Nearly all the secondary waste at the Blue Grass Army Depot’s chemical weapons destruction plant has been destroyed. The plant updated community members on its progress during a public meeting on Wednesday.
That accounts for 98% of materials contaminated with VX nerve agent and 100% of materials contaminated with GB nerve agent. Project Manager Shannon Pendergrass said the remaining waste will be destroyed after the plant fixes an equipment-related outage.
“Once we come out of that outage, which is expected before this weekend, we have approximately one to two weeks of processing remaining,” she said.
It marks another milestone for the plant as it slowly ends operations at the depot. It destroyed the last of its chemical weapons stockpile two years ago.
The next step in the plant’s closure involves the decommissioning of its facilities.
“It involves cleaning, if that's required,” Pendergrass said. “It involves performing any monitoring tests, air monitoring to see if there's any remaining contamination. If there is, it will be cleaned again until we reach the levels required by the regulators to be able to walk away from the plant and leave it in clean condition and ready for the demolition subcontractors.”
It also marks the last in-person meeting for community organizations involved in the process, including the Citizens’ Advisory Commission and Chemical Destruction Community Advisory Board. Meetings will continue virtually, but both officials and community members recognized it as a milestone.
The community groups originally came about in protest to the plant’s original plan to incinerate the weapons during the 1980s.
“It has been a remarkable ride over the last 40 years on this project, and the transition from hostility to cooperation is one that it was a pleasure to be part of and a pleasure to witness happening,” CAC Chair Craig Williams said.
The plant is expected to release around 200 workers later this month. A total of 886 workers remain at the plant as planned workforce drawdowns continue.
Depot officials have organized fairs to help those workers find new jobs, with an emphasis on keeping them local.
"This one was probably the most successful because it was deliberately scheduled right before this release of a couple hundred employees,” Bechtel Parsons Blue Grass Communications Manager Mark York said. “So we had several hundred of our workforce who were able to attend the job fair, have that opportunity to meet with potential employers here and see what's available out there for them.”
The plant’s demolition is scheduled to begin next summer, after the equipment is decommissioned and permitting is approved. It’s expected to be fully closed by the end of 2027.
