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043
Debris Cleanup
KIRUNU (CLARA) ISLAND CLEANUP
Kirunu has a surface area of 7 acres and wasthe site of one large and
several lesser scientific stations used during Operation Ivy. It was nota site
for any nuclear events. Vegetation was reasonably dense. Hazardous
debris included one concrete bunker, a derelict crane, and a small amount
of metal debris. There were an estimated 112 cubic yards of
noncontaminated debris to be removed and three Master Index items. The
planned use for Kirunu wasfood gathering.49
Debris cleanup began on 26 April 1978 and was completed on 9 June
1978. Five hundred and five cubic yards of noncontaminated debris were
removed.>9
ELELERON (RUBY) ISLAND CLEANUP
Eleleron’s physical configuration was altered so radically by test
activities as to cause conflicting identifications of the island, even within
the same report. As shown in Figure 5-19, the original island was almost as
large as Lojwa (Ursula). The majority of the island, its entire center, was
vaporized in two nucleartests, the George shot in Operation Greenhouse
and the Mohawk shot in Operation Redwing. This left a 4-acre island
which was identified by the Enewetak Radiological Survey and Volume I
of the Engineering Survey as Ruby and by the JTG as Ruby’s Child or
Ruby’s Daughter (code name Xeno). It also left two segments connected
to Aomon by a narrow causeway which was bordered on the lagoon side by
a marsh. The marsh wasfilled with soil during preparations for the Pacific
Cratering Experiment (PACE)in 1972, joining the two southeast segments
of Eleleron to Aomon in a peninsula which now appears to be part of
Aomon. This peninsula was identified as Eleleron in Volume II of the
Engineering Study, in the Master Index, and in most of the JTG reports.
All of the cleanup work described in this section took place on the
peninsula. No cleanup was required on the other remnant of
Eleleron.5!.52.53 The Enewetak Radiological Survey regardedtheisland as
a possible burial site because of the two ground zeros; however, bothsites
are now underwater.
Hazardous debris included 196 cubic yards of contaminated bulkhead
rails, coaxial cables, and other metal scrap. Ten Master Index items were
identified on the peninsula. The planned use for the island was food
gathering.°4
Debris cleanup began on | June 1978 and, by 8 July 1978, generally was
completed except for small amounts of yellow and green debris.°5 These
were removed on 10 July 1978 and dumpedin the lagoon from a LARC.*6