Letter: Hawthorne depot must be retained

Thursday, June 23, 2005 | 9:06 a.m.

Any visitor viewing our two existing U.S. Army ammunition storage depots would be disgusted over the proposed closing of the sprawling Hawthorne, Nev., facility and the proposed transfer of its contents to the Tooele Army Depot, Utah.

The lonely, trout-fishing town of Hawthorne faces a largely unused water supply (Walker Lake). Surrounded by the seemingly endless ammunition igloos in the desert, it is remotely located at the juncture of a main trucking route and two other state highways. Mountains and a considerable distance protect outside residents from any unlikely, but possible, accidental explosions. Neatly tucked away in the safety of deserted canyons just a few miles up the road is a well-protected disposal facility for outdated ordnance. Loss of salaries for the limited number of employees would surely kill the small town, but any such savings could hardly match the moving and closing costs of the base.

The town of Tooele, Utah, is well defined as the former home of the Deseret Army Chemical storage Area and several other Army facilities. Located in the limited urban center of Utah, not far from Salt Lake City, the area might be used for any desired purpose if the grounds can be cleaned of residual contamination. One can only wonder what effect these contaminants could have on ammunition in long-term storage.

Considering the uncertainness of today's world, why would any military-minded person even consider putting all of our eggs in one basket like this?

RICHARD E. LAW