176 RADIOLOGICAL CLEANUP OF ENEWELAK ALOLL Operation Switch also created increased demands for billeting at semiannual sampling and reporting of radiation in fish and wildlife, and Field Command objected to this condition on numerous grounds.?? Enewetak Atoll. Building 686 on Enewetak was pressed into service as overflow billets, and incoming personnel who were scheduled to work in the north were sent promptly to Lojwa Camp. There were some problems in retaining necessary skills to assure continuous operational capability during the exchange—and, as was obvious, the loss of experience, continuity, and working relationships was staggering. In general, however, In formulating the crater containment permit, a standard provision was included by the Corps of Engineers which would have required DNA to maintain the structure in good condition indefinitely. (The general rationale for this position was: Cactus Crater presently exists on the northern end of Runit Island; Cactus Crater extends below the water table, thus it is filled with water; since Cactus Crater is filled with water, even though it is located partially on the reef, the probability exists for migration of its water to and from the lagoon dueto tidal action, thereby Operation Switch I-was very successfully executed. 104 MOBILIZATION/CLEANUP OVERLAP making it subject to the laws governing the introduction of materials into navigable waterways; a plan to fill Cactus Crater with a concrete slurry Although 15 November 1977 was identified, for scheduling and record purposes, as the end of the Mobilization Phase and the beginning of the Cleanup Phase, in practice, mobilization and cleanup efforts overlapped by several months. Some cleanup operations began long before I5 November 1977, and some mobilization efforts were not completed until much later. During the first week of December 1977, seven navigational aids were installed by personnel of the U.S. Coast Guard Enewetak LORAN Station, mixture equates to building a structure on a navigable waterway; the standard provision requires that anyone building a structure on a navigable waterway must commit themselves in writing to perpetual maintenance of the structure.) DNA objected to this provision as being inappropriate and pointed out that it was directly contrary to all U.S. commitments, directly contrary to the national-level decisions made after 3 years of debate, and in with technical guidance by Mr. Steve Guishikuma of the [4th Coast Guard violation of Congressional guidance. Agreement was reached eventually that DNA would maintain the structure until the project was complete, District, and with boat support by the USNE. Navigational lights were installed at the Enewetak personnel pier, on the derelict concrete ship off Japtan, on the Point Oscar survey platform, on the east end of Biken (Leroy) Island, and on the Janding ramps at Runit, Lojwa, and and thereafter would assure that periodic monitoring of the site was accomplished by some Federal agency until the United States terminated its trusteeship responsibilities. !0° Enjebi.!05.106 These aids significantly increased the safety of boat operations at dawn and dusk, and for any emergency boat operations Resolution of all these issues took an inordinate amountof time, and it began to appear that either the permits would have to be ignored or the absence of permits was going to halt work on the project. The channel clearance permit was finally issued on 31 August 1977, 2 weeks before blasting began.!9! The lagoon disposal permit was issued on 3 November 1977, 102 The crater containment permit was not issued until 9 November 1977, the week before the Mobilization Phase officially ended and the 977 began in October 1977, and the turnover in November was near-total. Over 400 personnel were replaced in that month in an exchange termed Operation Switch. It required extensive planning and close coordination by the JTG, the Service Eiements, and Field Command’s Pacific Support Office, which scheduled the airlift and coordinated Operation Switch actions in Honolulu. Pe Mostmilitary personnel were replaced after serving 4-6 months TDY at Enewetak. Replacement of the personnel who arrived in May and June oo ee ee -e=--—~7 + Cleanup Phasebegan. !93 OPERATION SWITCH I: NOVEMBER 1977 fan Moeouizaiio required during the hours of darkness. As was previously noted, Lojwa camp construction was seriously behind schedule, and CJTG was urging that work be accelerated to provide beneficial occupancy as scheduled by 15 November 1977. Through many well-conceived and well-directed actions, this was achieved, although some facilities were incomplete. The power plant, distillation plant, billets, and most other major facilities were complete, however, the dining hall was not used until 25 December 1977, when the first meal served was Christmas dinner. Burnout latrines and water trailers were used until planned facilities were finished.!°7 Temporary water lines and other makeshift facilities were gradually replaced, some aslate as February1978, as Camp construction phased into camp maintenance (Figure 3-20). Through superb teamwork as well as many outstanding individual elforts, mobilization for : é : success. By 15 November 1977, the base camps were readyto support the cleanup forces. The equipment to locate, remove, and dispose of contaminated material was on hand, and the forces were deployed and ready to begin cleanup operations.