Star Staff Writer
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Workers at the Anniston Chemical Agent Disposal Facility continued destroying 155-mm rounds this week. Crews at Anniston destroyed 1,917 shells and 1,844 gallons (about
16,784 pounds) between Friday, May 20 and Tuesday, the last days for which
numbers are available. To date, the facility has destroyed 15 percent of
the original stockpile — 63,571 weapons and 72,924 gallons of nerve agent
(about 663,608 pounds). Weapons processing has stopped at the Umatilla Chemical Agent Disposal Facility in Umatilla, Ore. The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality and the Chemical Materials Agency are investigating the source of three fires at the facility that took place between April 7 and May 18. No date has been set for the resumption of weapons disposal, said Mary Binder, a spokeswoman for Umatilla. With processing stopped, crews are preparing Umatilla’s Metal Parts Furnace to begin destroying MC-1 bombs in the facility later this summer or early this fall. The bombs will be destroyed while rockets are still being processed. Crews at the Pine Bluff Chemical Agent Disposal Facility destroyed 1,449 sarin-filled rockets and 15,326 pounds of agent between Tuesday, May 17 and Monday, May 23. To date the facility has destroyed 6,324 rockets and 53,365 pounds of agent. Processing stopped briefly Sunday after rocket debris caught fire in the plant. Spokeswoman Raini Wright said there have been no further incidents. Officials at Umatilla and Pine Bluff have updated the cooling systems to try to fight the fires. The Tooele Chemical Agent Disposal Facility destroyed 1,902 VX-filled mines between Sunday, May 15 and Sunday, May 22. A spokeswoman for the facility said there were no incidents at the plant. To date the plant has destroyed 1,011,187 munitions and 14.7 million pounds of material. Processing also continued at the Newport Chemical Agent Disposal Facility in Newport, Ind., which began disposal operations on May 5. The facility destroyed 9,115 pounds of VX through Wednesday, May 25. |
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About Brian Lyman
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Brian Lyman covers infrastructure and the cities of Heflin and Lincoln for the Anniston Star. He lives in Anniston. |
| Phone: Fax: E-mail: |
256-235-3544 256-241-1991 blyman@annistonstar.com |