Spirits high at Umatilla depot after successful mini-test burn

This story was published Tue, Jan 14, 2003

By Karen Spears Zacharias
Herald Oregon bureau

UMATILLA -- There were a lot of atta-boys passed around the Umatilla Chemical Depot on Monday as word circulated that the Army's contractor had successfully met the state's regulatory limits for the liquid incinerator during a recent mini-test burn.

"The mood around the facility was so much better than it was a month and a half ago," said Rick Kelley, spokesman for Washington Demilitarization Co., the company hired to burn the 3,717 tons of deadly chemical munitions stored at Umatilla.

"The manager for the mini-trial burns told me he'd finally gotten a good night's sleep," Kelley added with a chuckle.

During previous test burns in August and September, toxic metals releases exceeded state standards, some by as much as twice the limit.

The Army's contractor isn't required by the state to conduct such tests. But when the limits were exceeded, state regulators told the contractor to stop tests until it could fix whatever was causing the excessive emissions.

A loose seal was discovered in the exhaust stack. After it was repaired, the contractor began a new series of tests feeding industrial solvents and degreasers spiked with toxic metals into the liquid furnace. The final test was conducted Jan. 6. and results of that test were given to the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality on Monday.

"I think this shows our people are on top of things," Kelley said.

It appears so, said Sue Oliver, DEQ's acting program administrator. She said state regulators will be reviewing the information from the latest mini-test burn in further detail, but she noted that a state official was present during some of the testing.

"We were there looking over their shoulders," she said.

This means the Army's contractor should be able to proceed to the next step, known as surrogate trial burns.

The mini-test burns help establish the operating conditions for destroying the chemical munitions. Surrogate trial burns mimic the operating conditions in which the munitions will be destroyed.

During agent burns, only liquid forms of VX, sarin and blister agent and decontamination fluids will be burned inside the liquid incinerator, Kelley said.

Kelley said there is plenty of work yet to be done because there are three other furnaces to test and bring online.

The deactivation furnace will be put through the same testing process as the liquid furnace, Kelley said. During agent burns, the munitions' explosives, propellants and energy devices will be destroyed by the deactivation furnace.

"We're going to be focusing on that furnace next," Kelley said.

Washington Demilitarization Co. hopes to begin burning chemical munitions later this year.

 

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