Technical support to U.S. Army facilities

• Destruction of the Chemical Munitions Stockpile
• Transporting agent filled munitions from storage to disposal
• First successful RCRA Closure of a chemical storage unit in the continental U.S.
• Contract for 25 additional RCRA Closures at Umatilla using innovative statistical methods

Detailed Project Description:

Twenty-four storage magazines in I-Block at UMCD near Hermiston, Oregon were removed from service as part of an effort to increase efficiency of safe munitions storage operations.  These units stored ton containers filled with chemical agent HD for three years, and were previously stored in another structure (Building 659), closed by UMCD and Vista Engineering in 2004.  Vista Engineering is responsible for development of the I-Block closure program, conducting the RCRA closures of the HWMUs, as well as providing the professional engineer’s closure certification.  A key facet of this closure approach was the generation of a model using Bayesian statistical methods to assemble a framework improving accuracy of decision-making while reducing project risk.  Currently, Vista Engineering has completed the field closure activities for twenty-three of the twenty-four storage units, and is in the process of certifying these storage units as acceptable for clean closure.  Constituents of concern included chemical agent HD, thiodiglycol, explosive residues, and RCRA metals.  The Building 659 and I-Block projects illustrate Vista Engineering’s capabilities in leading and managing agent and traditional chemical laboratories conducting analyses in the stringent regulatory conditions at UMCD/UMCDF.

Of particular note are key subcontractor service providers (Environmental Quality Management, Inc. conducted data validation, and Neptune and Company, Inc. conducted statistical assessments) that Vista Engineering has invested considerable resources into training and qualifying for UMCD and chemical munitions storage unit closure support.  This includes the auditing of contract laboratories, development of advanced statistical models, decision analysis capabilities (peer and technically reviewed by national laboratory, EPA, and state regulators) to support closure optimization, and the investment in a data analysis and validation infrastructure for assessing the usability of closure analytical data. 

In the course of this project, Vista Engineering developed a number of quality assurance mechanisms, procedures, and engineering resources in support of I-Block closure activities.  This experience and institutional knowledge is directly applicable to the RCRA closure of K- and J-Block, and will yield significant cost, schedule, and technical benefits to UMCD.