ions
Soil Cleanup Operat
ns
handling of debris was necessary, personnel wore anticontamination
clothing and gloves to protect againstcuts. Whenpersonnel were required
to walk through mud brought up from the crypt, they wore rubber boots.
The radiation safety procedures at the Aomon Crypt were closely
monitored to assure that personnel were being adequately protected.
DOE-ERSP was responsible forall soil sampling and analysis. Prior to
operations, they conducted studies to determine the radiological condition
of the surface and subsurface soil. One of these studies was the in situ
characterization of the soil surface using the IMP van. The other was
laboratory chemical analysis in conjunction with the deep drilling
exploration previously mentioned.
When excavation began, DOE-ERSP was faced with the unusual
requirement to sample soil underwater. A bottom sampling device,
nicknamed the ‘‘bomb,”’ was borrowed from Mid-Pacific Research
Laboratory (MPRL). This bomb (shownin Figures 7-36 and 7-37) was
very efficient and simple to operate. The soil sampling portion of the
device consisted of two spring-loaded steel half-cylinders with an
automatic tripping mechanism. The bomb was lowered by a rope which
was knotted at 12-inch intervals to gauge the depth at which the samples
were taken. When the trip mechanism touched the bottom, the weight of
the device released the spring, causing the two half cylinders to close in on
FIGURE 7-36. BOTTOM SAMPLING DEVICE.