California Emergency Response Program

Source: Ca. Department of Health Services

In California, there are two operating nuclear power plant sites: Diablo Canyon in San Luis Obispo County has two active units and San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS) in San Diego County has two active units. A third unit at SONGS is in a "safe storage" mode (fuel has been removed and stored). The operating life of the active units is expected to extend well into the 21st century.

The Rancho Seco plant in Sacramento County was shut down in 1989 and the entire plant is in a "safe storage" mode. Humboldt Bay, the first power plant built in the state has been shut down since the early 1980s.

Commercial nuclear power plants are fueled with uranium. Uranium atoms split, producing heat. The heat boils water, creating steam. The steam is used to spin turbines and the turbines turn generators, producing electricity.

Because of the potential health hazard associated with this type of fuel, power plants are built with multiple physical barriers to prevent the escape of radioactive material. In fact, the safety record of the industry is superior to those of other energy producing systems.

Still, the possibility exists for an accidental release of radiation into the atmosphere. People could breathe contaminated air and radioactive particles could be deposited on the ground, in water, on property and on agricultural crops. Food and dairy animals could graze on contaminated pasture, passing on the contamination to consumers through milk and meat.

In 1979, following the accident at Three Mile Island nuclear power plant in Pennsylvania, the California Legislature mandated that the Office of Emergency Services (OES), together with Department of Health Services (DHS) and affected counties, investigate the consequences of a serious nuclear power plant accident. Based on site-specific studies, Emergency Planning Zones (These zones are discussed later in this discussion) around the plant sites were established and detailed, and integrated plans were developed.

Legislation mandating the Nuclear Power Preparedness Program has been continuous since 1979, enacted as Government Code Section 8610.5, the Radiation Protection Act. The program is funded by the utilities through a special assessment fund managed through the State Controller.

Under state law, counties have the authority and responsibility to protect the lives and property of their citizens. The state supports their emergency response activities involved in nuclear power plant planning.

In the event of an emergency at one of California's nuclear power plants, the Governor's Office of Emergency Services (OES) is prepared to mobilize state resources, in support of the counties, to help mitigate the effects of radiation released into the atmosphere.

While State OES has absolute coordination authority during emergency response, the Department of Health Services (DHS) is assigned the technical lead responsibility during ingestion pathway and recovery phases of an emergency. The goal during ingestion pathway response is preventing contaminated water, food and food animals from reaching the consumer.

The goal during recovery is restoring areas to pre-accident conditions.

The Nuclear Power Plant Emergency Response Plan establishes the State of California's emergency response organization and defines the role of OES as the coordinating agency for utility, local, state, federal and volunteer agency response to a nuclear power plant incident. A series of zones has been established around each plant to detail required activities in the event of an accident.

The basic Emergency Planning Zone, an approximate ten-mile radius around the plants, is defined for the plume exposure pathway. Plans are in place to protect people, property and the environment in that zone from the effects of radioactive contamination.

In the Ingestion Pathway Zone, an approximate 50 mile radius around that plant, plans are in place to mitigate the effects on agriculture, and food processing and distribution.

During emergency response, best efforts are made making use of plan action criteria without regard to whether particular areas are inside or outside zones.

Within Public Education Zones, approximately 35 miles from the plants, educational materials are distributed to inform the public about nuclear power plant operations, what to expect in the event of an accident, and what plans are in place for public protection. The utilities are required to publish and disseminate information for residents and transient populations, including telephone directory guidance.

Planning and preparedness are cooperative efforts by state agencies, local jurisdiction and the utilities. These efforts result in integrated and refined plans for emergency response and a cadre of trained emergency responders. The plans and attendant procedures are predicated on guidance provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), in concert with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC).

Following is the list of Planning Standards and Evaluation Criteria mandated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency in developing a nuclear power plant emergency response plan: