Detonation of Munitions

The cleanup effort at the former National Fireworks Site continues to focus on removing munitions from the southern section of the site. Items that contain, or are suspected to contain, energetic materials are disposed of by detonation.

  • Detonations (if required) are scheduled on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday afternoons between the hours of 2:30 pm and 4:30 pm.
  • Detonations may be required on Mondays and Tuesdays depending on the number of munitions collected.
  • Detonations may be conducted after 4:30 pm due to unforeseen complications. Residents will be notified through a CodeRed phone call if detonations will be occurring after 4:30 pm.
  • Detonations may also be required anytime during the day when items that are too unstable to move are discovered.
  • Though it has not happened as of this date, there is the possibility of a detonation without warning as munitions are excavated.

Advance notice of detonations is provided to residents as follows:

  • Once it is determined that detonation(s) are required notice shall be posted on the Town of Hanover website.
  • The warning siren is sounded twice 5 minutes before and again once 1 minute before detonations. After the 1 minute warning, there may be several detonations that occur during the next 15 minutes. Using multiple small detonations reduces the sound volume in the surrounding neighborhoods.
  • If additional detonations are required, 5-minute and 1-minute warnings will be given before each series of detonations within a 15-minute period.