Incinerator done; testing next step

This story was published Thu, May 24, 2001

By Mary Hopkin
Herald Oregon bureau

HERMISTON - Nearly four years and 24,000 cubic yards of concrete later, construction of the Umatilla Chemical Depot incinerator plant is complete.

But many more nuts and bolts must be tightened before any chemical weapons can be destroyed there. It could take up to 18 months to complete the testing required before any burning can start.

The $567 million plant was completed 13 days ahead of the May 29 contract deadline, said Loren Sharp, Washington Demilitarization Co.'s program manager, who called the early completion a "major victory."

Washington Demilitarization took over the contract from Raytheon Demilitarization Co. last summer.

The plant is composed of four incinerators that will be used to destroy the 7.4 million pounds of deadly nerve and mustard agents stored at the Umatilla Chemical Depot, seven miles west of Hermiston. Much of the agents are in weapons such as rockets, some of which have leaked.

Now the builders face the daunting task of testing all the incinerator's components - each valve, gauge, motor and socket - to make sure everything is in working order.

"This is when we find out if everything is up to par and fix the things that aren't," said Rick Kelley, Washington Demilitarization spokesman.

The process starts with the testing of the smaller parts, down to light bulbs and sockets, and ends with trial burning.

The plant's parking lot is sparse now compared with what it looked like in July 1999 when 1,146 workers were on the site.

Those workers moved more than 300,000 cubic yards of earth, used 2,655 tons of steel to reinforce concrete and strung 971 miles of electrical wire and conduit.

Only 63 employees remain to test the equipment, Kelley said.

Depot Commander Lt. Col. Tom Woloszyn said completion of the plant is significant, but right now he is focusing on getting his people trained and ready to handle the chemical weapons.

Woloszyn said he is receiving surrogate rounds, which will be used to test the incinerators. Those are being stored in igloos similar to those where the chemical weapons are stored in the depot's K Block area.

Then workers will be trained to move the weapons using forklifts and special vehicles.

"We have to crawl, walk and then run with the ammunition handlers, even if they have been here for years," Woloszyn said. "They must continue training."

The reason for all the time, testing and training is right under the nose of Eastern Oregon residents, as the Army reported its third leaking weapon within a week.

Army spokesman Jim Hackett said a depot crew detected a trace amount of sarin gas Wednesday morning in the same igloo where two weapons leaked last week.

The weapons stored in the igloo have leaked before and have been "overpacked" in other containers, Hackett said.

"These weapons have been out here for 39 years," he said. "They are bound to deteriorate at some point, not to say this rash of leakers is an indication of that. But the Army has recognized all along that long-term storage is riskier than incineration."

The Army has reported 134 total leakers since 1984. Eight weapons have leaked more than once, Hackett said.

Although the original plans called for five incinerators, only four were built - one metal parts furnace, two liquid furnaces and a deactivation furnace.

The dunnage incinerator, which was going to be used to consume secondary waste, has been put on hold.

Wayne Thomas of the state Department of Environmental Quality said the Army wants to see if there is a more efficient way to get rid of the secondary waste - the protective suits, gloves and other items that will be contaminated as employees destroy the chemical weapons.

Thomas said the Army has successfully used the metal parts furnace at its Johnston Island plant to destroy the protective suits and is still studying different ways of dealing with the waste.

 

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