Mercury options mulled

Other depots are in Indiana, New Jersey and Tennessee.
By DENISE DICK
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
NILES -- The Defense National Stockpile Center is trying to determine what to do with mercury stored at the Weathersfield depot and three other sites.
Center officials met for public input Thursday at McMenamy's banquet center, U.S. Route 422.
The Warren Depot is one of four DNSC sites that store mercury.
"Our primary concern is the safety of our employees, the community and the environment," said Cornel A. Holder, DNSC deputy administrator. "The mercury is stored safely in sealed flasks in wooden pallets that are stored in locked warehouses."
The local depot off Pine Street Extension-Warren Avenue stores 563 metric tons of mercury in 16,355 steel flasks.
The other centers housing mercury are in New Haven, Ind., and Somerville, N.J., both Defense National Stockpile Centers, and Oak Ridge, Tenn., a Department of Energy complex.
The stockpiled mercury has been declared in excess of national defense needs, so the DNSC is deciding what to do with it.
Studying alternatives: "There are five alternatives we're looking at," said John Reinders, a spokesman for the Defense Logistics Agency, which operates the DNSC.
The alternatives:
UTake no action.
ULocate the mercury at one central spot.
UTreat and store it long-term.
UTreat it and dispose of it.
UResume sales.
Sales were suspended in 1994 because of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's concerns about the effects of mercury accumulation on the environment.
Residents may offer their views on those alternatives or suggest additional methods to the agency. Eight residents attended Thursday night; additional meetings will be scheduled as the process continues.
Whatever alternative is selected, the agency must include an environmental impact study, officials said.
Thursday's session was the first public meeting of any of the sites. The agency will decide after meetings in all of the communities.
"It's a two-or-more year process," Reinders said.
Danger of mercury: Mercury is a silver metal used in electrical switching, medical equipment, dental fillings and fluorescent lights. If handled improperly, it can be toxic, accumulate in the human body and interfere with the nervous system, agency officials said.
DNSC was created after World War II to acquire and store strategic materials for national defense purposes, according to a fact sheet from the agency.
"The stockpile of materials was intended to decrease dependence upon foreign sources of supply in the event of national emergency," the agency said.
Congress directed DNSC to sell excess materials after the Cold War ended. Sales over the last few years have totaled about $1.5 billion. The revenues are used "to support military operation, reduce the deficit and fund DNSC operations."
Agency's plans: The agency aims to close or convert to other uses most of its depots by 2020.
The General Services Administration owns the 160-acre Warren Depot property and leases it to the Defense Logistics Agency. GSA got the property in 1959 through a lease agreement with Conrail Railroad Company.
Lead, rubber, zinc and talc also are among the 26 materials stored at the Warren Depot.
More information is available by calling (888) 306-6682 or through the agency's Web site www.mercuryeis.com.