-2- De NOV 3 1979 Present Situation We are now facing the prospect that the ANC Readiness Program will be eliminated as a budget line item beginning in FY-7e, and that any essential activities which require continuation will have to compete with underground test program requirements for the limited 03 Weapons Program funds. Under this concept, we are expecting that NVOO's other readiness safety programs (i.e., water wave) will be terminated, and we would expect that the radiological response capabilities will likewise be deleted as active programs. On the other hand, with the impending resettlement of 200-300 Bikinians to their home islands, a continuing radiological monitoring program at Bikini Atoll is essential. Since past surveys clearly indicate that exposure levels to the Bikini inhabitants will be near the upper limit of the Federal Radiation Council guideline, it seems clear that the requirement to monitor the environment there will continue for an indefinite period. Proposed Program The proposed program as presently conceived would employ a continuation of the efforts of both the USPHS and the University of Washington at levels similiar to those expended at Bikini in the past. This would include monitoring of all plant foods currently grown there as well as sampling of new plant foods planned for future cultivation. Reef fish and other common sea foods would also be sampled and radiologically analyzed as well as ground water and soil. Some air sampling would also be done. Current plans call for family dwellings to be constructed of cement slabs made from local coral aggregate and sand; these dwellings should be examined for shielding capacity and background gamma radiation levels. A program of this scope should be conducted on an annual basis and would require approximately 30 days per year in the field. Based on previous experience in these surveys, we estimate that the total cost (both agency efforts and logistic support) is on the order of $125-150K per year. Arrangements already exist through PASO for providing field support from Kwajalein for these surveys, but on a reimbursable basis.