Runit (Yvonne) Cleanup and Crater Containment

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Runit soil to 1,000 cubic yards per week and not to exceed 12,000 cubic
yards pending evaluation of the progress on Boken, Enjebi, Aomon and
Lujor.!!7 Bythis restriction on dome fill with the easier-to-transport Runit
soil, the Director, DNA hoped to ensure that ali Lujor soil would be

encapsulated. On 13 March 1979, the CJTG received directions to proceed

with concurrent cleanup of Lujor and Runit.!18

As a practical matter, a limit had to be placed on the domesize to assure
that it was completed in time to permit capping and the demobilization by

15 April 1980, the end date set by DNA. Field Command engineers had

suggested that the POD designbe followed and that the dome be extended

inland aS necessary to contain the additional volume required for the

worst-case estimate of cleaning both Lujor and Runit. However, as a result

of discussions during the 8 March 1979 briefing, the Director, DNA
decided that soil-cement and capping operations would be directed toward

4 25-foot dome. !19

Upon receipt of the 13 March 1979 directions, the JTG proceeded to

excise and encapsulate Runit soil at a rate which would sustain soil-cement

operations while awaiting the delivery of soil from the other islands.

Efforts were expanded to open a channel for boats into Lujor but the

strong currents between Lujor and Aej continued to hamperthe successful

marriage of the LCUs with the boat ramp. However, it appeared that the
LCM-8s would be successful in getting into Lujor, but with an attendant
decrease in soil removal capability. By 24 March, approximately 2,400

cubic yards of Runit (Fig-Quince) soil had been contained and, with the
troops on Runit accelerating the containment rate, the soil stockpile was
almost depleted. The containment rate reached 4,220 cubic yards during
that week, and soil was not arriving fast enough from Boken, Enjebi,
Aomon and Lujor to sustain a stockpile.

The rate of containment for Runit soil caused concern at Field
Commandthat whatever dome volume might remain for contingencies

would be used for Runit soil. The fission products survey was uncovering

additional subsurface contamination on Boken and Enjebi which had not
been considered in selection of a dome volume. The CJTGwasdirected to

halt, temporarily, the containment of Runit soil after 5,720 cubic yards had

been excised in less than 3 weeks.
The CJTG then requested approval of a plan to maintain an effective
containment rate, clean Lujor to agricultural levels, and make the most
productive use of available resources to clean Runit. The plan provided for
excising and containing Runit soil over 160 pCi/g at the rate necessary to

sustain efficient soil-cement operations (3,000 to 5,000 cubic yards per

week), while stockpiling the Lujor soil for subsequent containment or

backfill of the Fig-Quince area as circumstances indicated. The suggestion
was based on thefact thatall of the Lujor soil was less than the 160 pCi/g

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