Swartz Creek, Mich.-Nearby residents were warned to stay inside while emergency crews controlled the anhydrous ammonia vapors leaking from a 1,000-gallon farm tank that broke loose from a tow tractor while the driver was making a turn into a field. Reverse 911 was used to alert residents downwind. “When we arrived on scene, we utilized a water fog pattern to confine the vapors to the ground as much as possible as it was venting,” Swartz Creek Area Fire Dept. Chief Brent Cole told Green Markets. “There wasn’t any way to stop the leaking because the valves were broken off.” Cole contacted the Michigan Dept. of Environmental Quality, which indicated that it was okay to let the tank drain since it was in a confined area. After the tank had emptied itself of all but about 50 gallons it was uprighted, vented for a short time, and pulled by another tractor into the field. After about an hour and a half, residents were alerted that it was okay to resume normal activity.
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