ARSENAL SEEKS MORE WASTE STORAGE

By Bobbie Crockett/OF THE COMMERCIAL STAFF

The Pine Bluff Arsenal is asking a state agency to grant a permit to allow temporary storage of secondary wastes in igloos. The underground igloos will gradually become vacant once incineration of the chemical weapons stored there begins in February.

The Arsenal, on behalf of the Pine Bluff Chemical Agent Disposal Facility, has applied to the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality for permission to use the igloos as added storage space for secondary wastes.

"Secondary wastes are materials generated from the operations in support of incineration of chemical weapons," said Raini Wright, PBCDF public affairs officer. "The majority of the secondary wastes generated by PBCDF will be solids such as plastics and rubber."

Those will come from protective gear worn by the workers, carbon from filters and routine cleanup materials, she said.

Before any wastes are stored in the igloos, any munitions would be removed, Wright said.

She said the facility currently has an 11,523-square-foot building designed to store secondary wastes.

"However, in keeping with our commitment to safety and environmental compliance, we are planning to maintain the option of storage in the igloos as a backup storage option," Wright said.

The permit would allow storage of secondary wastes in the igloos for one year. However, a longer time may be allowed if justified, she said, adding that indefinite storage is not permitted.

Next year, in accordance with an international treaty, the disposal facility will begin destroying the chemical weapons stored at the Arsenal.

The Arsenal stores 12 percent of the nation's chemical weapons stockpile, including the nerve agents GB and VX. A $600 million furnace system will be used to destroy the agents.

A metal parts furnace will be used to destroy secondary wastes, Wright said.

"Once the discharged wastes have cooled down, the ashes, and the metal substances that are not burned to ash, are properly packaged and shipped to a hazardous waste landfill for disposal," she said.