Umatilla depot incinerator to be tested

This story was published Thu, Feb 14, 2002

By Karen Zacharias
Herald Oregon bureau

UMATILLA -- The first of four incinerators at the Umatilla Chemical Depot will be fired up Tuesday.

But no cause for worry -- it's only a test, said Don Barclay, site manager for the chemical demilitarization program.

Natural gas will be the only thing burning. Refractory bricks in the incinerator have to season, much like a ceramic kiln does. The incinerator's temperatures will range from 2,000 to 2,700 degrees.

Then in May, if Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber agrees, contractors plan to burn industrial solvents as part of further testing. A high-chlorine liquid will be pumped directly into the incinerator, Barclay said.

The biggest waste product will be salt with a trace of metals, such as silver or chrome, said Jim Snyder, systems manager for Washington Demilitarization Co., the group charged with burning the 3,717 tons of deadly chemical agents stored at the depot.

Destroying the high-chlorine solvent can be more difficult than the destruction of the chemical agents, Barclay said.

That's because if the incinerator can burn the solvent at a 99.99 percent efficiency rate, then it's likely the incinerators will be capable of safely destroying the more deadly mustard and sarin agents, Barclay said.

People may see a plume rise from the incinerator's stack over the next few months as officials turn on the ovens and begin burning the solvent and subsequent dummy munitions, but it will only be steam. Nerve agents will be not burned before next February, Barclay said.

Contractors plan to burn 11,700 gallons of solvent daily. The brine from that solvent will produce 10,300 pounds of salt per day.

That salt, defined as hazardous waste under Oregon standards, will be trucked to a hazardous waste disposal site. The bid for that component has not yet been awarded. Snyder said the waste could be shipped to Arlington, Ore., or to a hazardous waste site in California.

The burning of dummy munitions is not scheduled to take place until late fall. The simulated rockets will contain a fluid similar to antifreeze.

Snyder said hundreds of dummy rockets will be burned as part of continued testing.

Washington Demilitarization Co. will employ 650 people for the incineration program. So far the company has a pool of 537 employees -- 52 percent live in the Tri-Cities, and 48 percent live in Oregon.

The Army is in charge of moving the deadly chemical agents into a container holder at the incinerator, said Mary Binder, depot spokeswoman. That, too, will require additional manpower.

So far, 170 employees handle security and care of the munitions. Army officials hope to increase security and munitions handlers to 325 people by next February.

Anyone with concerns or questions can call 888-866-5928.

 

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