Morris, Minn.-Some 250 residents were evacuated from their homes last Monday night (Oct. 18) when a release of at least 600 gallons of anhydrous ammonia spread into this community after a farmer broke a hose connected to the ammonia tank while fertilizing his fields north of the city limits. “There was little or no wind, which didn’t help the situation,” Morris Police Chief Jim Beauregard, who also heads the Stevens County emergency management agency, told Green Markets. “So we had a (dangerous) plume hanging around for a few hours.” Beauregard said the city has worked closely with the University of Minnesota on these matters, and under a pre-arranged plan most of the evacuees were housed at the university. In addition, Morris was hooked up on a conference line to coordinate response plans with the Department of Agriculture, Homeland Security in Minneapolis, Department of Transportation, and the State Department of Health. Beauregard said there were no injuries, including the farmer, who was far enough away from the tank when the release occurred. “He had a cell phone and alerted authorities here in Morris,” he reported.
Transparency Across the Fertilizer Value-Chain