UMATILLA CHEMICAL DEPOT, Hermiston, Ore. - The Umatilla Chemical Depot (UMCD) reached the halfway point in its last disposal campaign on Feb. 5, 2011, when the Umatilla Chemical Agent Disposal Facility (UMCDF) destroyed the 1,318th ton container (TC) from the depot stockpile.
The HD mustard disposal campaign started in June 2009. Officials are projecting completion of this final campaign late this year, a little more than seven years after the first munition was destroyed in the fall of 2004.
"We will continue to dispose of the remaining mustard ton containers with the same persistence and dedication to safety as we have demonstrated since beginning destruction activities in September 2004 ," said Gary Anderson, UMCDF Army Site Project Manager.
Steve Warren, project general manager for URS, which built and operates the incineration plant, added, "Safe operations and environmental compliance will continue to guide our operations."
"In the last several months, we have been waging a strong campaign toward total elimination of the chemical weapons stockpile at Umatilla," said Lt. Col. Kris Perkins, UMCD commander. "Reaching the halfway point in the last chemical disposal campaign is a significant milestone toward achieving the goal of safe and compliant disposal of that stockpile."
Disposal of HD mustard containers is the 13th individual chemical munitions disposal campaign for the depot and disposal plant. The project successfully destroyed six types of GB or sarin-filled munitions and six types of VX-filled munitions. A total of 217,969 GB and VX munitions have been destroyed. Both GB and VX are nerve agents, and most of those munitions contained explosive components. Mustard is a blister agent.
The United States and other nations are destroying chemical weapons stockpiles in compliance with the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) international treaty, with a deadline of 29 April 2012.
The following 12 chemical munitions disposal campaigns were safely completed before the start of the mustard campaign:
Aca,!Ac 4 GB (sarin-filled) bulk containers or "ton containers" completed Jan. 5, 2006. This was a Non-Stockpile Chemical Materiel Project (NSCMP) mission.
Aca,!Ac 27 GB 500-pound bombs completed May 18, 2006.
Aca,!Ac 2,418 GB 750-pound bombs completed June 9, 2006.
Aca,!Ac 91,442 GB rockets and warheads completed Aug. 9, 2006.
Aca,!Ac 14,246 GB 8-inch diameter artillery projectiles completed Jan. 3, 2007.
Aca,!Ac 47,406 GB 155mm diameter artillery projectiles completed July 8, 2007.
Aca,!Ac One VX bulk container or "ton container" completed Nov. 26, 2007. This was a Non-Stockpile Chemical Materiel Project (NSCMP) mission.
Aca,!Ac 156 VX aircraft-mounted spray tanks completed Dec. 24, 2007.
Aca,!Ac 14,519 VX rockets and warheads completed Jan. 23, 2008.
Aca,!Ac 32,313 VX 155mm projectiles completed June 27, 2008.
Aca,!Ac 3,752 VX 8-inch projectiles completed August 6, 2008.
Aca,!Ac 11,685 VX land mines completed Nov. 5, 2008.
Some of the disposal campaigns ran simultaneously, since the plant has multiple processing lines and is capable of safely disposing of different types of munitions at the same time.
When the Umatilla chemical munitions destruction mission is complete, toxic areas in the disposal plant will be thoroughly cleaned and disassembled according to environmental permits. The Umatilla Chemical Depot is slated for closure per the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) law. The depot opened in 1941 and chemical munitions have been stored here since the 1960s. The land eventually will be returned to public use.
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