HERMISTON -- U.S. soldiers in the Middle East are receiving coveted batteries from the Umatilla Chemical Agent Disposal Facility and Umatilla Chemical Depot.
Each time workers enter certain areas of the depot facility for incinerating che-mical weapons they carry communication devices with fresh batteries to ensure reliable communication.
Each entry lasts no more than two hours, leaving the batteries with plenty of power to be used in other electronic devices.
The incineration facility has been collecting the lightly used batteries and has donated a barrel full to Soldiers' Angels, a California-based charity created by the mothers of soldiers.
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Umatilla depot to deliver last chemical containers
Umatilla depot to deliver last chemical containers
HERMISTON -- The Umatilla Chemical Depot plans to take its final containers of chemical weapon agent to the Umatilla Chemical Agent Disposal Facility on Oct. 20.
A ceremony for workers is planned that day to mark delivery of the last mustard ton containers to the incineration facility.
The final shipment of chemical weapons will occur 70 years after the depot's formation Oct. 14, 1941. The depot received its first conventional weapons that year, and chemical weapons were brought to the depot in 1962 and have been stored there since.
90 percent mark hit at depot incineration plant
90 percent mark hit at depot incineration plant
HERMISTON -- The incineration plant at the Umatilla Chemical Depot has destroyed 90 percent of the mustard chemical weapon agent stored at the depot.
Wednesday, the 2,371st ton container of mustard agent was destroyed in the Umatilla Chemical Agent Disposal Facility to hit the 90 percent disposal mark for the agent.
The mustard agent is the last of the chemical munitions remaining at the site. Depot officials expect the final mustard agent to be destroyed in November, a little more than seven years after the first chemical munition was destroyed Sept. 8, 2004.
Inspection confirms no more munitions at depot
Inspection confirms no more munitions at depot
HERMISTON -- An inspection completed earlier this month confirmed that no more chemical munitions are in storage at the Umatilla Chemical Depot and the stockpile has been destroyed, the depot announced Tuesday.
The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons conducted an inspection Dec. 5-6.
That inspection and preliminary findings report closes the facility as a Chemical Weapons Convention storage and demilitarization site ahead of the April 2012 International Treaty deadline, the depot said in a news release.
Depot gets OK to raise rate of liquid incineration
Depot gets OK to raise rate of liquid incineration
HERMISTON -- The incineration plant at the Umatilla Chemical Depot has been given approval to increase its liquid incinerator processing rate.
The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality has agreed to let the Umatilla Chemical Agent Disposal Facility increase the processing rate from 75 percent to
100 percent of the feed rate demonstrated during the mustard weapons agent trial burn.
The authorization to increase the feed rate will make the plant a little more efficient, said Steven Warren, project manager for URS, which operates the plant.
Work under way to tear down depot
Work under way to tear down depot
HERMISTON -- Work has begun to tear down portions of the Umatilla Chemical Depot's incineration plant.
The Brine Reduction Area stack was removed Wednesday at the Umatilla Chemical Agent Disposal Facility.
"Today, the UMCDF plant skyline changed for the first time since construction was completed in 2001," said Gary Anderson, site project manager, in a statement.
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