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File September 15,1967

James E. Hyder, Radiatlom Specialist ORIGit4At StGNLDRegion IV. Dtvleton of Compliance. Denver 1,y MMES L HYDIR

GEORESOURCES, INC., WILLISTON, NOR'!H DAKCTTAIJCENSE NO. SUA-698 (Dochet No. 40-6983)HEALTH AND SAFETY EVALUATIONS

'Ilie inspection of the subject licensee was performed on August 15 and 16,1%7.'T1ee only item of noncompt 'e involves the inadequate evaluations of airborne,

concentrations to which t ayees might be exposed. It is the belief of thisinspector that this does not involve a serious potential hazr.rd. No other

_ _

significant problems were noted.

During the telephone conversation Dr. Vickers President, GeoResources,stated that he expected this to be the last year of operstlou as he wasnegotiating for tirl purchase of this portlos of GeoResources' operation byUnion Carbide,

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1. GecResour f Egloration. Inc, ~Ah~

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Iwifield, i w - iNkota 58622 4 8

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2. License No. Sb.i 08 (Ducket No. 40-6983), Priority !!. Ca.egory I5

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y .3 August 10 snd 16,1%7,

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4. Personn ac">mpanying inspector:.

Mr. Gene Christianson, North Iskuta Department of Health *

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5. *ersons nentacted;(-

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/ ;Francis Hecker Operator of GeoResources hbe 8/15/o7 iNancy Saint. Secretary Williston North Dikota C'ffice 8/16/67 '

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Dr, R. C. Vickers. President DelepMne contact 8/31/675 ffv/[7) |~ ' *

/6. Tlus re;.ispection of the activitten authorized under Source Material License No. SUA*698

revealed that emeyn hive not t<en adequate to determine the concentrations of altturne

t} g uranium-tearing lipilte ph to which employees in restricted areas have twn expcsed,' { (w- | ]) J' C)

7 August 20, September 21 and 22,1965

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9 ' The last mapection of License No. SUA-698 (Dacket No. 40 6983) was conducted on August ' '

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< m .;,. mm. y....-..4+.g*---2 and September 21 and 22.1965. As a result of thai inspection, the licensee was nottfied . g g;. K}yggg %w.~g

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by letter dated November 2,1965 and signed by Eber R. ince of the following items of l yM Jg* N in E fpA A'"z R., ' W.u TMtJ ,7.Z.T$r@$ .yQ'M

h{ CtMWi%$Q(W.&g[.nuncompiiance.

(1) Tic quantities of radiation existing in the unrestricted area about the gy;; ,g g g @N WM *;':I t*:mM fxW,' E-g M yr- w. m a . y~.v.u PPM

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uranium bearing lignite ash piles located at the railroad loadmg dock P,-

in Delfield were such that an individual continuously present in the aron W " WMi M.'

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W. -could have received a radiatbn dose in exceas of 100 rnillirem in any

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rQ +(1) The uranium-traring lignite ash stored in an unrestrteted area at the f wy

=#railroad loading dock in Delfield was not secure agamst unauthorized Kgg{gg4 1

y; mwremovi t. g omg, -

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At the time of that inspection, all uranium bearing lignite ash possessed by the licensee was JM;

stockptled at the site of their mine located some 12 to 15 miles south southwest of Belfield.'

* North [bkata . The licensee explained that the use of the unrestricted rail siding had tieen F 'f+e--I

discontin ed as of February 1966. d-

I',, j (h Contrary to 10 CFR 20.201(b). surveys were inadequate tu determine compitance8

(;, w ith ww8 respect to the atrborne concentrations of uranium to which employees%

were exposed during the loadmg and unbiadmg of uranium-bearing lignite ash

I and with respect to the airborne concentration of uranium released to unrestricteda

areas durmg the loading and unloading of uransum bearing lignite ash.Y

P' le tter da;ed January JP.1966, the licensee advised the Division of State & Licensee Relattom,' y

l'. S. Alumie Energy Commiesion.the results of several air samples; one F. ample was a

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breathing z me sample obtamed during the loading operations of the lig. nite ash into a truck at

tinc mii .t", the other samples were general air samples taken downwind f rom the loader

vperaton and f rum the car loadmg operation. These samples were obwed in Cotuber 1905.

