On September 19, loud booms echoed along the Wasatch Front, catching the attention of local residents. 

In response, the Tooele Army Depot announced plans for controlled detonations of expired munitions, scheduled to take place about 10 miles south of Stockton in Rush Valley, Tooele County. These controlled blasts have previously produced significant noise across the Salt Lake Valley and parts of Utah County. 

The upcoming operations are set to occur on Monday between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. “Detonations will occur at one-minute intervals. Residents in nearby areas may experience loud noises and visible dust clouds,” the depot explained in a Facebook post. 

“We assure the public that these activities pose no hazard to the community.” 

Just last Monday, the Tooele Army Depot carried out similar detonations to dispose of outdated munitions. Plans for these operations are expected to continue through the end of October, weather permitting. 

“We are permitted to conduct open detonations from April through October,” the depot clarified earlier this month. “We only conduct these operations when weather conditions are right to mitigate the sounds and shaking from the detonations. There was no danger to the public from these operations.”