Re: [COL Peter Myers 289-0132: NRC Request for Comments: Releases to Sanitary Sewers]

[Hector Mandel <mandel@oxbox.cso.uiuc.edu>]

>  
>     The NRC staff also has received a report prepared by one of 
> its contractors which evaluates situations where radioactivity 
> has been reported in sewer systems or sewer treatment sludge, 
> analyzes various scenarios whereby members of the public could 
> be exposed to radiation from material deposited in sewer systems 
> and presents limiting, highly-conservative scenarios for each of 
> the case histories analyzed.

I suspect that, in this case "highly conservative" means WRONG.

It's incredible that we have to invest such vast resources in nonsense 
like this.  The current sewer disposal regulations, in my view, have worked 
very well for many years.  Now, because of a single incident, the NRC seems 
ready to squander even more of our tax money (the completely unnecessary 
revamping of 10cfr20 being the latest and most striking example) to make 
unecessary changes just for the sake of making changes. 


>  
>     Based on the results of study, the staff concluded that it 
> needed more information and has let a new contract to obtain 
> additional data.  

GREAT.