LOCAL NEWS
Wednesay, September 28, 2005
Disposal
facility destroys new weapon
By the East
Oregonian
HERMISTON — The Umatilla
Chemical Agent Disposal Facility destroyed its first GB-agent bomb Tuesday,
the second type of chemical weapon to be eliminated.
Operators at the Army’s incineration complex west of Hermiston punched and
drained two 750-pound bombs late in the afternoon, said Mary Alice Binder,
a depot public affairs officer.
Operators plan to punch and drain more bombs during the next few days, and
process the drained bombs in the metal parts furnace later in the week.
So far, the facility has destroyed 31,098 GB-agent rockets and will continue
to process rockets while destroying bombs, said Doug Hamrick, a general manager
for Washington Group International.
After being drained of liquid chemical agents, rockets are destroyed in the
deactivation furnace and bombs are eliminated in the metal parts furnace,
which will start burning for the first time after testing and evaluation.
Rockets and bombs will not be processed at the same time, but in a complementary
way, Hamrick said. The metal parts furnace will be used for processing bombs
when the deactivation furnace is down for maintenance, and vice versa.
“We will be able to process rockets and bombs to take advantage of any equipment
downtime, which will help further reduce the threat to the community,” Hamrick
said.
“By this time next year, we may be very close to finishing both the rocket
and bomb campaigns, if not completely finished,” he added.
In all, the facility will destroy about 2,400 bombs stored at the Umatilla
Chemical Depot. They come in two sizes — 750-pound bombs, which contain about
220 pounds of agent; and 500-pound bombs, which hold about 108 pounds of
agent.