Water Supply - STD-1128-98master0332

DOE-STD-1128-98

Guide of Good Practices for Occupational Radiological Protection in Plutonium Facilities

Noncritical uses of emergency power should be avoided.

C.5.3 Water Supply

Water-storage tanks with multiple or backup supplies should be provided to simultaneously

supply water for fire protection, processing, and drinking.

The design of the water-supply system shall provide water for firefighting and automatic

sprinkler systems in accordance with the DOE Order 420.1 (DOE, 1995c) and Factory

Mutual and National Fire Protection Association Standards. The fire-protection water

supply and distribution design required for critical item protection should ensure the

continuity of protection in the event of postulated accidents.

Potable water should be distributed to drinking fountains, eyewash fountains, showers,

emergency showers, lavatories, and noncontaminated laboratories. Raw water may be used

in toilets and urinals. The potable water system shall be protected against contamination

(40 CFR 141 and 142 (EPA, 1992a)). Water mains should not pass through process or

controlled areas. Branch lines may be permitted in process areas for safety showers and

fire-protection sprinkler systems only.

The facility water system preferably should be isolated from primary water mains by an air

gap to prevent any possibility of contamination of public water supplies. If an air gap is not

possible, reduced-pressure type of backflow prevention devices meeting the requirements of

the American Water Works Association C506-78-1983 (AWWA, 1983) should be used.

Process water supplied to the process and controlled areas must be isolated from the potable

water system. Cross-connections should not be permitted.

C.5.4 Fire Protection

Each area in the plant building shall be equipped with fire-detection devices that are best

suited for that area (NFPA National Fire Codes 71 and 72A through 72D (NFPA latest

revisions) (NFPA, 1985)). All equipment should be approved by a recognized testing

laboratory. The spacing, sensitivity, and location of the detectors should be given careful

consideration to ensure rapid response.

All fire detectors and/or automatic fire-suppression systems should be connected to fire-

alarm annunciators. The annunciator system should be sufficiently subdivided to identify

the location of a fire.

Fuels and combustible materials should be stored at a central facility that is remote from the

plutonium-processing building(s). Piped natural gas should not be provided to plutonium

process or storage areas. Separate bottled gas systems should be provided where required.

The ventilation system of the facility should be designed to withstand any credible fire or

explosion. It should be constructed of noncombustible materials and have fire-detection and

fire-suppression equipment, including heat and smoke detectors, alarms, fire doors and

dampers, and heat-removal systems. The final filter bank of the building's air-exhaust

system should be protected from damage by hot gases, burning debris, or fire-suppression

agents that may be carried through the exhaust ducts during a 4-hour fire.

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