Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
TOOELE — Residents around the Tooele area may be in for some loud noises in the coming months as the Tooele Army Depot on Monday announced that it would be resuming open detonation operations.
"It takes care of all of the unusable munition stocks, you know, the stuff that (is) damaged or unusable and it frees up valuable conventional munition storage, so that helps with the overall readiness for warfighter missions," said Shana Hutchins, public affairs specialist for Tooele Army Depot.
The detonations, taking place at Tooele Army Depot South, are allowed from April 1 to Oct. 31 between the hours of 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. when weather permits, according to a release from the depot.
Hutchins said that the vibrations and sounds of explosions can sometimes be heard or felt near Herriman, Riverton, Eagle Mountain, Daybreak, Draper and areas on the southwest side of the Salt Lake Valley.
The depot will not be able to conduct detonations if the windspeed is higher than 20 mph or less than 3 mph, if visibility is less than 5 miles, or if the cloud cover is greater than 80%, Hutchins added.
Additionally, detonations won't be conducted during periods of local air quality advisories and alerts, or when there is a high likelihood of thunderstorms.
The Tooele Army Depot will post weekly detonation schedules on its Twitter and Facebook accounts. It will also be posted if the depot is unable to detonate due to weather or other circumstances.
"Strict execution of controlled detonation and safety procedures has resulted in an excellent safety record being earned by the personnel who have helped to destroy millions of pounds of obsolete or unstable munitions all while keeping workforce safety and the safety of the surrounding community at the forefront of the demilitarization process," said a release from the depot.
For more information, Hutchins said that residents can visit Tooele Army Depot's social media pages or call the Tooele Army Depot detonation hotline at 435-833-3300.
