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Planning and Programming

Major Inhabited Islands: Removeall hazards andall obstructions to
reasonable use of the land, out to the Mean Low WaterLine.
Intensive Agriculture Islands: Removeall hazards out to the Mean Low
Water Line. Removeall obstructions to reasonable use ofthe land out to
the periphery of the vegetation area.

Food Gathering Islands: Removeall hazards out to the Mean Low

Water Line. Leave in place objects which donotsignificantly interfere with
food gathering.

NONCONTAMINATED MATERIAL DISPOSAL: 1974 - 1976
Disposition of noncontaminated material did not have the many
problems connected with the disposal of radiologically contaminated

materials. The EIS provided three basic methods for disposal of

noncontaminated material:
a. Combustibles would be burned in a pit, the ashes gathered and
stockpiled for future use as a soil conditioner, and the pit backfilled
and restored to its original contour.
b. Materials that could be used by the Enewetak people would be
salvaged and stockpiled. Presumably, this included wood which the
people could burn for cooking. The dri-Enewetak requested that
usable material be stockpiled for them and not sent to other areas of

the TTPI.

,

c. Unusable material would be dumped in the lagoon at selected

locations.276

The question of lagoon-dumping of uncontaminated scrap had been
settled at the meeting held at the EPA on 8 August 1974. After some

discussion as to whether shallow dumping would create artificial reef
habitats for marine life or -cause reef damage leading to ciguatoxic ~
contamination of marine life, deep-water lagoon-dumping had been
decided upon. All present had agreed that the practice would have no

substantial adverse effect, especially since depths of 200 feet were to be

used as dumpingsites.277

DISPOSAL BY SALE: 1975 - 1976
Most of the uncontaminated material to be removed during cleanup was
on three islands designated for residence (Japtan, Medren, and
Enewetak). Much ofit had commercial value as scrap. On 5 December
1975, DOD had requested DNA to examine the possibility of reducing
MILCON costs by having a Japanese scrap buyer remove the

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