Nov. 5--A Lakewood firm has been awarded a $28.7 million contract to treat the wastewater generated by the destruction of chemical weapons here, indicating a monetary commitment now to a process that the Pentagon originally had rejected as too expensive.

Golder Associates Inc. said it has been awarded the contract to provide biological treatment and odor control systems at the Pueblo Chemical Depot, working under Bechtel National, Inc., the prime contractor for the project.

The depot's 780,000 artillery shells and mortar rounds will be drained of mustard agent -- the stockpile contains 2,611 tons of the sticky liquid -- and the agent will be neutralized using a hot water process. What's left, which is called mustard agent hydrolysate, is no longer a blister agent but still considered a hazardous waste.

Defense Department officials had argued against on-site treatment, preferring instead to ship the hydrolysate to another location for treatment, as it did with the nerve agent hydrolysate generated at a Newport, Ind., plant, which was incinerated in Texas.

They said it could save $150 million. The Colorado Chemical Demilitarization Citizens Advisory Commission argued against off-site treatment, however, over fears that a spill or litigation by people in areas through which it might travel could cause delays in the local process.

Over the summer, the Defense Department authorized Bechtel to go ahead with building a biotreatment plant here.

Golder will design, build and commission biotreatment modules that will remove contaminants from wastewater generated by the mustard agent neutralization process. Similar to municipal sewer plants, bacteria will break down the solids in the hydrolysate and those solids will later be hauled to a qualified dump site. The company also will provide an off-gas treatment system that will provide odor control.

In a press release, Golder said that it will use its proprietary Immobilized Cell Bioreactor technology. The company acquired exclusive North American licensing rights to the process in late 2008.

Ross Vincent, a member of the citizens commission, said that he knew the project managers were close to choosing a biotreatment system.

"It's good news that they've done it," Vincent said.

norton@chieftain.com

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