UPDATE 4/9/2016
Shelby County Emergency Management Agency Director Jared Rowcliffe described in an email Wednesday afternoon that the driver connected the truck’s tank to the storage tank to offload, but the truck rolled. Instead of the hose breaking, causing an automatic shut-off, the fitting on the truck failed and the product was released. Fire Chief Troy Agney said the cause of the spill was due to “fractured plumbing” on the transport truck. The official release is stated to have been 19 tons (38,000 pounds).
On April 24, 2007, the town of Seward, IL was slammed with a catastrophic release of 40,000 pounds of NH3 at a fertilizer facility. That release covered most of the small rural town and it too was caused when the UNLOADING HOSE failed. Flash forward to April 5, 2016 and we have yet another TOTAL LOSS of a MC331 carrying NH3 which occurred during the UNLOADING process in Stewardson, IL. The Coast Guard’s NRC Reports does not yet include April 5th so I am unsure of the amount lost, but from photographs we can see that it was a substantial release and the Shelby County Emergency Management administrator stated it was a 20 Ton (40,000 pounds) container being unloaded. One news account states the release was 19 Tons (38,000 pounds). According to the safety and regulatory director for the facility, “a contractor was hauling ammonia to the facility and off-loading product before the spill. The vehicle moved, causing the hose to stretch and then the break happened.” News accounts state 200 were evacuated, with 20-25 injuries transported to a hospital and one admitted for further treatment/observation.
It was reported that one person drove a vehicle into the anhydrous cloud, thinking it was fog, and was taken to HSHS St. Anthony’s Memorial Hospital in Effingham for examination. Sounds eerily familiar to the NH3 Fatality on July 15, 2009 in Swansea, SC that claimed the life of a driver who drove through that cloud and sent another seven people to a hospital for treatment (released later that day).
Source: 97.9FM listener in Stewardson, IL, 97.9FM photos
This happens right in the middle of the regulatory battle between OSHA and the fertilizer industry regarding these businesses falling under the Process Safety Management Standard. Just in this posting, I have mentioned three (3) releases that could only be classified as “catastrophic” since 2007. Least we NOT forget the Pine Bend, MN release in November 2009 that resulted in fatalities and it too was during a loading/unloading operation and involved the failure of a hose!
I will let you decide what side of the debate you sit on, but these are the facts.
And please note this facility is ONLY a RMP Program Level 2 facility since it is currently exempted from PSM applicability. Their RMP states their Maximum Intended Inventory is 650,000 pounds in the single process (the truck released 38,000 pounds) and this is a reduction of NH3 on site since their last PHA. Up until Tuesday the facility had no 5-year accident history (that will be changing over the next 6 months!!).
CLICK HERE to see this facility’s RMP
I am guessing the trucks ESD and EFV failed to function.
4/8/2016 UPDATE:
Official Statement from the Shelby County EMA on anhydrous leak
At approximately 5:30 am on Tuesday April 5, 2016 a transport truck carrying anhydrous ammonia, from Jones Trucking Service in Stewardson, IL, was offloading approximately twenty and a half tons of the product into a storage container owned by Effingham Equity. A malfunction occurred resulting in the release of approximately nineteen tons of anhydrous ammonia being released from the truck. All indications are that this incident was purely accidental and no foul play is suspected.
Approximately 200 residents were evacuated from the affected area of the community. Responders from local fire departments and law enforcement agencies went door to door of the affected area to check on the welfare of anyone that may have not been evacuated. Residents were relocated to a number of shelters that opened up and the Village of Stewardson would like to thank those that opened their doors to the affected residents. A number of individuals were transported to an area hospital where they were treated for respiratory issues due to being exposed to the vapor. Residents were given the “all clear” to return to their homes at approximately 8:30 am. Anyone that is experiencing symptoms of exposure are encouraged to seek medical attention to be evaluated.
News Article about a woman who was trapped inside the NH3 cloud when her car stalled as she drove through it. She was recused by a man who could barely see here emergency flashers. An interesting Off-Site Impact story related to this catastrophic release.