Umatilla Chemical Depot, Oregon
The Umatilla Chemical Depot (UMCD) is one of six Army installations in the United States that currently store chemical weapons. The chemical weapons stored at the depot consist of various munitions and ton containers containing GB or VX nerve agents or HD blister agent. The Army is working in partnership with Oregon 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 store and dispose of these chemical weapons. The Army has safely stored approximately 12 percent of the nation's original chemical weapons at the Umatilla Chemical Depot since 1962.
The UMCD opened in 1941. The depot's mission was to store and maintain a variety of military items, from blankets to ammunition. The depot’s mission, however, changed in 1962 to include the safe storage of chemical weapons. From 1990 to 1994 the facility reorganized in preparation for eventual closure, shipping all conventional ammunition and supplies to other installations. Today, the chemical weapons are the only items still stored at the depot.
The Umatilla Chemical Agent Disposal Facility (UMCDF) was designed for the sole purpose of destroying the chemical weapons stored at the UMCD. The facility was completed in 2001, and the Army began weapons disposal in 2004.
UMCDF uses high-temperature incineration technology to destroy weapons. This technology has been used by the Army for more than a decade, safely and successfully disposing of more than a half of the nation's original chemical weapons.