VESTA FARMERS ELEVATOR FERTILIZER DIVISION - Executive Summary

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Vesta Farmers Elevator 
P.O. Box 98 
Vesta, Minnesota 56292 
(507) 762-3116 
 
For further information contact:  James Zwaschka,  Plant Manager 
 
Risk Management Plan - EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 
 
1.  The Facility Policy 
 
    The owners, management, and employees of Vesta Farmers Elevator are committed to the prevention of any accidental releases of anhydrous ammonia.  If an accidental release should occur, the facility is prepared to work with the local fire company, or other authorities, to mitigate any release and minimize the impact of the release to people and the environment. 
 
2.  Facility Information. 
 
    - The primary activity at the facility is the storage and blending of fertilizers for sale to farmers. 
 
    - Anhydrous ammonia is received, stored, and distributed for direct application for crop production nutrients. 
 
    - The maximum quantity stored would be 105,000 pounds in our two-12,000 gallon storage tanks. 
 
3.  The worst-case scenario and the alternative release scenario. 
 
 
a.  The worst-case release scenario would be the release of the total contents of a storage tank released as a gas over 10 minutes.  The maximum quantity released would be 52,000 pounds, which represents the volume of the storage tank at 85 percent capacity as limited by design standards.  The distance to the endpoint (point of dispersion to 200 ppm) is .84 miles. 
 
    b.  The alternative release scenario based on the most likely potential incident is a release from a break in a transfer hose.  The distance to the endpoint (point of dispersion to 200 ppm) is .78 miles. 
 
4.  The accidental release prevention program. 
 
    The facility has implemented the provisions of "Safety Requirements for the Storage and Handling of Anhydrous Ammonia, K-61.1", published by The American National Standards Institute, Inc., and the standards of the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), 29 CFR 1910.111, "Storage and handling of anhydrous ammonia". 
 
5.  The Five-year Accident Hist 
ory. 
 
    a.  There have been no accidential releases of anhydrous ammonia in the past five years that: 
 
      -  have caused any deaths, injuries, or significant property damage at the facility; nor 
 
      -  to our knowledge, have resulted in offsite deaths, injuries, evacuation, sheltering in place, property 
         damage, or environmental damage. 
 
6.  The emergency response program. 
 
      -  The facility has: 
 
    b.  provided state and local authorities the emergency planning and community right-to-know information as required under SARA Title III (EPCRA). 
 
7.  Planned changes to improve safety. 
 
    Safety improvement is an on-going process at the facility.  Periodic evaluations are performed to assess the maintenance of safe conditions.  There are no additional specific anhydrous ammonia safety recommendations for implementation at this time.
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