Sierra Army Depot and Open-Air Detonations

Sierra Army Depot is located in Herlong, CA, 55 miles northwest of Reno, NV, along Highway 395. The depot receives, issues, stores, renovates, and “demilitarizes” (Army-speak for “destroys”) ammunition. Since the decision of the Base Realignment and Closure Commission in 1995 to realign the depot’s ammunition functions, most operations involve the disposal of obsolete or outdated munitions. The depot has approximately 185,000 short tons of ammunition in storage, which is equal to approximately 370 million pounds. In other words: the ammunition would fill nearly 3,076 rail cars stretching over 59 miles.

Sierra Army Depot has the largest open burn and open detonation capacity in the United States. The fourteen pits, permitted by California, can detonate up to 10,000 pounds net explosive weight per pit. The depot’s demilitarization grounds are also able to burn materials up to 100,000 pounds net explosive weight. The open detonation pits are also used to dispose of large rocket motors with a 160,000 net explosive weight capacity for the pit area. Open burning (OB) and open detonation (OD) operations have been occurring at the Depot for over 20 years.

Current open burning and open detonation methods of munitions disposal at Sierra Army Depot create a toxic smoke plume that disperses into Washoe County, NV and directly impacts the Pyramid Lake Paiute Indian Reservation and the surrounding region. Toxic and carcinogenic chemicals dispersed include, but are not limited to: lead, mercury, arsenic, antimony, beryllium, cadmium, nickel, and dioxins. The Army is currently required to conduct open burning and open detonation operations when the wind is blowing in an easterly direction, toward the Pyramid Lake Paiute Reservation in Nevada, in order to avoid the larger population centers in Lassen County, CA. Preliminary data indicate a doubling of cancer cases in the region. Due to the severity of impacts, (including the long-term cumulative impacts of over 20 years of open burning/open detonation operations at the Depot), the Rural Alliance for Military Accountability (RAMA) believes that continuous air monitoring should be mandated for all open burning/open detonation operations currently allowed at the Sierra Army Depot. RAMA has also requested that an investigation by EPA on alternative technologies to open burning/open detonation for the disposal of munitions be considered prior to the issuance of any more permits.

The California Department of Toxic Substances (DTSC) has found that current open burning/ open detonation operations have had a potentially significant impact on human health, plants, animal resources, soil concentrations of metals, ephemeral streams, ground water, ambient air quality, and water quality of Pyramid Lake. According to Army officials, for the past 10 years 24,000 to 28,000 tons per year of munitions have been detonated or burned in the open air. In 1995 alone, 53 million pounds of military explosives and 200 rocket motors were detonated or burned at the Depot. The ammunition would fill about 440 rail cars stretching over 8 miles.

YOUR VOICE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE. Please contact us to find out how:

RAMA
P.O. Box 60036
Reno, NV 89506
Phone: (775) 677-7001.
E-Mail: rama@accutek.com
Website: www.rama-usa.org

Grace Marie Potorti
Rural Alliance for Military Accountability