138th Year... and still on the job!	Thursday February 01, 2007

Panel still against shipping demil waste

By JOHN NORTON
THE PUEBLO CHIEFTAIN

A local commission went on the record Wednesday night restating its opposition to off-site treatment of wastewater from weapons destruction at the Pueblo Chemical Depot.

Members of the Colorado Chemical Demilitarization Citizens Advisory Commission voted 6-0 to oppose the Pentagon's plan to ship the wastewater from the breakdown of mustard agent, called hydrolysate, to another location for treatment instead of breaking it down in a treatment plant here.

Commission members have expressed concerns that other communities might block the shipments, threatening the program in Pueblo with costly and time-consuming delays.

They also learned Wednesday that those fears were backed up by two studies, one from the government and one from a private consultant hired by the Defense Department, which both recommended on-site treatment.

Bill Pehlivanian, deputy director of the Assembled Chemical Weapons Alternative program, briefed the commission and public on the two reports. One, called a "Lean Six Sigma" study that looks for cost-savings and outlines quality control processes, stated that permitting for off-site treatment would add 59 months to the process.

The other report, from the Mitretek Corp., warned that a delay of just six months because of litigation from other communities or local opponents would wipe out any cost savings from off-site shipment.

Mike Parker, ACWA program manager, has maintained that off-site treatment would save the government $150 million and get the project started sooner.

While the commission disagreed with the message, members praised the messenger at what likely will be his last official visit to Pueblo. Parker will retire in mid-March.

The commission members led a standing ovation for Parker after Chairman John Klomp thanked him for his work. "Through all of it, Mike Parker has been an advocate for our community," Klomp said. He added that even when the Pentagon flatly limited spending to $150 million a year on the Pueblo project, Parker recommended a bigger budget that might have gotten the work done much more quickly.

In spite of the two reports, however, Pehlivanian said that the Defense Department is still exploring its options for off-site treatment and that the decision will be made by the Pentagon.

He also cautioned that Parker's replacement could have a new way of looking at things.

That got the attention of Pueblo County Commissioner Anthony Nunez, a member of the panel, who asked if that would include the basic technology for weapons destruction.

Klomp said anything could happen, "even the option of revisiting another technology. That’Äôs why I have said let’Äôs keep the funding moving as quickly as possible so we can reach a point of no return."

In other business, Valerie McCain of Bechtel described ongoing work at the depot.

She said K.R. Swerdfeger of Pueblo received a $4.9 million contract to supply, install and test the hydrant water, natural gas, sanitary sewer and potable water piping systems.

Guarantee Electrical Contracting of Aurora won a $3.8 million contract for lighting, communications and temporary power systems for construction.

She also said that of the 103 Bechtel employees here, 20 were hired locally and there are 30 to 60 local workers on site each day with subcontractors.