Plug installation stops at Blue Grass Army Depot

BY RYAN GARRETT/REGISTER NEWS WRITER

An operation to install new plugs in a unique container partially filled with nerve agent came to a halt Tuesday at the Blue Grass Army Depot when one of the plugs failed to seal because of thread erosion.

Chemical workers were able to seal the leaking plug, and no agent vapor was detected outside the confined area where the operation took place, Lt. Col. George Shuplinkov, commander of the Blue Grass Chemical Activity, said Wednesday.

"We rehearsed contingencies to the plan," he said. "We rehearsed contingencies to those contingencies. We coordinated with the community and the depot to make sure all safety operations were in place."

Five of the eight degraded plugs in a one ton drum containing more than 170 gallons of GB nerve agent and decontaminate were replaced with stainless steel plugs before the operation was halted.

The container - the only one of its kind at the depot - has been returned to its storage igloo at the depot while Shuplinkov formulates a plan to replace the faulty plug and the three remaining plugs.

To perform the changeout, Blue Grass brought in a special team of chemical workers from Deseret Chemical Depot in Utah that has successfully completed more than 5,000 plug replacements at its home base.

"That lends an extra layer of safety that we're always looking for," said Dick Sloan, public affairs officer for Blue Grass Chemical Activity, the agency in charge of storing and monitoring weapons at the depot.

"Here within the United States, that's the group that's got the most experience and expertise," he said.

The workers might return to finish the job, or Shuplinkov may send a Blue Grass crew to Utah for training.

"Our crew physically can move it," Shuplinkov said. "What I want to do is train some more of my crew members here at the activity so I don't have to rely on another activity.

"Right now, I think we've got support to do that, and I think it's a great skill for us to maintain here at the activity - a great educational opportunity for our employees and a great cross-fertilization effort from very skilled individuals to teach us those things," he said.

The plug changeout was conducted outside the igloo where the container is stored using specialized equipment designed to filter and contain any agent vapor or liquid.

Three earlier sets of non-intrusive ultrasound testing showed that the plugs in each end of the container had begun to degrade from within since they were last changed 10 years ago.

The contents of the container were sampled and will be analyzed to determine their purity and chemical makeup so the depot can determine the proper method for demilitarizing the container and its contents.

"This is the only container I have in my whole stockpile that's like this," Shuplinkov said.

The public was never in danger during the operation, Shuplinkov said.

"The number one priority here is safety," he said. "Every decision that's made here is oriented toward the safety of my employees because they are closest to the danger, if you call that, or toward the agent. If I concentrate on my efforts there, I know the depot and the community will be safe."

Ryan Garrett can be reached at rgarrett@richmondregister.com or at 623-1669, Ext. 234.