File photo of the Umatilla Army Depot's weapons bunkers

PENDLETON, Ore. (AP) - A top five list has been drawn up for ways to redevelop the Umatilla Chemical Weapons Depot near Hermiston after its scheduled closure in 2011.

The site is reportedly one of seven U.S. Army installations in the United States to store chemical weapons. The chemical weapons stored at the depot reportedly included munitions and containers with VX nerve agent and mustard agent blister agent. Though the last of the rockets stored there were destroyed in 2006, other weapons remain in an area just about a mile from the Columbia River.

According to a recent exercise completed by the depot Land Reuse Authority, the top five most likely uses are:

• energy development;
• telecommunications business;
• transportation or distribution center;
• attracting government funding; and
• environmental restoration.

During their last two meetings, land-reuse members ranked ideas for redeveloping the depot grounds along with what they thought could be successful.

Some items that ranked low on the list were value-added forest products, such as lumber or paper mills, and attracting retirees.

- The East Oregonian originated this report.

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