bags. The sample was then placed inside the mixer, double-bagged, and sealed
by taping, with a plastic cover taped in place over the opening. Plastic
liners and cover were removed and replaced, after each mixing operation.
To help determine the size of a mound, a string or small rope was laid around
the contours at the base to determine the edges or borders.
Measurements were
then made for the length, width, and any narrow or wide areas.
Due to the expertise needed in mound soil sampling, it is apparent that the
sampling crew should be well trained in the methods, protocol, and radiological
practices if the credibility of sampling is to meet the high standards expected
for this type of study. When a crew is well qualified, the need to keep the
Same nucleus crew is quite apparent. With the large amount of paperwork
involved in collecting the field data, the same person should handle this duty
throughout the operation, from beginning to end, since this is the information
to be programmed into the computer data base, and mistakes are more common
when several persons are involved in recording complex data.
It is felt that
if the same people do the same phase of sampling each time a sample is taken,
the probability of human error can be kept to a minimum.
Sampling at the Tonopah Test Range can cause logistic problems due to the
remoteness and distance from warehousing and supplies at the Nevada Test Site.
This problem was kept to a minimum with planning and foresight to anticipate
what the logistic needs would be to complete the mound soil sampling.
With
the terrain of the type in the areas to be studied, a good practice is to have
at least one four-wheel drive vehicle assigned for the sampling crew.
Equipment
and vehicles must be maintained to ensure they are in excellent operating
condition.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Thanks are to be given to the sampling crew made up of E. Milton, E. Hensley,
J. Hardy, and C. Nash, for the professional and excellent manner in which they
accomplished the sampling of the soil mounds.
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