Mr. Joe Deal

D.

January 5, 1979

- 2 -

The present available data base is inadequate to permit a

final dose assessment for !37Cs and 9°Sr for Enewetak Atoll’

after clean-up.
E.

We are still uncertain as to what is completely necessary for
final verification and certification of clean-up at Enewetak
Atoll. Will the assessment have to include Runit Island,
islands Alice through Daisy and will it have to include tne

transuranics as well as !3/Cs and 29Sr?

If additional

radiological data are required for these islands and for the
transuranics then a sampling, analytical and assessment
program greater than described herein will have to be
considered.
In view of the fact that the entire radiological portion of the
clean-up project has been directed toward the transuranic radionuclides
little effort has been directed toward developing a data base wnich would

be adequate for making the final evaluation of the !?’Cs, 79Sr

Situation in the northern atoll. As a result, a considerable effort is
now required between January and the wind-down of the DOE support of the
clean-up activities (which is now scheduled for June of 1979} in order
' to develop a data base upon which we can, with some confiuence, make a
final assessment of the northern part of Enewetak Atoll.
A more critical situation is to develop an adequate data base for
Engebi Island in time to meet the May commitment, which you discussed
at the December Enewetak Meeting, for providing as assessment of that
key residence island.
As a result of the urgency of the situation, Yic Noshkin and I met with
the NVOO people on December 19 and 20 to evaluate the current situation
and outline a sampling and analytical program that would, in the short
time available, provide a data base for final assessment.
In order to
meet the commitments made at Enewetak on December 1 thru 6 the following
will be necessary and adequate support must be directed from HQ to
meet the goals:
1.

A.

Priority 1 is Engebi Island. This is the largest
island, the major residence island and the island
that the people would prefer to use.
The sampling
and analytical program will be directed toward this
island first.

Sampling will be on a 50 m grid which will generate 325 sampling sites.
This density of sampling is required because of the history. of events
on Engebi Island resulting in a very inhomogeneous distribution of
radionuclides and the recent soil removal activities.
In addition,
we have received no direction from HQ as to what is really required
from their point of view for final assessment for verification of
clean-up.
It was mentioned in our December 13 meeting that perhaps
the final assessnent should be done on a scale as small] as an individual
Wato.
I feel that this is unrealistic and unlikely, but to insure

Select target paragraph3