ADEM cites incinerator for 'administrative' violations

The Associated Press
April 13, 2004

State environmental regulators have cited Anniston Army Depot's chemical weapons incinerator for regulatory violations, the Army said Tuesday.

Timothy K. Garrett, site manager for the incinerator, said in a statement that the violations noted by the Alabama Department of Environmental Management do not affect the public and are "primarily administrative in nature."

Further details of the violations were not immediately available. Spokesmen for the depot and ADEM could not immediately be reached for comment.

Garrett said he and other managers have agreed to review and improve procedures at the $1 billion incinerator, which began operating in August. The Army has 30 days to respond to ADEM.

The Army is using the incinerator to destroy about 2,254 tons of nerve agents and mustard gas that have been stored in underground bunkers for four decades. Since August, more than 22,000 rockets and more than 24,000 gallons of nerve agent have been destroyed.