Nuclear emergency plans tested annually at state power plants

AS A RESULT of the Three Mile Island accident in March 1979, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) required that state and local governments and utility companies develop nuclear emergency plans in case of another accident. Under NRC's revised regulations, emergency plans must be developed at four levels: federal, state, local and on-site. The on-site planning is done by the utility company, and the other three plans are developed by the respective levels of government. The plans are interdependent.

Federal regulations require that nuclear emergency plans be tested at regular intervals. Utilities, in conjunction with local governments (those within a 10-mile "Emergency Planning Zone"), must test their on-site plans annually, with the state participating to the extent of testing its communications equipment. The state's plans must also be tested annually, but because of the number of nuclear plants, the test sites are chosen on a rotational basis, with preference given to new facilities seeking an operating license from the NRC.

Illinois currently has seven operating nuclear power plants. By 1986, seven more plants will be on line, two each at LaSalle, Byron and Braidwood and one at Clinton. (The Clinton plant, the first built by Illinois Power Company, is expected to be operational by early 1984; the other six, built by Commonwealth Edison, are expected to be operational in October 1986.)

Although the state Department of Nuclear Safety (DNS) has developed and tested emergency plans at all the state's operational plants, the new plants have still to be tested before they can begin generating. (One of the new plants, at LaSalle, received its operating license in April after a test of its emergency plans.)

Primary responsibility for nuclear emergency planning at the state, local and on-site levels is held by DNS, but the plans are evaluated by the NRC and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. A federal nuclear emergency plan has yet to be completed. In cooperation with the Illinois Emergency Services and Disaster Agency, DNS developed a "generic" state plan which was subsequently modified and tested for specific sites. Included in the plan is a central control room in Springfield and a mobile command post that can be driven to the site of a nuclear accident.

There are other agencies which play a role in nuclear emergency planning. The Illinois Highway Patrol and the Federal Aviation Administration have representatives in the control room to order traffic diverted from the area of a nuclear accident. The Illinois Department of Public Health is responsible for testing agricultural products for radiological contamination. Local governments have the responsibility of preparing employees, such as law enforcement officers and medical personnel, for a nuclear emergency.

In addition to the annual emergency testing, federal regulations and state statutes now require ongoing monitoring for any radiation released during normal reactor operation. Older generating units can place the monitoring equipment around the perimeter of the site, but newer units, like LaSalle, are designed so that all effluents are vented through the smokestack, where monitors will relay radiation information to a computer at

Nuclear power plants in Illinois with Emergency Planning Zones

DNS.

To cover the costs of emergency planning and early warning facilities, the General Assembly in 1979 created the Nuclear Emergency Preparedness Fund. Money for the fund is generated through assessments on businesses which use nuclear energy to produce electricity or which store spent nuclear fuel. Because the costs of installing remote monitoring equipment far exceed the amount in the fund, Public Act 82-773, signed by the governor June 30, raised the one-time assessment of $350,000 and the annual fee of $75,000 for each nuclear power station to $590,000 and $180,000 respectively. The new act also authorizes the Department of Nuclear Safety to reimburse local governments for their nuclear emergency planning costs (up to $1,000,000 per year) required under the Illinois Nuclear Safety Preparedness Act.

Dee Woessner wrote this article as an intern with the science unit of the Illinois Legislative Council.

NUCLEAR emergency plans must be developed for the areas surrounding all nuclear power plants, according to joint Federal Emergency Management Agency and Nuclear Regulatory Commission regulations. The areas are defined as Emergency Planning Zones (EPZ) and are of two types, the plume exposure pathway and the ingestion exposure pathway (see map).

The plume exposure pathway encompasses a radius of about 10 miles surrounding the nuclear power facility. In this 10-mile EPZ, the principal exposure would be from whole body exposure to gamma radiation from the passing plume and deposited material, and from inhalation exposure from the passing plume. Local governments are responsible for emergency planning in this area.

The ingestion exposure pathway encompasses a radius of the 50 miles surrounding the nuclear power facility. In this 50-mile EPZ, the principal exposure would be from ingestion of food and water contaminated by radioactive material. The duration of exposure could range from hours to months. The state is responsible for emergency planning in this area.

26 | September 1982 | Illinois Issues