Liquid Wastes. The small amount of contaminated liquid waste produced during the project and
laboratory operation was disposed of by mixing with the soil in the 55-gallon drums. All radioactive
laboratory and eounting standard solutions were mixed with soil and shipped with the last few soil
drums.
Non-radioactive organic wastes which had been stripped by ion-exchange resins were taken to the
Enewetak dump site at the south end of the island and burned under the direction of the island Fire
Department.
4.6 PROJECT DISCUSSION
The RADLAB support for the Enewetak Cleanup Project was unique because it was the first time
that a complete radiological laboratory had been attempted for on-site support at a site as remote as
Enewetak Atoll where supplies were not readily available from commercial suppliers. This facility
had its disadvantages as well as benefits. The major problem was the rapid deterioration of some
equipment exposed to the adverse and corrosive atmosphere encountered at Enewetak Atoll
In the
final months of the project, equipment failure was more frequent for items such as fume hoods,
drying ovens, grinders, sampling material, plumbing, electrical connections, etc.
Although the Atoll experienced several typhoon warnings during the project, it was not until January,
1979, that Typhoon Alice unleashed her destructive power on the Enewetak Atoll The major force
of the storm was concentrated on Enewetak with little damage experienced by the RADLAB complex
except for the IMP shed and the warehouse facilities.
Due to the high salt content of seawater, a water softener was installed next to the chemistry trailer
to pretreat the water prior to passing it through the deionization system. The backup power system,
a 40kW diesel generator, was used on several occasions to provide uninterrupted power service to the
counting trailer during times when on-island power was not available.
Since most sampling missions were dependent on boat support, many man-hours were lost due to lack
of timely
adequate
walkways
occasions
and dependable boat transportation. Boat support was often provided with less than
attention to safety. Unsecured floating ramps, side-by-side docking and inadequate
for embarking and disembarking were among the objectionable conditions. On several
the RADLAB Manager felt obliged to abort or delay missions when in his judgment the
safety conditions were unacceptable.
Helicopter transport for several sampling missions emphasized
the contrast in the effectiveness and time utilization.
The military personnel assigned to the RADLAB, with few exceptions, carried out their tasks with
professionalism and personal dedication. This support was instrumental in generating the analytical
data which, along with field information, permitted the DOE/ERSP evaluation of the radiological
condition of the individual islands.
The instrument maintenance facility was vital to the radiological operations at Enewetak because of
the isolation and adverse field conditions. This facility maintained all the instruments and counting
equipment without time loss due to electronic or mechanicalfailures.
A well planned and stocked warehouse and a current inventory of supplies and materials were
essential to the success of this project. At no time during the project were the RADLAB operations
delayed due to lack of this support.
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