Blue Grass Reaches Another Secondary Waste Milestone

Workers unload skids of drained, containerized rocket warheads covered in protective tarpaulins Aug. 22 for processing in the Static Detonation Chamber 1200 at the Blue Grass Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant.
Workers unload skids of drained, containerized rocket warheads covered in protective tarpaulins Aug. 22 for processing in the Static Detonation Chamber 1200 at the Blue Grass Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant.

Blue Grass plant workers completed the destruction of more than half of the drained, containerized VX nerve agent rocket warheads Sept. 20, meaning both secondary waste destruction campaigns are more than halfway complete.

“This is another significant step in the project’s closure process,” said Shannon Pendergrass, site project manager, Blue Grass Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant. “This milestone again demonstrates the workforce’s focus and commitment to safely completing their mission.”

The Blue Grass team has destroyed almost 8,900 of more than 17,700 VX rocket warheads, which were drained of their agent in the main plant during the operations phase. After they were drained, the warheads were containerized and safely stored at the Blue Grass Army Depot for processing in the Static Detonation Chamber, or SDC, 1200 during the plant’s closure phase. Considered agent-contaminated secondary waste, the containerized rocket warheads, or CRWs, contain residual amounts of nerve agent.

“Processing the containerized rocket warheads has presented its share of challenges to our Blue Grass team,” said Joe Curcio, project manager, Bechtel Parsons Blue Grass. “But we have learned to respond and overcome those challenges resulting in improved processing of the warheads as we safely complete our mission.”

In addition to the SDC 1200, the SDC 2000 is destroying more than 51,000 CRWs containing residual amounts of GB nerve agent. The SDC 2000 crossed the 50%-mark Aug. 5. SDC activities are expected to continue into 2025.

The last of more than 51,000 M55 rockets filled with GB nerve agent was drained and destroyed in the main plant July 7, 2023, marking the completion of the destruction of the chemical weapons stockpile in Kentucky and the declared stockpiles around the world.

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