Residents in Waipahu, the Ewa area, Pearl City and Aiea might hear a series of explosions Tuesday when the Navy destroys munitions recovered from past dredging in Pearl Harbor.
The Navy is authorized to do up to 50 detonations at a secure location on the Waipio Peninsula under a permit granted by the state Department of Health, a Navy statement said.
Demolition work is planned for between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Tuesday.
The types of munitions to be destroyed include 4.5-inch barrage rockets, a 75 mm projectile, 40 mm and 20 mm projectiles, a TNT demo charge, fuses, a revolver and various small-arms ammunition.
"During the Navy’s screening of dredged harbor material accumulated at its confined disposal facility on Waipio Peninsula, various potentially explosive munitions have been recovered," said Navy Region Hawaii Environmental Program Director Aaron Poentis. "As a result, the Navy has contracted Cape Environmental Management Inc., and USA Environmental, which have trained personnel to execute this type of work. Engineering controls and safety precautions will be implemented to ensure safety of personnel and protection of the environment."
Some munitions are suspected to come from the Dec. 7, 1941, Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and the May 21, 1944, explosion of landing ships docked in the harbor, the Navy statement said.
During construction and maintenance dredging, munitions were removed along with the dredged material. Dredged material has been in earth-bermed cells on Waipio Peninsula to be dewatered, dried and screened before use for other purposes, such as soil cover for landfills.
