Umatilla Moves Last Sarin Weapons for Disposal

Workers at the Umatilla Chemical Depot in Oregon have moved the last load of sarin-filled munitions to the site’s chemical agent disposal plant for incineration, the U.S. Army said Tuesday (see GSN, June 22).

Elimination of the last 155 mm projectile was expected to occur within one week.

“The last of the (sarin) munitions are now safely under engineering controls at the disposal plant,” Army site project manager Don Barclay said in a statement released by the U.S. Army Chemical Weapons Agency.

The Army began disposal efforts at Umatilla in September 2004, and to date has transferred more than 155,000 weapons for destruction.  After finishing off the sarin weapons, the plant is expected to undergo a five-month changeover period in preparation for disposal of VX nerve agent weapons.  The facility is subsequently scheduled to burn mustard agent (U.S. Army Chemical Materials Agency release, July 3).

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