Depot keeps eye on operations in Pacific

This story was published Sat, Dec 2, 2000

By Mary Hopkin
Herald Oregon bureau

HERMISTON - The last round of chemical munitions at Johnston Atoll southwest of Hawaii was destroyed Wednesday, bringing a sigh of relief from as far away as Umatilla.

"This was a huge milestone," said Mary Binder of the Umatilla Chemical Depot.

Johnston Island, 825 miles from Hawaii, is the nation's first operational chemical weapons disposal facility.

Since its construction began in 1985, it has been used as a prototype for the other facilities being built in Umatilla; Tooele, Utah; Pueblo, Colo.; Pine Bluff, Ark.; Anniston, Ala.; Newport, Ind.; and Edgewood, Md.

During destruction of more than 13,000 land mines filled with nerve gas, the Army, state and environmental agencies have monitored the project closely.

Success at Johnston Atoll makes it possible for the Army and Washington Demilitarization Co. to continue preparing to destroy 3,717 tons of chemical weapons at the Umatilla Chemical Depot seven miles west of Hermiston.

Sue Oliver of the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality said the DEQ studied the Johnston facility closely.

"At the time we issued our permit, it was the only operating facility," Oliver said. "We used their data for health assessment reports and watched what they were doing very closely."

Oliver said although the incineration process is complete at Johnston Atoll, DEQ will continue scrutinizing the facility.

The Army is working with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to close the facility at Johnston, which is scheduled to take up to 33 months.

The Army must dispose of all secondary waste produced during incineration.

"We will be watching the closure process very closely," Oliver said. "Especially since we have told the Army they can't use the Umatilla incinerator plant as a test facility."

Oliver said the DEQ is especially interested in how the company disposes of secondary waste such as protective "moon suits" that incinerator employees wear. The suits are made of a special plastic that is difficult to burn cleanly.

"They are proposing burning the suits in the metal parts furnace," Oliver said. "We want them to show us it will work. We plan to send at least one person to observe."

The Army is required to remove all equipment and systems so the facility can never be used again and to clean the gutted facility and surrounding area so it won't be hazardous if the island is used in future programs.

Johnston Atoll played a vital role in design and operation of the Tooele chemical disposal facility, which is being used to destroy 13,616 tons of chemical weapons.

Umatilla Depot Commander Tom Woloszyn said the Army has used its experience at Johnston Atoll to create safer and more efficient facilities.

One of those lessons included finding out the dunnage furnace - designed to destroy wood pallets, packaging cases, paper, cleaning rags, small metal items such as tools and small machine parts, plastic, glass and carbon filters - burned too slowly to be effective.

"The dunnage furnace never performed the way the Army wanted, and they haven't used it for quite some time (at Johnston)," Oliver said.

That's one reason a dunnage furnace may not be built at the Umatilla Depot, although the DEQ issued a permit for one.

James Bacon, Army program manager, said the Army will share its information and lessons learned from Johnston Atoll with other countries planning to destroy chemical weapons stockpiles.

Many Johnston Atoll incinerator operators will come to work at the Umatilla facility, bringing years of experience.

"As the contractor for three more of the Army's chemical weapons destruction facilities currently under construction, we're eager to transfer to those plants the success, knowledge and experience we've gained through the decade of operation," said Fred Hissong, Jr., president of Washington Demilitarization, which is also building the Umatilla, Pine Bluff and Anniston facilities.

 

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