The Blue Grass Army Depot (BGAD), located in Richmond, Ky., was established in
1941 and began operations in 1942 as an ammunition and general supply storage
depot, the Blue Grass Ordnance Depot. In 1964, it merged with the Lexington
Signal Depot, Avon, Kentucky, to become the Lexington-Blue Grass Army Depot. The
Lexington facility was selected for closure under BRAC (Base Realignment And
Closure); after it closed in September 1999, the remaining facility received its
current designation.
BGAD is one of two Army installations in the United States that currently
stores chemical weapons. Located near Richmond, Ky., BGAD is a subordinate
installation of the Joint Munitions Command. The depot’s capabilities include:
industrial services support; ammunition maintenance, renovation, disassembly and
demilitarization; thermal arc coating for Air Force bombs; water washout
facility with flaker belt; Molten Salt Research and Development Facility;
ultrasonic testing for mortar ammunition; Chemical Material Surveillance
Program; quality assurance and joint logistics support; and ammunition life
cycle management. The depot also serves as a large training ground for service
members.
The 14,494-acre (58.66 km2) site, composed mainly of open fields and wooded
areas, is used for munitions storage, repair of general supplies and
ammunitions, and the disposal of munitions. The installation is used for the
storage of conventional explosive munitions as well as assembled chemical
weapons. The depot is primarily involved in industrial services and activities
associated with the storage and maintenance of conventional and chemical
munitions.