Anniston incinerator prepares for a new group of weapons; Umatilla incinerator resumes operations

While crews at Anniston continued to retool machinery for a new weapons campaign this week, weapons disposal resumed in Umatilla, Ore., after nearly a month of stoppage. The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality gave Umatilla the go-ahead to resume processing Thursday morning, and crews destroyed about 251 sarin-filled rockets. Processing had stopped May 18 after a fire broke out on one of the processing lines, the third in about a month and a half. Similar fires broke out at the Pine Bluff Chemical Agent Disposal Facility in May. No one was injured from the fires, and equipment was not damaged. An investigation into the fires is still ongoing, but Dennis Murphy, the DEQ’s administrator for chemical weapons disposal, said Friday that DEQ had been provided enough documentation on the facility to conclude that rocket processing could continue at Umatilla. The fires generally occurred during the shearing process, but the source seems to be the rocket propellant in the munitions themselves. Rocket engines from the arsenal are being sent to labs in New Jersey for analysis, said Mary Binder, a spokeswoman for the facility. “The propellant is the focus, but we may need to make additional modifications,” she said. “We may need to do something with the shear blades.” Umatilla has destroyed 14,782 rockets and 154,000 pounds of its original stockpile. The Tooele Chemical Agent Disposal Facility, which finished its VX campaign on June 3, spent the week destroying secondary waste and retooling to begin destruction of mustard agent. To date Tooele has destroyed 1,014,301 munitions — 89 percent of its stockpile — and 14.7 million pounds of chemical weapons. Other facilities continued processing. The Pine Bluff Chemical Agent Disposal Facility in Pine Bluff, Ark., destroyed 761 sarin-filled rockets and 8,796 pounds of nerve agent from Tuesday, May 31 to Monday, June 6. To date the facility has destroyed 8,831 rockets and 80,016 pounds of nerve agent. The Newport Chemical Agent Disposal Facility destroyed 7,658 pounds of VX between Friday, June 3, and Friday, June 10. Since starting operations on May 5, the facility has neutralized 24,376 pounds of VX, all stored in bulk containers.

About Brian Lyman

Brian Lyman covers infrastructure and the cities of Heflin and Lincoln for the Anniston Star. He lives in Anniston.