Latest southern Colorado news, weather and sports from FOX21 News

PUEBLO COUNTY, COLO. -- Construction of a multi-billion dollar weapons destruction project near Pueblo is almost complete.

The Pueblo Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant (PCAPP) located on the Pueblo Chemical Depot is about 80 percent finished. Construction crews began building the plant in September 2004, which will soon be used to destroy approximately 2,600 tons of mustard agent.

"Mustard agent is a byproduct of World War I," Project Chief Scientist George Lecakes said. "Its intent wasn't necessarily to kill, but to cause a casualty on the battlefield because the thought was, 'If I cause a casualty, it will take numerous people to take care of it on the battlefield.' It's a blistering agent."

According to Ammunition Specialist Lisabeth Wachutka, nearly 800,000 rounds of the chemical weapon are stored in the stockpile at the Pueblo Chemical Depot. The rounds are methodically stacked inside 98 earth-covered igloos located on the 23,000 acre installation.

Once PCAPP is completed, destruction of the mustard agent will begin using a neutralization process, which General Manager Jerry Tiller said is a safe and effective method.

"The process includes numerous engineering controls, such as a cascading ventilation system to make sure any agent vapors from the process are contained in our building and are destroyed," Tiller said. "Any remaining agent is captured in a charcoal ventilation, for example."

Construction of the plant is expected to be finished by March. Before the chemical weapons are removed from the stockpile and transferred to PCAPP for destruction, crews will begin the systemization phase of the project to ensure the plant is ready for operation.

"What they will do is begin to test the equipment and make sure it is functional," Tiller said. "We'll make sure the workforce is trained and take simulated munitions and put them through the process to make sure everything works."

Tiller said the systemization phase will also demonstrate to the U.S. Army that PCAPP can operate effectively and safely. That stage is also when the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment will test if the destruction process is safe for the workforce and surrounding environment."

"The do what is called a multi-pathway health risk assessment," Lecakes said, "which is common of...a toxic storage and disposal facility. What they do is look at the toxicity of anything being emitted from the stacks and then agree to a protocol of what is acceptable emissions."

Both Tiller and Lecakes said the possibility of any toxic vapors or material leaking into the atmosphere is highly unlikely. However, several precautions and procedures will take place to ensure the safety of the Pueblo Chemical Depot and PCAPP workforce, as well as the general public.

Destruction of the chemical weapons is scheduled to begin January 2015 and must be completed by the end of 2017.