The Pueblo Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant (PCAPP) has destroyed the U.S. chemical weapons stockpile at the U.S. Army Pueblo Chemical Depot (PCD) in Colorado, which consisted of approximately 780,000 total chemical weapons containing mustard agent. The Colorado stockpile included three chemical munition types: 155mm and 105mm projectiles and 4.2-inch mortar rounds. PCAPP honored its commitment to the Chemical Weapons Convention treaty by completing destruction before Sept. 30, 2023. U.S. public law mandates stockpile destruction by Dec. 31, 2023.

Project Update:

• The workforce and plant management celebrated the destruction of the chemical weapons stockpile stored at PCD at 8 a.m. MT on June 22, when the final 155mm overpacked munition was destroyed in the Static Detonation Chamber complex. More than 2,613 U.S. tons of chemical agent were destroyed since agent destruction operations began in March 2015.
• For the first time since the main plant began operations, reporters and photographers were invited inside the plant June 8 to get an up-close look at PCAPP functions. After a tour, the media had the opportunity to ask questions of project, Department of Defense and U.S. Army officials at a news conference and individual interviews. Eleven journalists representing The New York Times, The Associated Press, The Pueblo Chieftain, The Pueblo Star Journal, KOAA-TV and FOX21-TV attended the event.
• Walton Levi, the government lead at the Pueblo plant, was named 2023 Rocky Mountain Eagle Agency Field Office Manager of the Year by the Colorado Federal Executive Board and accepted the award at a June 28 ceremony at the Department of Defense facility in Aurora, Colorado. Levi served as PCAPP’s acting site project manager from November 2010 to June 2011 and, more recently, as site project manager since 2019.
• The final chemical weapons stored at PCD were delivered to the plant on June 21 when overpacked munitions arrived at the SDC complex.

Main Plant Update:

• On June 16, the workforce celebrated the end of main plant operations at 8 a.m., when the last 4.2-inch mortar round was dumped into the Munitions Treatment Unit bin following its destruction in the Static Detonation Chamber complex.

Closure-related Activities:

• More than 300 employees attended an introductory local job fair June 14 and 15 at the PCAPP Training Facility, during which 19 companies discussed future opportunities available for plant employees after the PCAPP project moves into the closure phase. Amentum held a Critical Missions Job Fair on June 28, and representatives from Los Alamos National Laboratory plan to return in the coming months.  
• The Pueblo Workforce Center continues to host Transition Help Tuesdays at PCAPP. One-on-one sessions are offered to employees, providing guidance and information for employment transition, including resume review, workshops, access to LinkedIn Learning and career coaching programming.

The Pueblo Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant will commemorate the completion of the destruction of the chemical weapons stockpile in Colorado on Aug. 30 with a public event, “Honoring Our Commitment: Chemical Weapons Stockpile Destruction Complete in Colorado.” The event will take place at the Pueblo Convention Center beginning at 2 p.m. MT. U.S. Army and Department of Defense representatives as well as local, state and federal representatives are expected to attend. While the event is open to the public, electronic invitations will be sent in July. Send an email to PuebloOutreach@iem.com to receive an electronic invitation or to RSVP.

A Colorado public meeting to discuss permit modification requests B071 and S028 will be held online at 2 p.m. MT on Wednesday, July 26, 2023.

The meeting can be accessed via computer or mobile app by typing https://tinyurl.com/4t9hppwv into your browser or call by dialing 1 (719) 359-4580 and when prompted, use the following Meeting ID: 844 3279 1550.

Permitting Working Group, Biotreatment Utilization Group and Colorado Chemical Demilitarization Citizens’ Advisory Commission meetings will be held online July 26 at 3 p.m. MT.

Individuals interested in joining online may participate using the link and information below.

To join by computer:  https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84432791550
To join by phone, call: 1 (719) 359-4580

Meeting ID:  844 3279 1550#

The Pueblo Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant is a facility built to destroy the chemical weapons stockpile stored at the U.S. Army Pueblo Chemical Depot. (This video portrays PCAPP operations prior to the June 22, 2023, destruction of the stockpile in Colorado.) The main plant used neutralization followed by biotreatment and was supplemented by Static Detonation Chamber units to destroy the remaining mustard agent in 4.2-inch mortar rounds. With destruction operations complete, the safety of the workforce, neighboring communities and the environment is the project’s priority.