Oregon Public Broadcasting

The last chemical weapon that remains at Umatilla Chemical Depot in eastern Oregon is mustard blister agent.

The U.S. Army just got the go-ahead from the State of Oregon to start destroying more than 2000 massive containers of the poison. Correspondent Anna King reports.

Depot workers have started moving mustard agent containers, each about a ton, out of underground igloos and into the massive incineration plant.

It will take as long as two years to destroy the 4.5 million pounds of mustard. When all of it is gone, the incineration plant will be cleaned and disassembled.

Jim Hackett is with the Army. He says it feels good to be destroying the last of the chemical weapons in Oregon.

Jim Hackett: “I’m gratified that we’ve reached this point. Forty-seven years they’ve had chemical weapons in their backyard. It’s something that you can tell your grandchildren about and say that you were part of this effort.”

Mustard, VX and other chemicals came to Oregon by rail during the Cold War.

It’s not clear what will happen to the nearly 20,000 acre Depot when all the weapons are gone, but a committee is working on a plan.