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Program Executive Office, Assembled Chemical Weapons Alternatives (PEO ACWA)Program Executive Office, Assembled Chemical Weapons Alternatives (PEO ACWA)Program Executive Office, Assembled Chemical Weapons Alternatives (PEO ACWA)Program Executive Office, Assembled Chemical Weapons Alternatives (PEO ACWA)
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      Program Executive Office, Assembled Chemical Weapons Alternatives (PEO ACWA)


      Mission: Destroy Chemical Weapons Stockpile

      Vision: Chemical Weapons Free by 2023

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      Blue Grass Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant (BGCAPP)

      BGCAPP is safely destroying the chemical weapons stockpile currently in storage at the Blue Grass Army Depot near Richmond, Kentucky.

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      Pueblo Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant (PCAPP)

      PCAPP is safely destroying the chemical weapons stockpile currently in storage at the U.S. Army Pueblo Chemical Depot in Colorado.

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Magazines Built Decades Apart Protect Stockpile

Published: May 10, 2018 | Category: PCAPP News
  • In 1941, U.S. Army Pueblo Chemical Depot igloos were built using wooden forms, with rebar stretched over 2 x 2-foot steel pans to capture the placed concrete.

    In 1941, U.S. Army Pueblo Chemical Depot igloos were built using wooden forms, with rebar stretched over 2 x 2-foot steel pans to capture the placed concrete. Each igloo took approximately two weeks to complete.

  • Munition Service Magazines, built at the Pueblo Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant in 2010, were assembled in less than two days, using precast concrete forms.

    Munition Service Magazines, built at the Pueblo Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant in 2010, were assembled in less than two days, using precast concrete forms.

Constructed decades apart, earth-covered magazines safely store chemical munitions at the U.S. Army Pueblo Chemical Depot and the Pueblo Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant.

“The igloos are protective against fire, lightning, wind and rain,” said Hawkins Conrad, PCAPP liaison officer, PCD.

Depot storage igloos, made of steel-reinforced concrete walls and floors and heavy metal doors, have safely stored chemical agent-filled munitions since 1952, Conrad said.

Once transferred to PCAPP, the munitions await destruction in one of three Munitions Service Magazines. Although slightly larger than the depot’s bunkers, the pilot plant magazines are hardened to igloo specifications. They differ only in door design—a rolling door instead of the depot’s hinged door, said Don Jespersen, quality assurance specialist/ammunition surveillance, PCAPP.

The igloos and magazines have vents built into the front door and rear stack for airflow. The vents are equipped with a temperature-controlled damper that closes the airway, preventing flames from entering the magazine in the event of a fire. Both types of magazines have lightning protection systems, which would divert energy into the ground instead of the magazine, Jespersen said.

About two feet of dirt and vegetation covers both the depot igloos and PCAPP magazines, suppressing a blast, should one occur. The earth cover also moderates the internal temperature of the magazine, maintaining 50 degrees Fahrenheit during winter months and 60 degrees Fahrenheit during summer months, Jespersen said.

“Residents of the communities surrounding the stockpile can take comfort in knowing the chemical weapons are safe and secure,” Jespersen said.

PCAPP Technology Articles

  • Attention to Detail Prevents System Clogs

    Attention to Detail Prevents System Clogs

    Published: March 23, 2021
  • Innovative Solution Reduces Problematic Munitions

    Innovative Solution Reduces Problematic Munitions

    Published: March 4, 2021
  • Pueblo Plant Upgrades Closed-Circuit Camera System

    Pueblo Plant Upgrades Closed-Circuit Camera System

    Published: February 10, 2021
  • Pueblo Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant Automation Specialist Wendell Savage teaches the Training Facility robot about the new Drained Munition Weight Station. Later, the lessons were applied to the plant’s Munitions Washout System.

    Pueblo Plant Worker Instrumental in Campaign Success

    Published: February 2, 2021
  • Static Detonation Chamber Units Begin Testing

    Static Detonation Chamber Units Begin Testing

    Published: December 22, 2020
  • Workers Reconfigure Equipment for Next Destruction Campaign

    Workers Reconfigure Equipment for Next Destruction Campaign

    Published: November 30, 2020
  • Safety System at Pueblo Plant Receives Upgrade

    Safety System at Pueblo Plant Receives Upgrade

    Published: November 20, 2020
  • A Pueblo Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant laboratory employee leads community stakeholders on a tour of the facility on Oct. 14.

    Stakeholders Tour Plant, Evaluate Future Usability of Items

    Published: October 30, 2020
  • Plant Sets Best Three-Month Processing Record

    Plant Sets Best Three-Month Processing Record

    Published: October 7, 2020
  • Pueblo Plant Operating Under Final Hazardous Waste Permit

    Pueblo Plant Operating Under Final Hazardous Waste Permit

    Published: October 1, 2020
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Recent PCAPP Articles

  • Colorado Governor Appoints New Advisory Commission Member

    Colorado Governor Appoints New Advisory Commission Member

    April 8, 2021
  • Toxic Material Handlers Keep Up with Demand

    Toxic Material Handlers Keep Up with Demand

    April 6, 2021
  • Colorado Congress Members Tour Pueblo Plant

    Colorado Congress Members Tour Pueblo Plant

    February 12, 2021
  • Pueblo Plant Worker Instrumental in Campaign Success

    Pueblo Plant Worker Instrumental in Campaign Success

    February 2, 2021
  • Strict Protocols Keep Pueblo Plant Safe

    Strict Protocols Keep Pueblo Plant Safe

    January 20, 2021
  • Plants Operate with Pandemic Precautions in Place

    Plants Operate with Pandemic Precautions in Place

    December 17, 2020

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Program Executive Office, Assembled Chemical Weapons Alternatives (PEO ACWA)