US ARMY PUEBLO CHEMICAL DEPOT, COLO. -- Crews loaded Pueblo Chemical Depot’s (PCD) secondary hazardous waste into three transport trucks early Monday morning for travel to a hazardous waste destruction facility at Port Arthur, Texas.
Collected since the mid-1980s, the shipment includes waste from old chemical munitions sampling operations, spills and decontamination procedures associated with leaking mustard agent-filled munitions.
Pueblo Chemical Depot Commander Lt. Col. Rob Wittig was on scene, along with federal, state and local officials as the vehicles were loaded, sealed and driven off the post.
“I am very pleased with the coordinated efforts of the depot, the Chemical Materials Agency and the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment in getting this waste safely transferred and destroyed. This was a fairly significant effort that was only made possible by everyone’s common goal of protecting our local friends and neighbors, the workers, and the environment,” said Wittig. “We will continue working closely together as we make preparations to safely dispose of the chemical munitions stored at the depot."
PCD followed all Department of Transportation requirements to prepare the secondary waste for transport.
The vehicles will arrive at Port Arthur on Tuesday.
The Chemical Materials Agency, the Headquarters for PCD, selected Veolia Environmental Services in Port Arthur to treat and dispose of the waste. Veolia treats these same wastes from the other CMA chemical storage sites through incineration.
Information provided by US Army Pueblo Chemical Depot.
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