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A large area of rugged terrain on the Nevada Test Site was contaminated following a spill of radioactively contaminated drilling mud. The contamination was shown to consist of lo3Ru and Iw[Ru-Rh] with total estimated activity at release time of 38 and 6 Ci, respectively. Several decontamination methods were used and their effectiveness assessed by determining the fraction of radioactivity remaining (FR) following each. In flat areas, the front end loader was by far the most efficient method, removing large quantities of dirt in relatively short periods of time. FRs of were achieved. In canyon areas, flushing with water was most effective on rocky surfaces with FRs of while shoveling and bagging in evaporated mud collection ponds worked well and resulted in FRs of lo-'. The FR in rocky cracks was about lo-' following flushing with water. In locations where radioactive mud/water had not penetrated the ground surface to more than 1-2 in., such as fine grain, flat compact dirt, vacuuming was very effective achieving FRs of However, unless the contaminated area was very small (e.g. droppings from front end loading operat' m ) , vacuuming was too slow to be of practical value. Under the supervision of experienced radiation monitors, the radioactive mud spill area was safely cleaned up using, for the most part, standard earth moving equipment and personnel untrained in decontamination procedures.

PRIOR TO CLEANUP PROCEDURES 4. MUD SUMP-FOLLOWING CLEANUP PRXEMTRES 5. DECONTAMINATION EQUIPMENT IN AREA 2 , 6. FOLLLIWING INITIAL MUD EU3FlOVA.L IN AREA 3 7. VACUUM CLEANING SYSTE_hl 8. PRIOR TO CLEANUP IN AREA 4 9. DURING CLEANUP IN AREA 4-SHOVELING & SAGGING 0. .DURING CLEANUP IN AREA 5-SHaVELING .& BAGGING .11. FOLLLIWIhG CLEANUP IN AREA 5 12. EARTHEN DAM & END OF CONTAPilINATED MUD FIX)id