In addition, m February 1966, a smgle general air sample was taken dowr s 4d f rom the

car loadmg operat'on. b /* W" ## '

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(4) ' personnel monitormg equipment was not supplied personnel who were working "~~~

, with licensed material at the Belfield mine site.di -= .

Film badges are obtained monthly during mining and ash-hantling oper+.tions from Nuclear.

h Chicago Corporation. Annual exposures have been recorded ts less than 50 millirem.n ~

- !(5) Records of surveys conducted to determine compliance with 10 CFR 20* '; were incomplete.

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The licensee now maintains records of all surveys that have Seen hrformed

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At tim time of this' inspection. Dr. Vickers was on vacation ame9mmunst evallable, Dr. " y W.dJ; i;J. ..

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Vickers was later contacted sew via telephone. Mr. Francis Hecker sta'ted * '

4that he was the only full * ,me employee at the Belfald alte for GeoResources. Hecker -

explained that during the sun.mer months when m' .ing operations are conducted he was *

usually eaststed by two other employees; howeve , at the time of the inspection, he was ,

*

A assisted additional helper. Hecker .xplained that after mining the lignite ore Qtt was sifted to remove the fines and the courser material was piled up and periodically ,

burned. Mr. liecker explained that the fines. which he was unable to burn. were erpected

to be sold to Union Carbide Corporat'on who, incidentally, is also the purchaser of their

ash. Hecker explained that during the winter months he worked alone, loading the ash into

a truck and hauling it into Belfield where it was deliverr.1 to Union Carbide. Hecker explained

that he did not utilire a respirator but always attempted to work upwind from all dusty*

opc rat.ons,

11, . During the telephone conversation with Dr. Vickers, he stated that he expected that this will

- h the last year of operation for GeoResources as he was negotiating with Union Carbide''for their purchase of this operation.

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Scope and Conditions of License,

12. Source Material License No. SUA-698 authortzes GeoResources to obtain, possess, and utilize

up to 10.t00 pounds of uranium in accordance with procedures described in their application s ,:'"

dated March 23.- 1%3, April 13.1963. March 11.1964, and June 25. 1964. y.e authorized

place of use is the licensee's facilities located in Billings and Stark Counties, North 1%kota.' t.

Mr Hecker explained that during November and December 1966. ist he had hauled^

aporoximately 860 to 870 tons of uranium-bearing lignite ash to the Union Ca. bide loadtng

wif e in Alfield where the m nterial had been turned over to Ualon Carbide, who reportedly

- tran9;rts the material via covered rail cars to their mill in Rifle. Colorado. . Hecker stated. . . 44

that they had started the mining operation in April 1.1%6 and finished,during tlk first weekT

{ in November. ' He explained June I had been the first day of operation at the mine site during J' -_ - ~ ..

I ~ 1%7. At the time of the inspection, the licensee possessed an estimated 50 tons of ~ ash at"7

w[ their mine site, having just completed the burning of approximately 100 tons of the lignite ore.'

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% 13. The licensee's current mining and lignite-burning facility is located 12 to 15 miles south Q:: .

- .i.h ' southwest of Belfield in Billings t;ounty. ''he facility consists of an open-pit mine, a vibrettsg .

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g screen in an area where the lignite ore is windrowed and burned. Hecker stated that the 4 -

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r -~ -ligrtte, after mining is *? owed to dry and after drying the ore is processed through the 7p _

pv m E vibrating scrba and the fines from the vibrating screen are stockpiled and it is expected ;9,,d :iMa.* L J. ; .

