Explosions rock neighborhood as World War II-era towers fall
Friday, February 20, 2009

Area residents wondered about two explosions Thursday morning as contractors for the U.S. Department of Energy razed two World War II-era water towers, the “silos,” on the site of the old Kentucky Ordnance Works.

The towers — 180 and 173 feet tall, respectively, where they loomed in the southwest portion of what is now West Kentucky Wildlife Management Area — were toppled with controlled explosions about 9:45 a.m. and 10:45 a.m., according to DOE reports.

Controlled Demolition Inc. of Maryland rigged the towers with about 500 pounds of dynamite, 1,000 detonators and nearly one mile of detonator cord. McCracken County Judge-Executive Van Newberry and Paducah Mayor Bill Paxton pressed the control to touch off the blasting.

Residents in the immediate surrounding area were notified and the zone around the towers was cordoned off for safety.
The towers were wrapped in wire mesh and dropped mostly intact to minimize dust and debris. The concrete and reinforcing steel inside the structure are being salvaged, according to the DOE.

The towers were built in 1942 as part of the KOW’s explosives production plant. After KOW closed in the post-war years, the DOE used the remaining towers as extra water storage for firefighting capability for the nearby Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant.

The towers have been unused since 1990. After materials from the razed structures are salvaged and cleaned up, the site will revert to West Kentucky WMA use.

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