. They reported that they were able to clean up all of the spilled material, except for one spot that was reading 15 [millirem per hour] on contact. The spot was located in a remote area, several feet to the side of the road. "No other details are available at this time. "The Department has initiated an investigation of this incident, and arrangements are being made to perform a confirmatory survey of the area." | Power Reactor | Event Number: 41954 | Facility: WATERFORD Region: 4 State: LA Unit: [3] [ ] [ ] RX Type: [3] CE NRC Notified By: KENNY CAMBREY HQ OPS Officer: JEFF ROTTON | Notification Date: 08/27/2005 Notification Time: 23:22 [ET] Event Date: 08/27/2005 Event Time: 22:04 [CDT] Last Update Date: 08/31/2005 | Emergency Class: UNUSUAL EVENT 10 CFR Section: 50.72(a) (1) (i) - EMERGENCY DECLARED | Person (Organization): WILLIAM JONES (R4) PAO-TSIN KUO (NRR) MEL LEACH (IRD) AKERS (DHS) CASTO (FEMA) | Unit | SCRAM Code | RX CRIT | Initial PWR | Initial RX Mode | Current PWR | Current RX Mode | 3 | N | Y | 100 | Power Operation | 100 | Power Operation | Event Text UNUSUAL EVENT DECLARED DUE TO HURRICANE WARNING At 2204 CDT, an Unusual Event was declared due to a Hurricane warning in St Charles Parish, LA. The licensee does not have any Limiting Conditions for Operation on safety related equipment. No electrical grid disturbances currently exist. The licensee will be notifying the NRC Resident Inspector. The licensee notified the State and Local government agencies. * * * UPDATE FROM J. PIERCE TO M. RIPLEY 1144 EDT 08/28/05 * * * "Waterford 3 will commence a plant shutdown to Mode 4 on August 28, 2005 at 1100 CDT. The goal is to be approximately 325 deg F reactor coolant system temperature with both trains of Shutdown Cooling in service [expected at approximately 0100 CDT 08/29/05] . This is approximately 2 hours before hurricane force winds are expected on site." Notified R4DO (Jones), NRR EO (Kuo), IRD Mgr. (Wilson), DHS (York), and FEMA (Canupp). * * * UPDATE FROM J. PIERCE TO J. ROTTON 1131 EDT 08/29/05 * * * As a result of Hurricane Katrina, all offsite power was lost at 0800 CDT. The emergency diesel generators successfully started and loaded. Notified R4DO (R. Bywater), NSIR (Leach, Wilson), NRR EO (Kuo, Jung), FEMA (Kuzia), DHS (Stransky). * * * UPDATE FROM LICENSEE (LEWIS) TO NRC (HUFFMAN) AT 2302 EDT ON 8/29/05 * * * The Hurricane warning for St Charles Parish, LA, has been discontinued by the National Weather Service. Initiating condition, D UE-5, is no longer applicable. Waterford 3 remains in an Unusual Event for initiating condition C UE-1, loss of all offsite power. An agreement to relax 60 minute notification updates to State and local authorities remains in effect. The licensee has notified State and local authorities as well as the NRC Resident Inspector. Offsite power is available to the licensee switchyard. However, the voltage is too high for plant specification and the licensee remains disconnected from offsite power and on the emergency diesel generators. * * * UPDATE FROM LICENSEE (LEWIS) TO NRC (KNOKE) AT 0001 EDT ON 8/31/05 * * * Waterford 3 remains in an Unusual Event for initiating condition C UE-1, loss of all offsite power. An agreement to relax 60 minute notification updates to State and local authorities remains in effect. The communications system for Public Automatic Branch Exchange (PABX) is working internally, but not externally. Other areas where communications are lost are Emergency Operations Facility (EOF), Operations hotline, Reactor Auxiliary Building (RAB), and the Emergency Notification System (ENS). Waterford has use of an industrial hotline to a circuit in the Parish of St Charles, however, this is very limited in its capability. The Civil Defense communication system is still inoperable. | Other Nuclear Material | Event Number: 41962 | Rep Org: MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY Licensee: MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY Region: 3 City: EAST LANSING State: MI County: License #: 210002129 Agreement: N Docket: NRC Notified By: PAUL ROSSI HQ OPS Officer: CHAUNCEY GOULD | Notification Date: 08/30/2005 Notification Time: 13:27 [ET] Event Date: 08/30/2005 Event Time: 10:30 [EDT] Last Update Date: 08/30/2005 | Emergency Class: NON EMERGENCY 10 CFR Section: 20.2201(a)(1)(ii) - LOST/STOLEN LNM>10X | Person (Organization): MONTE PHILLIPS (R3) SCOTT MOORE (NMSS) ARMAND CARON (CANA) TAS (E-MAIL) () | Event Text LICENSEE REPORTED AN UNACCOUNTABLE CALIFORNIUM-249 SOURCE The licensee reported that a 0.958 microCurie (as of 02/05/83) source of Californium 249 was unaccounted for when the device was inspected prior to usage. The source is a solid electrode deposit on a platinum foil which is used to calibrate nuclear physics instrumentation. The last inventory was conducted on 07/25/05, but it was only a visual check of the container. The last activity identification of the device was on 05/11/04. They have searched and are continuing the search to find the material. No evidence of contamination has been detected in the area at this time. This is a IAEA Category 5 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. For some of these sources, such as moisture density gauges or thickness gauges that are IAEA 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. | |