NRC: News Release - Region IV - 2002-034 - NRC Cites Fort Calhoun Station for Finding of Low to Moderate Safety Significance

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NRC NEWS
U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

Office of Public Affairs, Region IV
611 Ryan Plaza Drive, Suite 400, Arlington TX 76011
www.nrc.gov

No. IV-02-034		July 31, 2002
CONTACT:	Roger Hannah Phone: 817-860-8128 Cellular: 817-917-1227	E-mail: OPA4.Resource@nrc.gov
NRC CITES FORT CALHOUN STATION FOR FINDING OF LOW TO MODERATE SAFETY SIGNIFICANCE Printable Version
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff has issued its final determination that a May inspection finding at Fort Calhoun Station is of low to moderate safety significance and will be characterized as "white." The Fort Calhoun Station nuclear plant near Blair, Nebraska, is operated by Omaha Public Power District (OPPD). The issue involves an April 24 shipment of low-level radioactive waste from Fort Calhoun. Low-level waste material shifted inside a shipping container during transit to a waste processing facility in Tennessee such that radiation levels on contact with the container exceeded the NRC maximum of 200 mrem per hour on arrival. A study of the incident indicates that no one received a radiation dose above NRC limits from contact with the container. The NRC evaluates regulatory performance at commercial nuclear power plants with a color coded significance determination process which classifies regulatory findings as being in one of four color categories: green, white, yellow, or red in increasing order of regulatory safety significance. In addition to a white inspection finding, the NRC has issued a Notice of Violation to OPPD for shipping the waste with higher than allowed radiation levels at the exterior of the container. OPPD is required to submit a written response explaining the reason for the violation and the corrective actions taken. The white finding may require additional NRC inspection at Fort Calhoun.
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