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VX proposal not unusual for DuPont

Sunday, July 30, 2006

By ANDREW FRANKUM

Staff Writer

SALEM -- A report released last week by the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention, backing a plan to ship the neutralized byproduct of the deadly nerve agent VX to the DuPont Chambers Works for final processing and disposal, caused a furor among many.

But this is not the first time DuPont Chambers Works in Deepwater has dealt with the treatment of wastewater from chemical weapons.

Back in May of 2002 DuPont signed an agreement with the U.S. Army to treat the neutralized byproduct of liquid mustard agent that was stored in the Aberdeen Proving Ground in Aberdeen, Md. Many DuPont officials agree the project was flawless and without incident.

The Army is currently neutralizing the deadly VX at a base in Newport, Ind. The plan is to transport the wastewater to Deepwater for treatment and disposal.

Like the VX proposal, Aberdeen began the neutralization on site and created over 7 million gallons of wastewater that was then shipped by truck to the Chambers Works for further treatment before being released into the Delaware River.

Todd Owens, a Chambers Works chemical engineer, said one of the reasons the recent VX proposal is receiving more public awareness than the Aberdeen project, is because the Aberdeen contract was signed just after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on the U.S. The project received more support since it was designed to destroy dangerous chemical weapons that could be used as a target by terrorists.

Owens said since the 1995, the United States and other countries began working to destroy their stockpiles of chemical weapons. He said there are currently eight different sites in the U.S that have these chemical weapon stockpiles. The Army's process was slow, and after the attacks on 9-11, many officials wanted the process to speed up.

Owens said the reason the Army has chosen the DuPont Chambers Works for these projects is because of its state-of-the-art technology.

He said the Chambers Works' commercial wastewater treatment program is, by volume, one of the largest in North America and has been operating since the 1970s.

According to DuPont officials, the plant uses a DuPont-patented wastewater treatment technology called Powdered Activation Carbon Treatment (PACT) that treats any wastewater before it is discharged into the Delaware River.

"We are harder on ourselves than most permitting bodies," Owens said. "When a customer comes to us for treatment, we go through a very rigorous study."

Owens said DuPont has told multiple customers their materials were not right for the facility.

"We're more rigorous and rough than EPA (federal Environmental Protection Agency) or NJDEP (New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection)," Owens said.

Despite DuPont's own studies along with OKs from the CDC and EPA, many New Jersey lawmakers are still opposed to he project.

U.S. Rep Frank A. LoBiondo, R-2nd Dist., responded after the CDC report was released Thursday saying he wanted more questions answered about the proposed VX project.

"This is so very serious," LoBiondo said. "Residents are scared. We have to thoroughly examine every aspect."

New Jersey lawmakers are waiting for a report from the General Accountability Office (GAO) that will look at the assessed cost of the project versus the cost of an alternative.

It is the hope of lawmakers that the GAO will shed more light on the project and possibly show if there is a better way to go through with the disposal of the VX nerve gas byproduct than shipping it to Salem County.

U.S. Rep. Rob Andrews, D-1st Dist., said, "We believe the GAO will show there are too many risks, too many unanswered questions and too many reasons not to go forward with disposal of VX in the Delaware River."

John Strait, Chambers Works plant manager, said the Army has looked into the different options and found disposing the VX byproduct wastewater in Deepwater is not only the best scientific method, but also potentially $347 million less expensive than other methods.

Residents and lawmakers should not worry about additional chemical weapon treatment at the Chambers Works. Owens said he believes the Newport project would be the last if DuPont secures the contract for the work.

Of the eight chemical weapons sites in the United States, Pueblo Chemical Depot in Colorado and Blue Grass Army Depot in Kentucky use treatment techniques that create wastewater that Chambers Works could not treat, Owens said.

Blue Grass uses different neutralization technology which leaves DuPont Chambers Works out of the running for the treatment. Pueblo, which is another site that stores a mustard agent similar to that found in Aberdeen, is planning to neutralize the chemical themselves by building their own wastewater treatment program.

DuPont officials maintain they will continue to work with stakeholders, including regulators, government leaders and others in the community and allow them to examine the reports and incorporate them into their review process on the VX project.