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they will eventually le sold to Union Carbide. pieces of lignite which do not pass through - -

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the screen are placed in wlndrows and are eventually burned, Jt was olwerved that the

mining and burning sites were posted with signs which stated " Private property No

Trespassing".

Rada ' logical Safety precautions and procedures

14. It was nuted that Form AEC-3 was pisted in the small storage house at the open p6t mine.

site .

15. Surveys consisted of a total of seven air samples collected dursng the various operations.

Six of these samples have teen general air samples collected generally downwind to

deterinine the concentrations of airburne activity released to untestrieted a.cas. In

addition, the licensee has laten one breathing aine sample d the loader operation while

luading the ash into a truck at the mine site prior to transporting it mio Iklfield,

16. On August 19, 1964, two a"nples were taken downw md from the ash stockpile at the mine.

One sample was taken at eight feet und the sen .nl one at 25 feet from the ash pile. The ae

samples which were obtained within the restricted area were calculated to it < l x 10-12 ue

of activity per milliliter of air, h addition, in Octoler 1965, the licenace obtau ed an air

sample approximately 150 feet downw6nd from the coal screenmg operation at the mine

wtuch revealed concentrations of 1.6 x IU*I2 ut /ml and an additional sample was taken

approumately 140 ftet devnwind w tth the loader loading ash onto the truck. It was noted

that the wind was approximately 12 miles per hour and the corcentrations were determined

to he 16.6 x 10*l2 ue/m), Also, during Octoter 1965, a sample was takta 50 feet downwind

i from the railroad car loading operation in Belfield with the wind blowmg at approximately

10 miles per hour. TW concentration was determined to te 16.6 x 10-12 uc/ml. In addition,

during February Mo an air sample was taken at approximately 100 feet downwind from the

operauon with the wind blowmg at 8 - 12 miles per hour which detected an activity of,

2.05 x 10-12 ue/ml. These aettvities are relatively infrequent operations and although

meesured concentrations have frequently teen tii excess of MFC salues specified in

_Appendix B when averaged over a one yeat pertext the licereee saa show that he is within

permissible values.

, ,

17. The only breathing zone sample taken during any operation is one breathing zone of the loader

operator while loadmg ash with a front-end loader into a truck for transport into Delfield.L

"Dus particular breathing zone sample was obtamed on 10/22/65 and the concentration was

determined to be 5.2 x 10-11 ue/ml. Accordmg to tne licensee, thin work is performed a ''

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maximum of I 1/2 hours per day and not more thsi three days per week. No additional r' ;

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brefthing zone samo?es have ever teen obtained. 'this slagte sample indicating hconcentrations of - 2 times MPC while not showing nemcompliance cannot prove compliance.' * i".

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18. - The mine site where the lignite ash M stockpiled was noted te he posted " Private Property . ; t,.t

No Trespassing." Several large radlauon s gns were visible, however, the signs were ..It

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actually too faded to read; however several small signs were also visible which stated *'?9A, -

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" Caution . Airborne Radiation Area" ard/or " Caution * Radioactive Material". ]y'

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personnel Monitoring

19. Since the fall of 1%5. the licensee utilized film badges obtained on a monthly frequency -'

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during mining and ash handitng eperations from Nuclear Chicago Corporation. These

records were rev6ewed and it was noted that during the latter part of 1965, a total radiation

- exposure was received by Mr. Hecker of 46 millirem and dormg 1966 Hecker received a

total of 27 millirem. No detectable exposures have twen reported by Nuclear Chicago fora

the early months of 1961

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;f Review with Management!

-f- 20 During a telephone discussion. Dr. Vickers agreed that only one breathing zone air4i

- - et- sample might not be adequate tu determine the concentrations of airborne activity to -

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-7 which hu employees are expose;d while handling the lignity ash. Dr. Vickers stated he- . . ,

i% would obtain addttional breathing rune samples when (and if) GeoResources handic the Q-?,

mc:ash this fall,

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