[DOE LETTERHEAD]

 

Idaho Operations Office

 

October10, 2003

 

Mr. John T. Conway, Chairman of the Board

Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board

625 Indiana Avenue NW, Suite 700

Washington, DC 20004

 

SUBJECT:       Response to Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board Letter on Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory Facility High Efficiency Particulate Air Filter Systems - (TS-OSD-03-110)

 

Dear Mr. Conway:

 

This letter is in response to the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board (DNFSB) question regarding habitability facility High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filtered ventilation systems at the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (INEEL).  The Environmental Management (EM) facilities at the INEEL do not contain habitability HEPA filtered ventilation systems, as defined in the DNFSB letter to the Secretary dated August 14, 2003.  There are two Nuclear Energy (NE) facilities at the INEEL that are considered to have habitability HEPA filtered ventilation systems.  Those facilities are the Test Reactor Area, Emergency Operations Center (TRA-680), and the Central Facilities Area (CFA), CFA Medical Facility (CFA-1612).  These filters are tested at the DOE Filter Test Facility in Oak Ridge, TN.  In addition, local testing for these filters is performed in accordance with DOE-STD-3020-97, “DOE Standard Specification for HEPA Filters Used by DOE Contractors”, and ASME/ANSI N510-1989, “Testing of Nuclear Air Treatment Systems”.

 

If you have any questions please contact Ken Whitham, Idaho Operations Office HEPA filter subject matter expert, at (208) 526-4151.

 

Sincerely,

 

Elizabeth D. Sellers

Manager

 

cc:  M. B. Whitaker, Jr., DOE-HQ, DR-1, FORS

W. D. Magwood, IV, DOE-HQ, NE-1, FORS

J. H. Roberson, DOE-HQ, EM-1, FORS

L. Miller, DOE-HQ, NE-40, GTN