Farmers Cooperative Elevator Association-Wash. - Executive Summary

| Accident History | Chemicals | Emergency Response | Registration | Source | Executive Summary |

The Board of Directors, management, and employees of Farmers Cooperative Elevator Association are committed to the prevention of any accidental release of Anhydrous Ammonia. If an accidental release should occur, the facilities are prepared to work with the local fire departments, or other authorities, to mitigate any release and minimize the impact of the release to people and the environment. 
 
One of the primary activities at the facilities of Farmers Cooperative Elevator Association is the storage and blending of fertilizers for sale to farmers. Anhydrous Ammonia is received, stored and distributed for direct application as a crop production nutrient. 
 
The maximum quantity stored in one tank would be 79760 pounds in our 18,000 gallon storage tank. The maximum quantity received at any one time is one semi-trailer load holding approximately 42,000 pounds. 
 
The worst-case scenario would be the release of the entire contents of the storage tank over a 10 minute time period. The maximum  
quantity released would be 79,760 pounds, which represents the volume of the storage tank at 85% capacity as limited by design standards. The distance to the endpoint (point of dispersion to 200 ppm) is 1.89 miles. 
 
The alternative release scenario is based on the most likely incident and involves a release from a ruptured transfer hose. The distance to the endpoint (point of dispersion to 200 ppm) is .47 miles and involves the release of 2901 pounds over a 2 minute time period. 
 
This 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", as well as requirements of the Kansas State Department of Agriculture. 
 
There have been no accidental releases of anhydrous ammonia in the past five years that have caused any de 
aths, injuries, or significant property damage at the facility, nor to our knowledge have resulted in any offsite deaths, injuries, evacuations, sheltering in place, property damage or environmental damage. 
 
The facility has a written emergency action plan, in accordance with OSHA standard  29 CFR 1910.38, has provided state and local authorities the emergency planning and community right-to-know information under SARA Title III, and has a written emergency response program in accordance with OSHA standard 29 CFRR 1910.120. In addition, the company has communicated the emergency response requirements with the appropriate local fire departments and EMS. 
 
Safety improvement is an ongoing process at the facility. Periodic evaluations are performed to assess the maintenance of safe conditions. There are no additional safety regulations for anhydrous ammonia at this time.
Click to return to beginning