Open detonations to resume at Tooele Army Depot

Tooele Army Depot
Story by Wade Mathews

Date: 06.08.2026
Posted: 06.10.2026 12:10
News ID: 567335
Open detonations to resume at Tooele Army Depot

TOOELE, Utah (June 05, 2026) – Tooele Army Depot (TEAD) is resuming open detonation (OD) operations at its South Area demilitarization range. The first OD operations of the season are scheduled to occur on Wednesday, June 10, 2026.

Throughout the season, April 1st through October 31st, detonations could occur from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Thursday, weather permitting. The daily status of detonations is posted on the TEAD Facebook page at [www.facebook.com/Americas01Depot](http://www.facebook.com/Americas01Depot).

One of TEAD’s missions is to provide safe, reliable, and lethal munitions to the nation’s Joint Warfighter. Doing so requires the destruction through open detonation of old, obsolete, and/or unsafe munitions currently in storage at TEAD.

Open detonation is a process in which munitions slated for demilitarization are buried in a pit with additional explosive material, then exploded remotely, destroying the contents of the pit and typically creating a dust cloud, ground vibrations, and sound waves.

Safety is the most important consideration while conducting open detonations. Strict observance of proven procedures has resulted in an excellent safety record maintained by the personnel who have safely destroyed millions of pounds of munitions over the decades at numerous Department of War installations, including TEAD.

TEAD South Area is in the Rush Valley of Tooele County and consists of 19,364 acres about 17 miles south of Tooele and 17 miles west of Eagle Mountain.

For more information, residents can call the Tooele Army Depot hotline at 435-833-3300.