Paducah, Ky.-Emergency crews worked all day to upright a truck and its three-compartment bulk trailer, loaded with 25,400 pounds of ammonium nitrate, that rolled over May 15 on two-lane State Highway 453 about a half hour east of here. Jere McCuiston, area 2 manager for the Kentucky Emergency Management Agency, praised the efforts, which ended up containing, in the trailer, all but a gallon of product despite the severity of the incident. McCuiston told Green Markets when the rig was back on its wheels the load was taken to a nearby farmer’s field and unloaded to be used as fertilizer. He described the response teams as doing it all “by the book” with the assistance of a newly-formed area HazMat team and three wrecker trucks. The driver was only 15 miles from his destination at Three Rivers rock quarry when a wheel dropped off the roadway, McCuiston reported; in an effort to maintain control he overcorrected and tipped the rig. Motorists were detoured and local authorities said there was never a threat to the public. Another fertilizer incident last week was also fortunate for the driver when a farm truck overturned near Manvel in northeastern North Dakota. Press reports said about 3,000 gallons of liquid fertilizer spilled without harming the environment. A Manvel fire and rescue team responded to wash off the highway, and the driver was uninjured. In Pennsylvania, a farm truck driver is facing charges in a May 15 accident that resulted in 500 gallons of liquid fertilizer being spread over a parking lot and grassy area, according to the local press. Witnesses said responders contained the spill and prevented the fertilizer from reaching a small nearby stream.
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