Team Deseret celebrated mission completion on April 26, 2012. Click above to view details from the commemorative ceremony, including information products, photos and videos from this significant milestone.
|
Deseret Chemical Depot (DCD) began storing chemical weapons in 1942 and once stored 13,676 tons of chemical agents, which totaled more than 44
percent of the nation’s original stockpile. DCD’s original stockpile consisted of various munitions and ton containers, containing GB, GA and
VX nerve agents or H, HD, HT and Lewisite blister agents.
The depot also served as the location for the Tooele Chemical Agent Disposal Facility (TOCDF) and the Chemical Agent Munitions Disposal System
(CAMDS). CAMDS once served as the primary research, test and development facility for the nation’s chemical weapons elimination program;
closure of this facility was completed in April 2013.
Destruction of chemical weapons by the TOCDF, the first full-scale disposal facility in the continental United States, began in August 1996. The
last chemical agent munition in the DCD stockpile was destroyed on January 21, 2012. The Army worked in partnership with Utah state and local
government agencies, as well as federal agencies like the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,
to safeguard the local community and protect the environment as we stored and disposed of these chemical weapons.
Safety and Security
The safety of workers, the public and the environment are paramount to the success of the chemical weapons disposal mission. The U.S. Army Chemical
Materials Activity (CMA) oversaw the secure storage of chemical munitions at DCD to ensure that they were safe.
Once munitions were slated for disposal, they were transported, treated and disposed of following strict internal processes and regulatory
requirements. The CMA remains committed to creating a safer tomorrow by safely storing the remaining two stockpiles in Colorado and Kentucky and
safely assessing and treating recovered chemical warfare materiel through its Non-Stockpile Chemical Materiel Project—permanently eliminating the
threat of aging chemical weapons to our communities and our Nation.
Public Participation and Community Relations
The Utah Citizens' Advisory Commission, whose members include area residents appointed by the governor, is a focal point for public participation in the
Army's weapons storage and disposal program in Tooele until the chemical weapons stockpile was eliminated in 2012. The Commission was disbanded in 2012 as well.
The Chemical Stockpile Emergency Preparedness Program works closely with your community and state emergency professionals to develop
emergency plans and provide chemical accident response equipment and warning systems.
To learn more about the Army’s chemical weapons disposal mission visit the Tooele Chemical Stockpile Outreach Office.
|
|
