DEQ says testing of depot incinerator likely will be delayed

This story was published Sat, Jan 20, 2001

By Mary Hopkin
Herald Oregon bureau

HERMISTON - Although construction of the Umatilla Chemical Depot's incinerator is nearly complete, the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality says testing of the facility likely will be delayed at least six months and incineration isn't likely to start before 2003.

Wayne Thomas, DEQ program administrator, said under the current Army schedule, construction should be complete by May, and testing of the incinerators should start in October, with operations following in July 2002.

"They have too much to do," Thomas said. "There is a wide range of issues with the U.S. Army and the contractor related to the permit that must be resolved before testing can start."

That includes decisions on how secondary waste will be managed and trial burn plans that need to be reviewed. Thomas said the trial burn plans must be received at least 180 days before testing can begin.

In addition, the Chemical Stockpile Emergency Preparedness Program must prove it's ready to protect local communities if a chemical event occurs. Gov. John Kitzhaber is requiring a full report from the Executive Review Panel regarding CSEPP, and the governor said he will not allow testing until he is sure CSEPP can do its job.

"We are disappointed (by the DEQ's report) that there will be a slight delay, but it gives the community a chance to increase preparedness even more than they already had," said Chris Dearth, environmental projects director for the governor's office.

But the Army doesn't necessarily agree with the DEQ prediction, said Gary Anderson, the Army's interim site project manager.

"The delays are DEQ's assessment," Anderson said. "We are still on target and working toward the July 2002 chemical operations date. We have a lot of significant work to accomplish to maintain that date, but it is the date we are holding to right now."

Schedule changes are nothing new for the $1.2 billion project that is to destroy 3,717 tons of chemical weapons stored at the depot seven miles west of Hermiston. The Army's original incineration date was October 2001, which was later changed to mid-2002.

 

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