Incinerator's maintenance shutdown to begin today

By Rob Jordan
Star Staff Writer
06-02-2004

A brief system malfunction at the Anniston chemical weapons incinerator has delayed for one day a facility shutdown originally planned for Tuesday, incinerator officials said. The incinerator now is scheduled to shut down for planned maintenance today, after it destroys the last of the drainable sarin-filled rockets, according to incinerator spokesman Mike Abrams. The problem started with a power surge Sunday morning that caused a furnace fan to malfunction, Abrams said. A storm may have contributed to the surge, Abrams said. Shortly after a backup fan kicked in, control room operators brought the system down, Abrams said. Both fans were operational and the incinerator was functioning again by 3 p.m. Sunday, Abrams said. After it is shut down this afternoon, the incinerator will remain at a standstill for a maintenance period that could last up to three weeks, officials said. The stoppage is the first in a series of maintenance periods planned to take place about once a year. It is not a product of any malfunction or operational concern, according to Tim Garrett, the Army site manager at the incinerator. If state permits are acquired in time, the incinerator will begin test burns of non-drained or gelled sarin rockets when it starts up again around June 18, Garrett has said.

About Rob Jordan

Rob Jordan covers criminal justice issues for The Star.