The Blue Grass plant’s government lead outlined the focus of systemization and testing activities to be accelerated with the receipt of additional funding during a quarterly public meeting June 14.

“The supplemental funding will allow us to focus on four main areas,” said Jeff Brubaker, site project manager, Blue Grass Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant. “This will assist in schedule improvement and risk mitigation.”

A team will be created to accelerate supercritical water oxidation efforts, Brubaker said. Additionally, an Explosive Destruction Technology, or EDT, team will complete punch-list work and prepare the system for operations. Work on the Electronic Security Systems for both main plant and EDT will be accelerated. Finally, design and fabrication for a rocket-motor sampling glove box will take place.

Of the $127 million in supplemental funding, approximately two-thirds will be appropriated to the Blue Grass project and one-third will be allocated to the Pueblo Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant at the U.S. Army Pueblo Chemical Depot in Colorado, according to Brubaker. The funding is anticipated to be applied to the project contract before the end of June.

Craig Williams, co-chair, Chemical Destruction Community Advisory Board, mentioned the assistance given from federal and state congressional offices in securing that funding and said he was pleased with the reasonable time frame of funding receipt.

Project leaders will provide another update on systemization progress at the next quarterly public meeting, Sept. 13 at 1:30 p.m. in the Perkins Building at Eastern Kentucky University.