TULALIP – Cleanup at an old military depot on the Tulalip Indian Reservation won’t resume until December, nearly four months after the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers found soil tainted by World War II-era chemical weapons.
Work was scheduled to resume this month, but the development and approval of a new safety plan took longer than expected, Corps spokesman Steve Cosgrove said.
The U.S. military used a 2,000-acre portion of the reservation for chemical weapons storage and training during World War II.
The Corps arrived at the site in May to excavate toxic relics left behind. Work stopped in August when three crewmembers noticed an unusual odor and were taken to a local hospital.
Cosgrove said the workers weren’t injured and were released later that day.
The dig poses no threat to workers or residents who live nearby, Cosgrove said.
In addition to requiring a new safety plan, findings at the site sent the Corps back to the federal Department of Defense for more money. The cost of the project has doubled, from $2 million to $4 million.
After the findings increased the cost of the project, the Corps considered placing the site on hold, suggesting that work could resume to it sometime in the future, Steve Gobin said shortly after the findings. Gobin is deputy general manager of Quil Ceda Village, the tribes’ retail center.
The depot is adjacent to Quil Ceda Village.
“We told them we wanted it to be done now,” Gobin said.
Federal officials aren’t sure what remains beneath the soil, but they know that tear gas, hydrogen cyanide and a liquid form of mustard gas were among the chemicals stored at the site.
So far, the Corps’ excavation has uncovered a rusted 55-gallon chemical agent drum, nearly two dozen smaller drums and shattered glass containers, according to a presentation made by the Corps to the Tulalip Tribes.
Everything found at the site will be transported to Texas, where it will be incinerated, Gobin said.
A public meeting about the cleanup is scheduled for 7 to 9 p.m. Nov. 30 at the Tulalip Casino.
Reporter Krista J. Kapralos: 425-339-3422 or kkapralos@heraldnet.com.
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