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The Deseret Chemical Depot is a U.S. Army chemical weapon storage area located in Utah, 60 miles (100 km) southwest of Salt Lake City. It is related to the Tooele Chemical Agent Disposal Facility.
[edit] History
The area has been used to store chemical weapons since 1942 and weapons destruction began in August 1996 at the Depot which held, at that time, 45% of the total U.S. stockpile.[1] After initial demilitarization operations concerning the Weteye bomb concluded a total of 888 of those bombs were left in storage at Rocky Mountain Arsenal.[2][3] After rounds of protests from residents of Utah, the state's governor, and legal action the munitions were transferred to what was then known as Tooele Army Depot South Area.[3] The first transfer of Weteyes took place in August 1981 and the moves continued for three weeks. After these transfers the South Area became known as Deseret Chemical Depot.[3]
[edit] Disposal operations
As of January 2007[update], 7,593 tons (6,888 metric tons) of chemical weapons have been destroyed using incineration. All GB (sarin) was destroyed by March 2002 and all VX by June 2005. In 2006, the facility was changed-over to handle destruction of mustard gas in ton-sized containers. By March 15, 2009, 3,216 ton containers and 54,453 projectiles of mustard gas had been destroyed (51.5% of Deseret's mustard agent stockpile).[4][5] [6][7] Disposal of mustard gas containing land mines as well as a small stockpile of Tabun and Lewisite has not been completed. All disposal operations are projected to be concluded by Fall 2011.[8]
[edit] See also
- ^ Tooele, UT, U.S. Army Chemical Materials Agency
- ^ Staff. "Minute Amount of Nerve Gas Is Found in Bomb Container", The New York Times, August 26, 1981, accessed December 18, 2008.
- ^ a b c Bauman, Joe. "Final goodbye for the 'Weteye'", Deseret News (Salt Lake City), December 26, 2001, accessed December 18, 2008.
- ^ Deseret Chemical Depot - Monthly Update, U.S. Army Chemical Materials Agency
- ^ Deseret Chemical Depot - Monthly Update, May 15, 2008, U.S. Army Chemical Materials Agency, accessed December 18, 2008.
- ^ [1]
- ^ [2]
- ^ DISPOSAL FACILITY BEGINS DESTROYING MUSTARD AGENT-FILLED MORTARS, U.S. Army Chemical Materials Agency, April 1, 2009
[edit] References
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United States chemical weapons program
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| Agents and chemicals |
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| Weapons |
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| Operations and testing |
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