ML19219A242
| ML19219A242 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Westinghouse |
| Issue date: | 07/16/2019 |
| From: | Jessie Quintero Environmental Review Branch |
| To: | Johnson E State of SC, Dept of Archives and History |
| References | |
| Download: ML19219A242 (3) | |
Text
1 Quintero, Jessie From:
Quintero, Jessie Sent:
Tuesday, July 16, 2019 2:44 PM To:
Johnson, Elizabeth
Subject:
RE: RE: REQUEST: Review NRC preliminary determination regarding historical and cultural resources at the Westinghouse facility in Richland County, SC HiMrs.Johnson, Theenvironmentalreportdoesnotdiscussthegroundwaterwellinstallation.However,Icanprovidetheprocedures andsomeestimatesfornumberofborings/wells.Theapprovalforinstallingthegroundwaterwellshappensthrough DHEC.Illsendthatinformationshortly.
IalsowantedtoofferupthatIwillbedowninColumbiaonThursday(25th)foracommunitymeetingbeingledbyDHEC andcouldcometoyouroffice.Ifyallareavailable,IcouldmeetyouonWedFri.Ihavenotmademytravel arrangementsyetsoIhavesomeflexibility.
- Thanks, Jessie
From:Johnson,Elizabeth<EJohnson@scdah.sc.gov>
Sent:Tuesday,July16,201911:25AM To:Quintero,Jessie<Jessie.Quintero@nrc.gov>
Subject:
[External_Sender]RE:REQUEST:ReviewNRCpreliminarydeterminationregardinghistoricalandcultural resourcesattheWestinghousefacilityinRichlandCounty,SC
Thankyouforyouremail.Tohelpusbetterunderstandthepotentialforanyeffectstoculturalresourcesweneedmore informationaboutwhatthewellinstallationprocesswouldconsistofhowlargeistheareaofdisturbance,arethere anystagingareasetc?.Isthatinformationwithinthenewenvironmentalreport,ifso,canyoupointmetothepage number(s)whereIcanfindtheinformation.
Also,whileIknowthenumberandlocationarenotyetknown,couldyougiveageneralestimateisitlikelytobe5or 50forexample?
Finally,pleaseprovideacopyoftheproceduretohandleinadvertentdiscoveriesfromlanddisturbingactitives,or provideareferencetoitanexistingdocument.
Thanksinadvanceforprovidingtheadditionalinformation, Elizabeth
ElizabethM.Johnson Director,HistoricalServices,DSHPO StateHistoricPreservationOffice SCDepartmentofArchives&History 8301ParklaneRoad Columbia,SC29223 Ph:803.896.6168Fax:803.896.6167https://scdah.sc.gov/historicpreservation
2 Notethatourwebsiteaddresshaschanged.
From:Quintero,Jessie[1]
Sent:Tuesday,July09,201910:57AM To:Johnson,Elizabeth<EJohnson@scdah.sc.gov>
Subject:
REQUEST:ReviewNRCpreliminarydeterminationregardinghistoricalandculturalresourcesatthe WestinghousefacilityinRichlandCounty,SC
Good afternoon Ms. Johnson, I am following up from a call we had with you on April 5, 2019, about the status of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commissions (NRC) ongoing review of a license renewal application from Westinghouse for its Columbia Fuel Fabrication Facility in Hopkins, South Carolina. If approved, the facility would continue to operate for an additional 40 years, making fuel assemblies for commercial nuclear power plants. When we first began the review, the NRC sent a letter to your office in May 2015, requesting concurrence on the NRCs determination that the 40-year renewal of the operating license for Westinghouses facility would not adversely affect any historical or cultural resources at the site [ML15104A268]. On May 28, 2015, your office responded with concurrence on our finding [ML15161A537].
In June 2018, the NRC published a Final Environmental Assessment (EA) and Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) related to the 40-year license renewal request [ML18120A318]. The NRC concluded that it did not expect any impact on historic or cultural resources from continued operation because no new construction was planned. Further, Westinghouse has a procedure in place to handle inadvertent discoveries during land-disturbing activities. However, shortly after the EA publication, there was an equipment leak that released contamination into the subsurface in July 2018. In addition, Westinghouse was conducting additional investigations into a previous buried pipe leak. Therefore, the NRC decided to re-open its environmental review.
Westinghouse submitted a new environmental report to the NRC for its review [ML19088A100]. The proposed action40 year license renewalhas not changed. However, Westinghouse will be conducting further investigation into water and soil contamination which includes collecting lithographic samples and installing groundwater monitoring wells in previously undisturbed areas of the site. The exact locations and number of wells are not known at this time. Well installation activities are short-term and cause minimal land disturbance. Once installed, the wells would be sampled several times a year.
The NRC concluded in its 2018 EA that the NRC does not expect any impact on historic or cultural resources from continued operation because no new construction was planned. However, your May 2015 letter noted that the site has a very high probability of significant archaeological properties, and that any future ground disturbance in previously undisturbed areas should be submitted to your office for review and comment. Therefore, we are coming back to your office to address the new activities occurring in undisturbed portions of the site.
The installation of new groundwater wells will be performed by a contractor and they will follow their procedures to avoid subsurface objects (e.g., human remains, underground utilities) and thus should be able to avoid digging in an area that might have remains or artifacts. Further, Westinghouse has a procedure in place to address inadvertent discoveries and Westinghouse must follow state law. Therefore, the NRC believes its previous conclusionno impacts to any historic or cultural resources expected from continued
3 operationremains the same. The NRC staff is requesting your offices concurrence with the NRCs preliminary conclusions within 30 days of this email (August 9, 2019). The NRC is also reaching out to the Catawba Indian Nation to make them aware of the new activities. The NRC intends to publish a Draft Revised EA for public review and comment and your office will also have an opportunity to provide comments on it. We will send information on how to comment once the Draft Revised EA is published. The schedule is still being developed.
If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to give me a call or email me.
Sincerely, Jessie Muir Quintero
JessieMuirQuintero EnvironmentalProjectManager,NMSS/FCSE/ERB U.S.NuclearRegulatoryCommission Phone:301.415.7476 Email:Jessie.Quintero@NRC.gov Mailstop:TWFN4B16