As a legacy of World War II and Cold War testing, 1,421 square miles of public-access, federal land in Utah may contain unexploded bombs, rockets and artillery shells - including some chemical and biological arms.
That is an area larger than Rhode Island.And it doesn't include contamination on closed-to-the-public lands such as Utah's large test ranges and military bases (with an area also larger than Rhode Island).
That's according to an Interior Department report prepared at the request of the House Natural Resources Committee.
"At a hearing, the committee requested information on how much Interior Department land may be contaminated with unexploded ordnance. So we hurried and did this study," said Dwight J. Hempel, with the Bureau of Land Management, who wrote it.
The department tried to identify through documents and the knowledge of local land managers all of the public areas ever used by the military or where arms or bomb craters have been found.
All the possibly contaminated Utah lands identified are on BLM land - none were in national parks, Indian reservations, wildlife refuges or other Interior Department areas.
The report identified 25 areas of possible contamination covering 1,421 square miles - or about 4 percent of all BLM land in Utah.
Besides that, the Defense Department in previous studies identified 511 sites at 18 military facilities in the state with possible hazardous wastes, including unexploded munitions - but did not say how much total area they
cover. Hempel said the military has responsibility to clean up any unexploded ordnance on BLM lands, but the Interior Department has responsibility to protect the public until that is done.
He said the decision on whether to fence areas or post warning signs is left to local managers. "Often, they would be more of an attractive nuisance. Most of these sites are remote, and munitions are in the subsurface." But shells often work their way to the surface over time.
Activists were outraged by the numbers. "It's appalling that there is that much contamination from old military activities," said Steve Erickson, spokesman for Down-wind-ers, an activist group that obtained the report and made it available.
"It's going to be an enormous task to locate unexploded shells and clean them up. And you have to wonder if the public is at risk, especially as more people recreate on remote Interior lands," he said.
Following is a list of the major areas identified in Utah:
Little Davis Mountain - A 250-acre area south of the mountain in Tooele County was a disposal area for arms dating back to the 1940s. Items disposed there include nerve gas and live foreign chemical arms. Radioactive wastes were removed from the site in 1986.
Southern Triangle - A 32-square-mile area south of Dugway Proving Ground was used as a mortar impact range during the 1950s and '60s - including chemical and biological rounds. After Deseret News stories disclosed threats there in 1989, the military proposed annexing part of it to Dugway. The BLM opposed that and wanted it cleaned up instead.
Yellow Jacket Area - The 9-square-mile-area also south of Dugway Proving Ground was used as a test area for chemical arms, fire bombs, rockets and smoke and mortar rounds during the 1950s. The military also has proposed annexing it but has been opposed by the BLM.
Hurricane Mesa Test Area - The 640-acre area in Washington County was used in the 1960s as an impact area for grenades and mortars. The study said, "In 1986, injury occurred to campers when a M79 40-mm (shell) was thrown in a
campfire." Carrington Island - The 1,200-acre island in the Great Salt Lake was used as a target during World War II, so some amount of unexploded munitions are suspected.
"Abandoned gravel pit," Tooele County - The 10-acre pit was used to bury some munitions. The report says, "A cleanup was planned for 1985, but we received reports of rocket fins in place in the quarry in 1992."
I-80 corridor, Tooele County - The corridor between bombing ranges of Hill Air Force Base covers 898 square miles. The study says some land was used as a target area in World War II, and the BLM receives periodic reports of munitions found in the area.
Railroad grade, Tooele County - About 230 square miles between the Southern Pacific Railroad grade and the northern Hill Air Force Base bombing range is within military airspace but is managed by the BLM.
The study said, "We suspect that live ordnance has been dropped on the public land from time to time and that much of this has not been recovered."
Dugway Mountains - The study says "there is a strong indication that past tests were conducted throughout the (27-square-mile) area."
It suggests a detailed survey of all mines there, stating, "based upon documented incidents involving both unexploded ordnance and chemical residue, it is highly probable that these mine areas are potentially hazardous from a wide variety of munitions."
"Magcorp Ponds," Tooele County - The study said when the area was examined in 1986 for possible use as an evaporation pond, "A large number of projectiles were seen covering a vast area of public lands."
It said Hill Air Force Base was notified about the bomb casings and rockets, but the BLM "never received any follow-up" and doubts "the site was ever cleared."
Newfoundland Mountains - About 186 square miles of the desert range (part of which is adjacent to Hill Air Force Base's northern bombing range) is suspected to have unexploded munitions.
Great Western Mines, Tooele County - About 50 acres around the mine were used in the 1940s to test use of chemical arms against cave-type
fortifications. Old Ironsides Mine, Tooele County - It and about 50 acres around it were also used for chemical arms tests against cave fortifications.
Yellow Jack Mine, Tooele County - Another mine and 50-acre area used in the chemical arms tests on cave fortifications.
Wilson Hot Springs - The 320-acre site is south of a Hill Air Force Base test range, and "contains a wide assortment of military debris and abandoned vehicles." The study adds it "receives considerable public use at the hot
springs." Wildcat Hills, Box Elder County - The 50-acre site of an F-16 fighter jet crash may have unexploded munitions.
"Bomb Craters," Tooele County - Craters are seen over 1,920 acres at the
site. Gapa site, Tooele County - The 9-square-mile area was in a bombing range and may be contaminated.
"Gravel pit 1," Tooele County - The 2-square-mile area around a gravel quarry for the Great Salt Lake pumping project may be contaminated.
"Gravel Pit 2," Tooele County - The 3-square-mile area may be
contaminated. "Old Target," Tooele County - The 2-square-mile area was a target area in the 1940s and may be contaminated.
"Old Target 2," Tooele County - the 1-square-mile area was on the bombing range but is now public land.
USPCI Pit, Tooele County - 160 acres around a gravel quarry used by U.S. Pollution Control may be contaminated.
Township 1 South, Range 12 West, Tooele County - A "distinct vegetation" change seen in aerial photos of the 160-acre area "may be related to contamination from military activities," the study said.
Black Mesa - The nearly 8-square-mile area in southeast Utah was used from the 1950s to '70s to fire Pershing missiles to White Sands, N.M. The study said possible contaminants include spent fuels, lubricants, solvents and solid wastes.