Demolition of Anniston Chemical Weapons Disposal Facility  – Anniston, AL

The URS-operated Anniston Chemical Agent Disposal Facility (ANCDF) has won the National Demolition Association (NDA) 2014 Environmental Excellence Award. The award is based on the facility’s world-class environmental and safety results through 2013. URS received the award jointly with subcontractor Spirtas Wrecking Company.

From 2003-2011, ANCDF safely destroyed 661,529 chemical weapons and more than 4.5 million pounds of chemical agent. Decontamination activities then commenced, and the facility was verified clean for demolition in 2013. The extensive cleanup effort allowed the recycling thousands of tons of steel, copper, and other alloys, rather than the disposing of these materials as hazardous waste. This resulted in millions of dollars in taxpayer savings. All closure and demolition activities were approved through cooperative efforts between the regulatory community, local businesses, and the public. Through the course of the entire demolition phase, ANCDF operated without any environmental non-compliance issues. “To say this achievement is amazing in our industry is an understatement,” says URS Demolition Manager Tim Barker.

“There also have been zero first-aid cases, in addition to zero recordable injuries, in the course of this final demolition phase.”