Document: NUREG-0800
Document ID: 80e66b61-f0ed-49db-ba0b-ba2b7a7a0d52
Document Type: srp
Title: BASIC GEOLOGIC AND SEISMIC INFORMATION
Source: NUREG-0800
Source URL: https://www.nrc.gov/docs/ML0423/ML042390206.pdf
Revision Date: 2023-06
Chapter: 2
Section ID: 2.5.1
CFR Part: 
CFR Title: 

Content:
mation about the site. Some pertinent information may be of a proprietary nature, and special provisions may be required to examine the data. The staff members will conduct a geological reconnaissance of the site and region around the site as part of the second phase of the review to examine geological features, soil and rock samples from core borings or test pits, trenches excavated across the site, and actual excavations for the plant K> facilities, if present at this stage. This site reconnaissance is especially important in view of the requirement of 10 CFR Part 52 (Ref. 8), which allows for a combined license as an alternative to the previous two-step requirement of a construction permit followed by an operating license. In the previous procedure, many geologic features, such as faults (as at North Anna, Summer, Byron, Catawba, Seabrook, Watts Bar) that had the potential to impact the safety of the plant were not identified until the actual construction excavations for the plant were made. Additionally, unanticipated engineering problems have occurred during and after construction (as at North Anna, WNP-2, Nine Mile Point 2). For example, larger-than-expected settlements have frequently occurred in engineered backfill, even though the design had been approved by the staff during the construction permit review. Under 10 CFR Part 52, the construction excavations for a plant will not be made until after the staff has prepared the site safety evaluation report (SER). During the second phase of the review, questions and comments are developed from items that have not been adequately addressed by the applicant, those which become apparent during the detailed review, or those which develop from the additional information provided as a result of the acceptance review. These first-round questions usually require the applicant to conduct additional investigations or to supply clarifying information. Questions may result from the reviewer's discovery of references not