136th Year... and
still on the job!
Friday July 2, 2004
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136th Year... and
still on the job!
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Friday July 2, 2004
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DENVER - The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment announced Thursday that it has issued a permit to allow initial construction activities to start for the chemical agent destruction pilot plant at Pueblo Chemical Depot.
The issuance of the permit by the department’s Hazardous Materials and Waste Management Division followed a public comment period and several public meetings in Pueblo and the surrounding area.
The permit applicants, the U.S. Army and Bechtel National Inc., are still in the design process for construction of a pilot plant to mechanically disassemble and destroy chemical warfare weapons stockpiled at the depot, 15 miles east of Pueblo.
The depot applied for a "research development and demonstration permit" last December. Such permits may be issued to facilities that propose to utilize innovative or experimental hazardous waste treatment technologies or processes for hazardous waste management.
The Pueblo plant is being designed to treat missiles filled with mustard agent, using a robotic disassembly process and a neutralization process with hot water and caustic solutions, such as sodium hydroxide.
The resulting liquid waste then would be neutralized using biotreatment processes. These integrated processes and much of the associated equipment are being developed specifically to destroy these weapons.
"The phased permitting approach for this facility will allow for the acceleration of the weapons destruction at Pueblo Chemical Depot while meeting the requirements of Colorado hazardous waste regulations at the same time," said Gary Baughman, Hazardous Materials and Waste Management Division director. "It also maximizes the public’s opportunities to participate in the process."
The Phase I permit authorizes the Army and its contractor, Bechtel, to do preliminary site work including construction of underground utilities, road paving and construction of support facilities and establishment of a staging area.
No further construction activities and no hazardous waste management activities will be allowed under the Phase I permit. Further construction activities and waste management activities will likely be proposed as the design of the pilot plant progresses, and will be addressed through the permit modification process.
This phased approach to permitting the pilot plant allows for construction of the facility as the design of the plant matures, the health department said. The phased approach also allows considerable time saving because construction of simple but time-consuming portions or components of the facility can proceed in parallel with design and permitting of the more complex hazardous waste units. There will be more opportunities for public involvement as the process continues, the health department said.
The pilot plant is being proposed for the treatment of approximately 2,600 tons of mustard blister agent that has been stored at the depot since the late 1950s. Processing of the stored munitions also includes removal of explosives from the weapons.
More information about the project is available on the health department Web site at: www.cdphe.state.co.us/hm/pueblochemdemil.asp , or by calling Jeannine Natterman toll free 1-800-569-1831, extension 3303.