This month, the Air Force will begin its season of large detonation operations at the Utah Test and Training Range, or UTTR, located in Utah’s West Desert.

According to an Air Force release, the detonations — which involve more than 10,000 pounds of net explosive weight — are done to destroy old or obsolete Department of Defense rocket motors.

More than 300 rocket motors have been destroyed at the UTTR — the only location in the United States where such detonations are permitted — since 2012, per the release.

Detonation is considered the most environmentally responsible way of destroying large rocket motors, according to 75th Civil Engineer Group Environmental Branch Chief Amanda Burton.

“We want to do this work without adversely affecting our neighbors and the environment,” Burton said in the release.

As large detonations create sound waves, the Air Force said it takes atmospheric readings for wind speed, wind direction and other weather factors before each operation at the UTTR. That data is entered into a sound prediction model to determine whether conditions are acceptable for a detonation.

Detonations are delayed if the model predicts that sound is going to be louder than permitted levels at locations along the Wasatch Front. However, Burton said no sound prediction model can be 100% accurate.

“Atmospheric conditions can change rapidly between the time we take a reading and the actual detonation,” Burton said. “This current model we’re using is a very reliable tool in determining how far sound from a detonation will travel from the UTTR.”

Depending on weather, workload and other factors, one or two weekly detonations are planned through September at the UTTR.