- 34 on April 14, 1966 in the same manner as other low-level radioactive waste material. Also removed from the site of the accident and buried at the U. S. Atomic Energy Commission site were about 400 cubic yards (100 cubic meters) of vegetation. Once again, the situation was one of only surface contamination of the vegetation, i.e., plutonium oxide is quite insoluble so that very little finds its way from the soil into the roots of plants. It was planned to deep plow some 300 acres having low but dis- ernible amounts of contamination but the operation was found to be so easily performed that the area was extended to a total of about 600 acres (2.4 square kilometers). This process reduced the surface contamination to undetectable amounts and essentially eliminated any resuspension of plutonium into the air. This information is summarized in the following table. Approximate Levels and Areas of Plutonium Contamination (total for both areas contaminated) Counts per Areas in minute square kilometers zero * 700 2.4 , 7,000 over 60,000 * not detectable 2.0 0.17 0.022 Actions Taken Deep plowed and water ° (Deep plowed, watered ¢ and (vegetation removed Surface scraped DOE ARCHIVES