Week 6: Lands and Territoriality

Tooele Army Depot has been an active army base since the early 1940s. The 23,732-acre site is located in northeastern Tooele County, Utah, about 35 miles southwest of Salt Lake City.

A field of storage igloos where chemical weapons are stored.

History: For over 50 years, Tooele Army Depot has committed itself to supporting the soldier in times of peace and war. In its infancy, it served this nation when the free world struggled and witnessed the final victory during World War II. A few years later, it helped sustain our troops, and those of the United Nations, in the stemming of the onslaught of communism upon the country of Korea. Shortly after its 25th anniversary, Tooele Army Depot saw itself supporting our military men and women who were called upon to serve during the Vietnam War. More recently, the depot answered the call twice again to provide our troops the means of victory in the country of Panama and the harsh deserts of the Persian Gulf during operations of Desert Shield/Desert Storm. (military.com)

Cows grazing not far from the igloos.

Government property.

This photo shows the empty above-ground storage igloos that once stored chemical munitions at the Deseret Chemical Depot in Stockton. Destruction of the chemical munitions was completed from 1996 to 2012.

The Deseret Chemical Depot Incinerator.

 The Depot incorporates a number of institutional and land use controls to ensure safety at the site. They include signage, fencing, deed restrictions, controlled access through manned guard gates, secondary gates controlled by ammunition demilitarization personnel, and required inspections of the Industrial Waste Lagoon and ditches. A groundwater management zone extends beyond the mapped area of groundwater contamination, so that exposures to contaminants in the plume will not take place. Annual inspections evaluate the effectiveness of the land use control system.

BRANCH:                   Army

LOCATION:               Tooele County, Tooele, Utah

FACILITIES:

            SIZE:                    23,509 acres

            BUILDINGS:        1,167

            IGLOOS:               902

            STORAGE CAPACITY:            2,483,000 sq ft

                Explosive:                                 1,951,000 sq ft

                Inert:                                       532,000 sq ft

                Percentage Utilized:                 85%

 

ECONOMIC IMPACT (FY99): 

            OPERATING BUDGET:            $61,289,000

            PAYROLL:                                 $30,084,000

            LOCAL PROCUREMENT:       $     800,000

 

EMPLOYMENT LEVEL:

            CIVILIAN:                                    501

            MILITARY:                                  2

            CIVILIAN TENANTS:                48

            MILITARY TENANTS:               24

(statistics: globalsecurity.org)