Associated Press
September 10, 2003

State cites weapons incinerator for minor violations

The Associated Press
September 10, 2003

State regulators cited the Army for minor environmental violations at its newest chemical weapons incinerator, which was temporarily shut down for unrelated problems.

The Alabama Department of Environmental Management, which told the military it was in violation of its operating permit for the incinerator, said the problems did not immediately endanger anyone's safety.

The violations involved pipe flanges that were not properly marked and liquid levels in drainage pumps at the incinerator, located at the Anniston Army Depot.

"As soon as we brought them to their attention they immediately started working on them," said Steve Cobb, chief of ADEM's governmental hazardous waste branch.

Army project manager Tim Garrett called the issues "very minor" and said managers would discuss one problem and work with ADEM to fix the other two.

Meanwhile, the Army said the incinerator was temporarily shut down Tuesday because of a problem with a conveyor system that carries rocket parts from a furnace to waste bins. The system appeared to jam, said Mike Abrams, a spokesman for the incinerator.

"We won't know what the problem is until the system has cooled down to a temperature that is safe for employees to enter wearing the appropriate safety gear," Abrams said.

Abrams said the problem did not pose any threat to worker or community safety. But incineration opponents said the problem is part of a trend.

"Army officials have sought to reassure the community that this facility will not experience problems that have been experienced at other facilities. That doesn't seem to be the case," said Craig Williams, executive director of the Kentucky-based Chemical Weapons Working Group.

The incinerator was built to destroy more than 2,200 tons of chemical weapons stored in reinforced bunkers at the depot, located about 50 miles east of Birmingham. Abrams said it could be idle for several days while the conveyor is fixed.