TRITIUM LEAK STOPPED - BNL COMPLETES PUMP-OUT OF HFBR SPENT-FUEL POOL

[Andy Hull <hull@mail.sep.bnl.gov>]

Radsafers:
Since BNL's tritium travails have been widely publicized,I am forwarding
this internal e-mail for your information.  Will it bring closure to the
negative publicity about it, or to the HFBR???
Andy Hull
S&EP-BNL
Upton,NY 11973
Ph 516-344-4210
Fax516-344-4210 
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>From: karav@bnl.gov (Kara Villamil)
>To: "BNL Labwide Broadcasts" <broadcast-l@bnl.gov>
>Subject: TRITIUM LEAK STOPPED - BNL COMPLETES PUMP-OUT OF HFBR SPENT-FUEL
POOL
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>The following news release is being issued today by the Public Affairs
>Office at Brookhaven National Laboratory.
>
>Note to all Department Chairs, Division Heads and Managers: Please make
>sure that this e-mail message is shared with employees in your area who do
>not have access to e-mail.
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>
> #98-2                           Contact:  Mona S. Rowe, or
>Issued 1/8/98                         Kara Villamil
>
>Brookhaven Lab Completes Pump Out of HFBR Spent-Fuel Pool
>Tritium Leak Stopped, Other Remediation Actions Completed
>
>Upton, NY - Water from the spent-fuel pool of the High Flux Beam Reactor
>(HFBR) was pumped out on December 30, 1997, marking completion of the U.S.
>Department of Energy (DOE) and Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) tritium
>remediation project - ahead of schedule and under budget.
>
>        The project started in January 1997, when BNL discovered tritium
>contamination in monitoring wells immediately south of the HFBR, a research
>reactor on the BNL site.  Both the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and
>the Suffolk County Department of Health Services have confirmed that the
>contamination, which is confined to the BNL site, poses no danger to BNL
>employees or to the public.
>
>        Since January 1997, DOE and BNL have taken the following actions:
>
>* Identified the spent-fuel pool of the HFBR as the major source of tritium
>contamination in groundwater south of the reactor, on BNL property.
>* Completed extensive characterization of the tritium contamination on
>site, south of the HFBR.
>* Started interim pumping of groundwater from an area of low tritium
>contamination to prevent the tritium from leaving the site boundary in
>concentrations above the state and federal drinking water standard.
>* Completed shipping all spent fuel elements and other equipment from the
>spent-fuel pool.
>* Incorporated the area of high tritium contamination into the federal
>Superfund process for a final decision on handling this contamination.
>* Emptied the spent-fuel pool of tritiated water and pumped the water to
>double-walled tanks on the BNL site.
>* Removed sediment from the pool bottom.
>
>       The HFBR was already shut down for routine maintenance when the
>tritium contamination was discovered a year ago.  The reactor has remained
>shut down, and DOE has begun a formal environmental review that will help
>determine its future.
>
>- 30 -
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