McPherson, Kan.-United Agri Products (UAP) of Galva, now a part of Agrium Inc.’s Crop Production Services, has received a special use permit with some conditions attached for an anhydrous ammonia commercial storage and sale facility in Jackson Township. The McPherson County Commission gave its go-ahead late last month, but is requiring a six-foot chain-link fence with barbed wire and security lighting to be built around the facility to prevent theft attempts. The commission adopted the requirements on the recommendation of the county sheriff’s office, which is having difficulty stopping those who steal ammonia to produce methamphetimine. “Our officers check sites two or three times a night to make sure tanks have not been left on. They usually see us driving up and leave before we get there,” one deputy reported. The deputy said there has been a decline in the meth problem since the law now requires over-the-counter drugs containing ephedrine, another key ingredient in meth, to be kept behind the counter, and allows sales only to purchasers who register. The UAP ammonia facility, the first of nine in McPherson County to be required to install the additional security, will have one 18,000 gallon tank and two 12,000 gallon tanks, for a 42,000 gallon total capacity.
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