Pine Bluff Arsenal Plans For Disposal of Residue Monday December 13, 2004

PINE BLUFF (AP) - Officials at the Pine Bluff Arsenal are seeking a state permit for an expanded plan for temporary storage of waste that will be generated when its cache of chemical weapons is incinerated. Arkansas does not have a facility to dispose of the ash that will be left behind. The waste will come from the chemical agents themselves and other items, ranging from filters to used protective suits. Incineration is to begin in February and the ash is to be taken to a hazardous-waste landfill in Louisiana. The arsenal wants the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality to grant clearance for the secondary wastes to be stored in the underground igloos where the chemical weapons are now being kept. The arsenal says the igloos will be a backup plan for storage. The facility has a building for storing the ash.