Hermiston Herald
February 19, 2002

Test burns set to begin today

By Frank Lockwood
Staff writer

HERMISTON - Umatilla Chemical Agent Disposal Facility's first test burn,
scheduled for today, involves neither chemicals nor surrogates, the Army
announced last week.

The first of UMCDF's two liquid incinerators is to be lit today, to test the
furnace's ability to operate. Lighting of the liquid incinerator, which is
fueled by natural gas, will begin the necessary process of curing the
refractory brick lining inside the furnace's chambers.

No chemical agent or surrogate materials will be involved in this
"systemization" or testing activity, although water vapor emissions may be
visible from the Pollution Abatement System stack.

Washington Demilitarization Company, the project's main contractor,
completed construction in August, 2001. Systemization activities are on
schedule to meet the projected date for beginning agent disposal operations
in early 2003.

"Starting up the incinerator is an important milestone in systemization,"
said Site Project Manager Don Barclay. "It tells us that we're not far from
starting to dispose of the Umatilla stockpile."

The trial burns are part of an extensive testing regimen required prior to
destroying chemical weapons. Future tests will include trial burns of the
facility's incinerator using surrogate materials and, later, chemical
agents.

Both the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Oregon Department of
Environmental Quality require "extensive" testing of each of the facility's
four incinerators, Army officials said. There are two liquid incinerators, a
deactivation furnace system, and a metal parts furnace.

The two liquid incinerators will destroy liquid agents which have been
drained from the rockets or containers, while the deactivation furnace will
take explosives and rocket propellants. The metal parts furnace will be used
to destroy the remaining metal parts.

For each incinerator, the facility is required to demonstrate compliance
with all applicable emission standards while operating at maximum feed rates
under worse-case conditions.

Trial burns are not a one-time event. They are performed using using
surrogate materials before agent operations and then for each of these
chemical agents: GB, VX and HD (mustard).

Coming milestones include:
· Liquid Incinerator One light-off (today).
· Complete Liquid Incinerator One surrogate trial burns.
· Complete Deactivation Furnace System surrogate trial burns.
· Complete Liquid Incinerator Two surrogate trial burns.
· Complete Metal Parts Furnace surrogate trial burns.
· Complete systemization.
· Complete independent verification of plant readiness.
· Start agent operations for GB rockets.

More information about the Umatilla Chemical Agent Disposal Facility may be
obtained by calling or visiting the PMCD Outreach Office, 190 East Main,
telephone (541) 564-9339.

A telephone information line will also provide recorded updates on testing
activities. The toll-free number is (888) 866-5928.

Frank Lockwood may be reached at 567-6457 or by e-mail at
flockwood@hermistonherald.com.