Umatilla Chemical Depot sends off last shipment of weapons
Chemical Depot's Last Shipment
Today marks the end of an era in Umatilla - as the last shipment of chemical weapons stored at the Umatilla Chemical Depot is sent to be destroyed.
The agents - which were originally created in defense of any potential chemical attacks on America - were taken to the depot decades ago for destruction.
Now that work is just about complete.
It's a day depot protocol officer, Laura Harrimon, has been looking forward to for nearly a decade.
"Ive been here for nine years, and I think in the first seven on the crew, we didn't think this day would ever arrive. So the fact that it's here is a huge event for all of us" said Harrimon.
Today, crews at the Umatilla Chemical Depot shipped out the last containers of mustard gas - the final chemical agent remaining there.
The depot has been storing dangerous chemical weapons for nearly 50 years - and crews started shipping them out to be destroyed in 2004.
Today marks the end of that clean-up process.
"When we first started out here, we had lots of different munitions out here, we had lots of different interest from the community, lot of people worked out here over the years. So it's a big day that we've been planning for a long time" said Phillip Ferguson, Base Transition Coordinator.
Dozens of people showed up at the depot this morning to say goodbye to the truck hauling the final shipment.
They even signed their names on the container.
"I think this is a huge step towards safety of the Northwest, these local communities, and the U.S. as a whole" said Lt. Col. Kris Perkins, Depot Commander.
Over the years, the depot has stored, secured and shipped more than 220,000 chemical weapons.
Crews say today marks a job very well-done.
"Having the chemical munitions gone is just a wonderful, amazing thing. They were extremely dangerous and don't belong in anyone's community. So the fact that we have finally completed our mission is exciting" said Harimon.
Even though the storage and shipment work at the depot is complete, there is still work to do.
Crews will now close and transition the facility for other national and federal groups to use.
Those groups are expected to move in by 2014.
The containers filled with the mustard chemical agent that were shipped out today are expected to be destroyed next week at the Umatilla Chemical Agent Disposal Facility.