Wilkie, Sask-Failure of a pump seal and valve is being blamed for an anhydrous ammonia tanker truck spilling nearly all of its load Monday afternoon Oct. 13 on the outskirts of Wilkie, forcing the evacuation of 100 or more residents. Wilkie Mayor Wally Lorenz told Green Markets that the tanker had just entered the town limits when the ammonia leak was noticed. He said the driver reported he was on his way to the Viterra grain and farm services about three miles west of Wilkie. Lorenz didn’t know how much ammonia had been released, but he said when emergency crews finished pumping it off “there was not a whole lot left.” Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the Wilkie fire department evacuated three streets in Wilkie’s southwest corner, and a portion of nearby Highway 14 was closed. Residents returned to their homes about 7:10 p.m. after the cloud of gas dissipated, but the highway remained closed for an hour and half while the site was cleaned up by a hazardous materials team, which was joined by a crew from Viterra. “It took until 2 a.m., but as far as I’m concerned the situation was handled very well,” the mayor commented. He said the truck was moved to a safe storage area, and there were no reports of injuries.
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