NRC CAL – NOV (White)

On October 27, 2008, a Notice of Violation was issued for a violation associated with a White Significance Determination Finding involving a violation of 10 CFR 50, Appendix B, Criterion XVI. The violation involved the failure to take adequate corrective action related to the service water strainer backwash system. Specifically, a plant modification implemented to address a macro-fouling concern associated with the service water strainers (1) utilized non-safety-related instrument air to support backwash operations, and (2) did not account for the impact on timely operator response following a safety injection signal or loss of instrument air. As a result, there was a lack of reasonable assurance that the service water system would have been capable of performing its safety-related function during a time of high fouling potential. The finding does not represent a current safety concern because temporary modifications and appropriate procedural changes have been made to address periods of potential macro-fouling.