Blue Grass Army Depot completes liquid disposal of nerve agent, working on container disposal
Ben Kleppinger
Issue date: 1/15/09 Section: News
After a steel container holding the nerve agent GB leaked at the Blue Grass Army Depot in August, plans were put in to motion to destroy the container along with two others that also held GB.
On Jan. 5, Depot workers officially began work on the second phase of their plans.
The plans, named Operations Swift Solution, outlined three phases for the complete neutralization of the nerve agent sarin contained.
In the first phase, the liquid nerve agent was be slowly drained and neutralized. In the second phase, rust and "sludge" from the barrels will be removed and neutralized. And the third phase will involve disposing of the secondary waste produced during the first two phases.
Just over a month after the project began in November, phase one was completed on Dec. 18.
After the holiday break, workers began on phase two of the project.
During phase two the containers will be placed into a chemical agent transfer system (CHATS) and rotated in a liquid solution designed to neutralize any remaining material inside the containers, according to an Operation Swift Solution press release.
The liquid solution will be tested to guarantee neutralization.
When the neutralization goal has been met, the containers will be cut in half and shipped to a recycling facility, according to the press release.
Kathy DeWeese, a spokesperson for the Assembled Chemical Weapons Alternatives program, said phase two is already 90 percent complete, but declined to give an estimated completion date.
If the phase continues to progress at its current average rate, work should be done by the end of the week.
DeWeese said the third phase, which involves packaging all hazardous waste for transport to the disposal facility in Port Arthur, Tx., will begin immediately when the second phase is complete.
While hazardous materials may still be present in the containers, there is no risk posed to the public, DeWeese said.
The Blue Grass Army Depot is the only site in the United States that has GB left, said Richard Sloan, public affairs director for Blue Grass Chemical Activity. All other sites have incinerated their nerve agent.
Operation Swift Solution is a separate project from the efforts to destroy the larger chemicals weapons stockpile located at the depot.
Destruction of the main stockpile isn't scheduled to begin until 2017, and isn't expected to be finished until 2023.
The stockpile at the Depot contains over 520 tons of chemical weapons, or 1.7 percent of the original U.S. stockpile, according to globalsecurity.org.
For more information on the Blue Grass Army Depot chemical weapons stockpile, visit http://www.cma.army.mil/bluegrass.aspx.
On Jan. 5, Depot workers officially began work on the second phase of their plans.
The plans, named Operations Swift Solution, outlined three phases for the complete neutralization of the nerve agent sarin contained.
In the first phase, the liquid nerve agent was be slowly drained and neutralized. In the second phase, rust and "sludge" from the barrels will be removed and neutralized. And the third phase will involve disposing of the secondary waste produced during the first two phases.
Just over a month after the project began in November, phase one was completed on Dec. 18.
After the holiday break, workers began on phase two of the project.
During phase two the containers will be placed into a chemical agent transfer system (CHATS) and rotated in a liquid solution designed to neutralize any remaining material inside the containers, according to an Operation Swift Solution press release.
The liquid solution will be tested to guarantee neutralization.
When the neutralization goal has been met, the containers will be cut in half and shipped to a recycling facility, according to the press release.
Kathy DeWeese, a spokesperson for the Assembled Chemical Weapons Alternatives program, said phase two is already 90 percent complete, but declined to give an estimated completion date.
If the phase continues to progress at its current average rate, work should be done by the end of the week.
DeWeese said the third phase, which involves packaging all hazardous waste for transport to the disposal facility in Port Arthur, Tx., will begin immediately when the second phase is complete.
While hazardous materials may still be present in the containers, there is no risk posed to the public, DeWeese said.
The Blue Grass Army Depot is the only site in the United States that has GB left, said Richard Sloan, public affairs director for Blue Grass Chemical Activity. All other sites have incinerated their nerve agent.
Operation Swift Solution is a separate project from the efforts to destroy the larger chemicals weapons stockpile located at the depot.
Destruction of the main stockpile isn't scheduled to begin until 2017, and isn't expected to be finished until 2023.
The stockpile at the Depot contains over 520 tons of chemical weapons, or 1.7 percent of the original U.S. stockpile, according to globalsecurity.org.
For more information on the Blue Grass Army Depot chemical weapons stockpile, visit http://www.cma.army.mil/bluegrass.aspx.
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