Blue Grass Plant Safety Remains Vital on Stockpile Destruction Anniversary

A year after the destruction of the last chemical weapons in the declared U.S. stockpile,workers at the Blue Grass Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant are making progress on closure activities in the main plant. Here, two workers wearing fire retardant suits cut a hole in a hydrolyzer tank so it can be pressure washed, decommissioned and dismantled.

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The last M55 rockets containing GB nerve agent were unloaded for destruction in the Unpack Area at the Blue Grass Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant on July 7, 2023.

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U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell spoke to a crowd of about 400 people at the End of Destruction Operations event Oct. 11, 2023, at the Armed Forces Reserve Center at Blue Grass Army Depot.

Blue Grass plant workers continue to be guided by the same principles during closure that helped them reach an internationally recognized milestone a year ago.

“A year after the remarkable accomplishment of completing destruction of the last chemical weapon in the U.S. stockpile, we are still focused on the things that got us here – safety, environment and community,” said Shannon Pendergrass, site project manager, Blue Grass Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant.

“A year ago, Madison County was relieved of the burden it shouldered for more than 70 years,” said Craig Williams, a long-time community advocate who chairs the Kentucky Chemical Demilitarization Citizens’ Advisory Commission and co-chairs the Chemical Destruction Community Advisory Board. “The safe storage and safe disposal of the Kentucky stockpile testifies to the communities’ sense of duty while recognizing the diligence and commitment of the Army and its contractors.”

On July 7, 2023, the skilled Blue Grass plant workers destroyed the last of more than 101,000 rockets and projectiles containing nerve and mustard agents that had been stored at the Blue Grass Army Depot since the 1940s. It marked the last chemical weapons in the declared U.S. stockpiles.

Since then, crews have been decommissioning and decontaminating the main plant under a plan approved by the Kentucky Department for Environmental Protection.

Meanwhile, workers continue destroying secondary waste, including drained containerized rocket warheads, or CRWs, containing residual amounts of GB nerve agent in the Static Detonation Chamber, or SDC, 2000, and CRWs containing residual amounts of VX nerve agent in the SDC 1200.

“Getting to this point in our closure activities shows the dedication and focus of our workers,” said Pendergrass. “We will maintain that focus as we continue the closure process during the next three years.”