Depot disposes of final 160-gallon VX spray tank
The East Oregonian
The Umatilla Chemical Depot destroyed the last of 156 VX-filled spray tanks Monday afternoon. The event marked the end of all VX spray tanks not just at the depot but in the whole United States' stockpile.
Each tank was 15-and-a-half feet long and contained 160 gallons of VX agent, a terribly toxic oily nerve agent. The spray tanks were significantly larger than other chemical munitions and could mount on military aircraft for aerial disbursement of the agent.
Depot workers Thursday transported the tanks on flatbed trailers from depot storage to the Umatilla Chemical Agent Disposal Facility. Crews there destroyed the final tank at about 2:40 p.m. on Christmas Eve.
Depot spokesman Bruce Henrickson said the destruction means "another entire category of chemical munitions is now completely gone from America's stockpile."
The spray tanks contained about 106 tons of VX agent, which accounted for nearly 30 percent of the total VX agent tonnage at the depot. The depot was in the process of destroying the tanks along with VX M55 rockets. The disposal facility has multiple processing lines, which allows for simultaneous processing of different munitions.
The VX disposal campaign followed the GB (sarin) munitions disposal campaign, which lasted from September 2004 to July 2007. The depot then underwent a changeover process to handle the VX munitions and on Oct. 29 the depot began the VX rocket campaign, which it should complete by February 2008. On Nov. 19 depot storage crews began moving spray tanks to the disposal facility. Four days later the depot destroyed the first spray tank.
Depot workers on Nov. 19 also moved the single VX ton, or bulk, container from depot storage to the disposal plant and destroyed it Nov. 26. This was the only ton container of VX agent located at the chemical depot. It contained VX agent from a mid-1980s "drill and transfer" campaign to eliminate leaking munitions stored at the depot.
The overall VX disposal campaign includes rockets, spray tanks, artillery projectiles, land mines and the single bulk container. It should end by mid-2009.
When the VX campaign is complete, depot storage crews will begin to move mustard blister agent ton containers to the chemical agent disposal facility. That will mark the beginning of the third and final agent disposal campaign at the facility. |
