during June 1975, based on data water concentrations from Federal obtained from water samples collected Radiation Council (FRC) part 20 at old and new well sites on the standards islands. radiation.> We also include results on the radionuclide levels in three for protection against We are presently evaluating rainwater cisterns on Bikini Island. the radionuclide and elemental Doses are calculated assuming water content consumption from both cistern and collected from these wells in groundwater sources. January of 1977. The chemical and radiological quality of us the water is compared to of groundwater to assess samples This will allow the temporal changes which may have resulted from standards established by the U.S. disturbance of normal groundwater Public Health Service and concentrations following to the drilling of recommended maximum permissible the initial the wells. Kield Operations, Observations, and Procedures Between June 16 and June 24, 1975, quality over as large an area as possible. five new wells for surface groundwater were established on island of Bikini and the two were estab- We had planned lish additional wells in the south- ern parts of Bikini and Eneu but lished on Eneu Isitand. The lecations were unable of the new Bikini wells CHFH 1 time restrictions. through HFH 5} and the previously to estab- to do so because of The wells were started by exca- established open well (HFH 7) are vating a pit with a backhoe shown in Fig. depth of the groundwater surface. tions of 1 along with the loca- the three rainwater cisterns sampled. Figure 1 also shows the locations of the new wells (FWR 1 to the Hard beach-rock layers were encountered at HFH 2 (2.7 m below ground surface) and at HFH 5 (at 1.4 m); and FWR 2) on Eneu and the previously rock layers were not encountered at established wells any other locations. (TWR 3 and FWR 4) along with pertinent reference. landmarks for The new wells were Then, a gas- powered hand-held auger was used toa loosen the coral aggregate below the located to give the best possible water surface to as great a depth definition of the surface groundwater as physically possible, pe 559 and slotted