U.S.’ Deadly Stockpile

The Umatilla Chemical Depot, located about seven miles west of Hermiston, Ore., stores 3,717 tons, or 12.1%, of the nation’s stockpile of chemical weapons.

The U.S. Army site stores projectiles, rockets, land mines, spray tanks and bombs containing the nerve agents GB (sarin) and VX. Other containers store blister agent, or mustard.

The depot was built in 1941 to store conventional weapons. Of the 1,000 earth-covered bunkers at the depot, 89 contain chemical weapons delivered between 1962 and 1969. The last of the conventional weapons were removed in 1994.

Each concrete bunker is reinforced with steel and a vented, steel-reinforced concrete door.

The storage igloos have several security features, including heavy steel-reinforced concrete blocks placed in front of each door; dual high security padlocks; and an intrusion-detection system.

Also, a double-cyclone fence topped with barbed wire surrounds the storage area.

The Army has built a chemical incinerator to destroy the weapons by 2007, as required under an international treaty signed in 1997. The incinerator, which is 98% complete, will cost $1.2 billion.

The nearest chemical bunkers are about 700 feet, or 233 yards, from the incinerator construction site.