Highlights
Main Plant Update:
- The last chemical weapon stored at the Blue Grass Army Depot was destroyed in the main plant July 7, 2023. This milestone also means the destruction of the nation’s declared chemical weapons stockpile is complete. The main plant used neutralization to destroy the nerve agent munitions.
- Overall, more than 101,000 projectiles and rockets containing 523.4 tons of chemical agent, including VX and GB nerve agent and mustard agent, were destroyed.
- The main plant is in the closure phase, which is expected to take three or four years. During closure, caustic water solution created during the decontamination of equipment, along with non-agent-contaminated rocket motors, both of which are considered secondary waste, are being shipped off site for final destruction. Plant closure also involves decontamination and decommissioning of facilities and equipment, disposition of property, demolition of facilities not required for future U.S. Army use, and closure of government contracts and environmental permits in accordance with laws and regulations.
- The safety of the workforce, community and environment continues to be the plant’s highest priority during the closure phase.
- This Month:
- Began using remote-controlled robots to remove floor coatings, a thin layer of concrete under the coatings and steel-reinforced concrete pedestals on which process robots, conveyors, pumps and other equipment were mounted.
- Began decontaminating and removing tanks in the Agent Neutralization System Room.
- Continued removing conduit, piping and fragmentation plates from Explosive Containment Rooms.
- Continued decontaminating metal equipment parts in the Metal Parts Treater after completing maintenance.
- Continued waste management activities.
Static Detonation Chamber (SDC) 2000 Update:
- The Blue Grass Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant (BGCAPP) is using this SDC unit to destroy secondary waste, such as containerized rocket warheads containing GB nerve agent residue.
- This Month:
- As of March 31, 34.2% of more than 51,000 containerized rocket warheads containing residual amounts of GB nerve agent has been destroyed.
- Conducted maintenance activities on conical heaters.
- Completed 10-day planned outage for maintenance on off-gas treatment system, detonation chamber, quench tower and other systems.
SDC 1200 Update:
- BGCAPP converted the Explosive Destruction Technology (EDT), previously used to destroy the mustard-agent munitions, into the SDC 1200, which began operations in October 2023. This SDC unit is destroying secondary waste, including containerized rocket warheads containing VX agent residue.
- This Month:
- As of March 31, 28.1% of more than 17,000 containerized rocket warheads containing residual amounts of VX nerve agent has been destroyed.
- Continued steady ramp-up toward full processing operations and conducted maintenance activities.
- Completed emissions tests March 19, awaiting results from Kentucky Department for Environmental Protection.
Upcoming Meetings
The next Kentucky Chemical Demilitarization Citizens’ Advisory Commission and Chemical Destruction Community Advisory Board meeting will be held:
Sept. 4, 2024, at 1:30 p.m. ET
Carl D. Perkins Building, Rooms A and B
Eastern Kentucky University
Richmond, Kentucky
A live video stream of the meeting will be available on the Program Executive Office, Assembled Chemical Weapons Alternatives (PEO ACWA) YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/user/usaeacwa and the PEO ACWA Facebook page at www.facebook.com/peoacwa. For information, contact the Blue Grass Chemical Stockpile Outreach Office at (859) 626-8944 or bgoutreach@iem.com.
