Truck rollover spills 25 tons of Agrium urea

Calgary, Alberta-A tractor-truck rig hauling one of the last loads of fertilizer out of Agrium’s idled Nikiski plant in Alaska went off the Sterling Highway early May 23. The truck rolled over into a slough and spilled 25 tons of urea, plus an undetermined amount of diesel, in a wetlands that’s connected to the Kenai River, according to company and state officials. Both sources indicated that the urea dissolved quickly in the water, and preliminary inspection determined there were no fish killed and no diesel residue or odor remaining. Troopers on the scene did detect an oil sheen on the wetland surface and brought in a diesel boom and absorbent pads to soak up the spill and prevent any spread. After a two-hour inspection that was joined by the Kenai Watershed Forum and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Leslie Pearson, program manager in the Alaska Dept. of Environmental Conservation’s spill prevention and response division, declared the findings encouraging. Pearson reported, “We’ll do a couple more site visits and take some more water samples and keep an eye on things to see if there are any changes.” But everyone on the scene agreed that the short-term environmental effects of the spill appeared to be minimal. Pearson said the inspection on Saturday found less than 200 pounds of fertilizer pellets and that the rest apparently had already dissolved. “We’re actually pretty stunned at how little was left,” she added. The crash scene was pinpointed at mile 55.5 of the Sterling Highway near the Kenai-Russian River ferry parking lot. Photos on the spill response division’s website showed the tractor-truck a crumbled mess. The slough where the truck ended up appeared to hold enough water to dilute the fertilizer. Greg Yont, senior director of logistics with Agrium Wholesale in Calgary, told Green Markets that it hadn’t been determined what happened to cause the driver to lose control of the rig. “We’re relieved that the driver didn’t sustain any serious injuries,” Yont commented. “He was treated for just a scratch on his arm.” He was driving an owner-operator rig for HR Trucking, a subcontractor for Alaska-Freightways, which holds the Agrium hauling contract. According to Yont, “It was one of the last loads coming out of the Nikiski plant, which was closed because we were unable to secure a gas supply.” He estimated that about 500 tons ?Çô or less than 30 truck loads ?Çô remain at the plant.