TOOELE — Residents in Tooele County and the west side of Salt Lake Valley have likely experienced a mysterious deep boom that often prompts questions about its origin.
This persistent sound is attributed to controlled detonations conducted by the U.S. Army at the Tooele Army Depot, which has been a practice for over 80 years.
The depot, situated just south of Tooele, is engaged in the demilitarization of outdated and unsafe munitions, a process that involves safely destroying these materials.
On a recent Wednesday, representatives from the media were invited to observe this process firsthand.
Col. Luke R. Clover, the commander of the Tooele Army Depot, expressed a desire to connect with the community and clarify the nature of the operations taking place at the facility.
“Military facilities are often viewed as secretive, particularly regarding munitions and explosives,” Clover noted.
With a significant influx of new residents in the region, he emphasized the importance of transparency.
“We’re not trying to hide anything,” Clover said. “We’re not doing anything that’s outside the bounds.”
The depot receives munitions that are no longer safe for storage or use, with some dating back to World War II.
These materials are destroyed in dirt-lined pits through controlled detonations.
“We’re getting rid of munitions that are no longer utilized or able to be utilized,” Clover stated.
During the demonstration, depot workers showcased the process of placing munitions into containers which are then wired for detonation and buried in designated blast areas.
The detonation is conducted from a secure control bunker to ensure safety for personnel.
Dan Wall, Chief of Ammunition Maintenance and Demil at the depot, explained the safety protocols: “We control all the firing lines in a lock box.
That way, the people down on the range have the safety and confirmation that nobody can mess with those firing lines while they’re down there.”
The resulting shockwave from these detonations can be felt at considerable distances, prompting concerns from local residents in nearby towns.
To mitigate these issues, the Army has adjusted its demolition operations to occur primarily in the southern section of the depot, further from populated areas like Tooele.
Erin Trinchitella, Director of Industrial Operations at the depot, stated, “We used to do those operations in the north, but because of the impediment from the local city, it’s beneficial to everyone that we do it here.”
Following reports of strong reverberations felt across the Wasatch Front during some detonations last year, depot officials have taken additional measures to ensure community safety.
Clover noted that the team is now more cautious about when to schedule detonations, taking into account atmospheric conditions that could influence the transmission of shockwaves.
“Some of the additional measures that we look at since the incident of last year in September, where we had some reverberations over in the Salt Lake Valley, we look at some of the different weather conditions,” Clover explained.
To enhance communication with the community, the Tooele Army Depot has begun posting notifications about planned detonations on social media and alerting nearby cities and communities.
Clover summed up this commitment by saying, “We want to be good neighbors to the communities around us.”
image source from：https://ksltv.com/local-news/why-you-sometimes-hear-and-feel-booms-in-utahs-west-desert/785046/
