Closing U.S. Chemical Warfare Agent Disposal Facilities

In 1997, the United States (U.S.) ratified the Chemical Weapons Convention Treaty and agreed to destroy its declared stockpile (approximately 30,500 tons) of chemical warfare agents by April 29, 2012 (revised date). By July 1, 2010, nearly 23,000 tons of chemical warfare agents had been safely destroyed. Operations and plans continue for disposal of the remaining 7,500 tons.

The U.S. stockpile of chemical warfare agents (i.e., nerve agents and vesicants or blister agents) was stored at nine sites either in bulk containers or as assembled munitions. Chemical agent disposal facilities (CDFs) were constructed at each site to destroy the stockpile using either incineration or neutralization. The two organizations responsible for these activities are the

• Chemical Materials Agency and
• Program Manager for Assembled Chemical Weapons Alternatives.

Status of CDFs

Chemical warfare agents at three of the nine CDF sites have been destroyed and those CDFs are closed. Disposal of all chemical warfare agents is expected to be complete at four other sites by the treaty deadline, and CDFs are under construction at the two remaining sites. The nine sites and their status are as follows:

• Aberdeen Chemical Agent Disposal Facility, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland. Closed.
• Anniston Chemical Agent Disposal Facility, Anniston, Alabama. In closure.
• Blue Grass Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant, Richmond, Kentucky. Under construction.
• Johnston Atoll Chemical Agent Destruction System, Johnston Atoll. Closed.
• Newport Chemical Agent Disposal Facility, Newport, Indiana. Closed.
• Pine Bluff Chemical Agent Disposal Facility, Pine Bluff, Arkansas. In closure.
• Pueblo Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant, Pueblo, Colorado. Under construction.
• Umatilla Chemical Agent Disposal Facility, Umatilla, Oregon. In closure.
• Tooele Chemical Agent Disposal Facility, Tooele, Utah. In closure.

Find more information about sites in operation and under construction at http://www.cdc.gov/nceh/demil/sites.htm.

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Closure Process

Careful planning, developing standard operating procedures, and conducting safety reviews were done before the beginning of the CDF closure process. The closure process involves dismantling, decontaminating, and demolishing the chemical agent disposal equipment and buildings. It also requires considering how the property may be used in the future and restoring it to the standards prescribed in the CDF’s environmental permit.

During the closure process, contaminated and potentially contaminated equipment and buildings are identified based on reviews of the CDF’s history and on interviews with its personnel. Decontamination methods are designed specifically for the CDF’s type of equipment and buildings, and their level of contamination.

What happens to CDF equipment depends on past contamination levels and whether the equipment can be decontaminated and reused. Accordingly, equipment might be removed and reused, removed and disposed of as hazardous waste, or left in place and demolished along with CDF structures. Equipment is dismantled as needed so interior surfaces can be checked for contamination.

After the buildings and remaining equipment are decontaminated, the entire CDF is demolished. Air monitoring and chemical analyses are made during the decontamination process and after demolition of the CDF to verify that all materials are successfully decontaminated. After demolition, the soil at the building sites also undergoes chemical analyses and clean up as needed. This ensures that the property is restored to the standards specified in the CDF’s environmental permit.

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Closure Waste

Closing CDFs generates waste, which includes used decontamination solutions, protective clothing for workers, cleaning tools and supplies, and equipment that cannot be reused or left at the CDF.

In general, closure waste is handled in the same way as waste created during operations. Depending on its level of contamination, waste may be thermally treated at the CDF, or it may be sent to a permitted hazardous waste treatment and disposal facility or to a commercial disposal facility.

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Land Use after CDFs Are Closed

After a CDF closes, its land might be used by the Department of Defense (DoD) or another federal agency. Local economic conditions and public comments also are considered when determining how to use the land.

For example, land at the first CDF to close, Johnston Atoll Chemical Agent Destruction System, was given to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and became the Johnston Island National Wildlife Refuge. After the Aberdeen Chemical Agent Disposal Facility closed, DoD kept its office building there for use by other DoD agencies. Plans for the Newport Chemical Agent Disposal Facility's land include a variety of commercial uses.

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Public Participation

Public meetings are held in communities where CDFs are located to inform the public of closure plans. Members of the public who would like to comment on how CDF land should be used after the facility closes should contact their local CDF outreach office.

Click here for information on how to contact the local outreach office.

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