Loud Booms in Salt Lake Valley Caused by Routine Tooele Army Depot Detonations of Military Munitions

Sep 19, 2024, 06:53 PM

Residents across the Salt Lake Valley and the Wasatch Front reported hearing multiple loud booms on Thursday, prompting widespread concern and numerous calls to emergency services. The source of the noise was later confirmed to be routine detonations conducted by the Tooele Army Depot as part of their operations to dispose of expired military munitions. These detonations, which are typically scheduled from September, were carried out on the south range and posed no threat to the public. Initial reports mistakenly suggested that the booms were caused by artillery exercises at Camp Williams, as reported by the Sandy Police Department. Authorities have noted concerns over the lack of adequate public notification regarding the detonations.