Detonation season ends at Tooele Army Depot

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TOOELE — The last detonations of the year at the Tooele Army Depot happened Thursday as part of an annual window that opens at the beginning of April and closes Oct. 31.

The "end of the season cleanup" happened at the 780-acre south range in Rush Valley, according to Wade Mathews, a public affairs specialist at the depot. Matthews said the Army Depot appreciates the community's effort to learn more about the installation's mission, as it works to be a good neighbor.

Tooele Army Depot is one of just seven depots across the country that work to "demilitarize" old munition, often through open detonation or burning.

The Department of Defense installation, which as of 2013 stored 9.3% of the nation's demilitarization stockpile, has 14 open burn pans, 19 detonation sites and six silos used for the static firing of missiles.

The depot's location is important for numerous reasons, the recently instated commander, Col. Luke Clover, told KSL.com in July. He said Utah's high-desert climate prevents the deterioration of munitions, and the base is remote enough to allow workers to safely "produce, receive, store and demilitarize munitions" while being connected to the nation's rail and road transportation network.

According to permitting documentation from the Utah Department of Environmental Quality, detonation is "the only safe and effective treatment process currently available" for many of the items that are being disposed of in the West Desert.

The detonation operations are advantageous due to their simplicity and versatility, the permit reports say. Large or small quantities of materials can be treated easily, and the processes are "extremely reliable."

Procedures used by the depot have "resulted in an excellent safety record being earned by the personnel who have helped to treat the many millions of pounds of waste military energetic materials safely over the last four decades at numerous Department of Defense installations," according to the Utah DEQ.

However, the noise disturbances among the growing population in the Salt Lake Valley are an annual challenge, and the permitting of the depot's south range beginning in 2019 led to a significant increase in munition destruction.

In 2018, a total of 157 tons of munitions were demilitarized, according to a February 2024 report. In 2019, the number jumped to 889 tons, peaking in 2021 at 1,035 tons, before falling in 2023 to 481 tons.

The depot is seriously pursuing alternative technologies to replace the open detonations and is "committed at all levels to further reducing its necessary reliance on" open detonation. It will probably never fully go away, however, because some unstable munitions are too dangerous to handle.

In the '80s, around 80% of munitions across the Department of Defense were disposed of through open burns and detonations, the report says. In recent years, however, that number has dropped to 30% by incorporating alternative technologies.

So far, the most promising options are contained thermal treatment of bulk propellant, incineration in a rotary kiln, and a static detonation chamber. A two-year study has begun this year as well, which will produce funding requirements and schedules for the implementation of new programs.

Related topics

Military in UtahUtahTooele County

Collin Leonard

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Collin Leonard is a reporter for KSL.com. He covers federal and state courts, as well as northern Utah communities and military news. Collin is a graduate of Duke University.