Progress in Removing Hazardous Remnants from Blue Grass Army Depot
BEREA — The long effort to remove hazardous remnants from the Blue Grass Army Depot is approaching its final phase, a top state adviser said, with the region expected to be considerably safer within months.
Long-Term Advocacy and Disposal Methods
Craig Williams, a Berea resident, Vietnam veteran and co-chair of the Kentucky Chemical Demilitarization Citizens’ Advisory Commission, said he has spent roughly four decades pushing to ensure the depot’s toxic stockpiles were disposed of safely.
Williams recalled early plans to incinerate the materials and said that option was unacceptable. He and others advocated for neutralization methods that would limit harm to nearby communities.
Remaining Components and Destruction Progress
Although federal officials declared the chemical-weapon stockpile itself 100% eliminated in July 2023, Williams emphasized that what remains are non-explosive, agent-contaminated components that must still be destroyed under careful controls.
As of Aug. 4, teams have destroyed more than 89% of the 17,739 warheads containing residual VX nerve agent...