LOCAL
Friday, June 25, 2004
Current depot
monitors said adequate
By AMYJO BROWN
of the East Oregonian
ajbrown@eastoregonian.com
HERMISTON — The monitoring
system the U.S. Army has in place at the Umatilla Chemical Depot works well
and does not need additional support, Gregory St. Pierre, director of risk
management for the Chemical Materials Agency, told the Citizens Advisory
Commission Thursday.
St. Pierre, who is from the CMA’s offices in Washington, D.C., came
at the request of members of CAC who requested information on advanced infra-red
monitoring systems.
The high-tech monitors have support from congressional members and
citizen groups living near other demilitarization sites. On Thursday, the
U.S. Senate approved funding for the monitors for the Blue Grass Army Depot
in Kentucky, at the request of Sen. Jim Bunning of Kentucky.
The technology, Open Path Fourier-Transform Infrared (OP-FTIR) is
a measuring device that works by installing a grid of infra-red beams around
weapons storage areas and the weapons disposal facilities. It could monitor
for high levels of air pollutants, including chemical agent, in near-real
time, meaning information on how much was going where could be available
in seconds.
St. Pierre said the OP-FTIR doesn’t meet the Army’s standards for
agent detection. He said the OP-FTIR would not detect VX nerve agent, and
to detect either GB (sarin) or HD (mustard) the agents would have to be distributed
as a result of a large fire or explosion before the monitors would detect
them.
“You don’t need a monitor to tell you if you have that kind of problem,”
he said.
In addition, he said the OP-FTIR has a high level of false alarms,
which could be problematic for the site and for the community.
However, St. Pierre told the CAC that the Army is actively seeking
improvements to monitoring systems all the time. If something were to become
available, the Army would be likely to install it, he said.
St. Pierre’s presentation alleviated some concerns, but not all for
CAC members.
“I think we heard a compelling presentation for the effectiveness
of the monitoring systems in place,” Brown said. “But I think what we’ve
got is two different schools of thought. What we’re planning for in CSEPP
is a catastrophic event. In that case, it seems the monitor has relevance.”
That’s because the community does not now have the capability to
get real-time, detailed information on a chemical release in a catastrophic
event. Instead decisions on how to respond if chemical agent got off-post
from the depot would be based on assumptions of how much was released and
how it was released. In that case, CAC member Susan Jones said she believes
the OP-FTIR technology is worth exploring.
“We are preparing for the worst,” Jones said. “We hope it won’t happen,
but we have to be prepared for it. I’d be in favor of putting the monitors
in even if it is overkill.”
Also at the meeting, commissioners heard Lt. Col. David Holliday,
commander of the depot, say the site is continuing to prepare for the destruction
of its chemical weapons stockpile, scheduled to begin this summer.
As part of the preparation, he said the depot is hiring additional
security guards, and will be at the job fair at the Umatilla County Fair
Grounds next week.
“If you know of anyone looking for a job, I have one,” he sa