Major flooding continued to impact farmland and livestock operations in parts of Nebraska, Iowa, South Dakota, and Missouri during the week. Some fertilizer and ag retail operations were also affected, but most industry sources reported only minimal impacts to buildings and equipment.
“2011 was bad, but this is way worse,” said Blaine Barry of Flatland Fertilizer Inc. in Lincoln, Neb. “The water was bluff-to-bluff last week in Nebraska City. All the river systems are in trouble, and there’s a lot of snow to melt yet.”
Dave Coppess of Heartland Co-op, West Des Moines, Iowa, said the company has experienced “record flooding” at its locations in Nebraska City, Neb., and Pacific Junction, Iowa.
“We are in the process of cleaning up Nebraska City as the water recedes, moving a lot of mud and muck, but the damage to product and facilities seems to be minimal,” he told Green Markets. “We’re still evaluating some equipment, etc. Our goal is to be operational by early next week, on April 3 or so.”
Coppess said the location at Pacific Junction is a different matter, however. “The levy breach has flooded the entire community and water has not receded with the river,” he said on March 28. “The authorities are limiting access to the area, so it’s difficult for us to assess the damage at this time. Drinking water and sewage may be a lingering issue for the community.”
Coppess said the Pacific Junction site is not a big facility for Heartland, and the company recently relocated its ammonia business at that site to a new location east of the flooded area.
“We sympathize with the families, farmers, and other businesses that have lost their homes, businesses, and livelihood to this devastating event,” Coppess said. “It’s still unknown if the bottom ground will be dry enough to re-condition and be ready to plant this spring. Only time will tell.”
Barry noted, as well, that planting on some of the flooded bottom ground will likely not happen this spring. “I think a lot of the low ground will not get planted. Some of the Missouri River bottom land will stay flooded for some time,” he said. “South of Omaha, where the Platte and Elkhorn Rivers come in, they bring in so much sand, and that was the problem in 2011. Farmers had to clear off a bunch of sand from the fields before they could seed.”
The Big Soo Terminal in Sioux City, Iowa, reported no flood impacts at mid-month. General Manager Kevin Knepper told Green Markets that the Missouri River crested at about 30 feet in Sioux City on March 16, well below the 35-foot level reached in 2011. Knepper said the terminal escaped major flooding in 2011 as well, but river levels that year were just seven inches from flooding the dock.
Knepper added, however, that the Big Sioux, James, and Vermillion Rivers all remain at flood stage, and those tributaries feed into the Missouri River above Sioux City. He said a lot of snowmelt is still expected in the Northern Plains in the coming weeks, so the flooding danger is far from over.
Koch Fertilizer reported at midweek that its facilities in Nebraska, Iowa, and Missouri have not been affected by the recent flooding, with all locations continuing normal operations. AgriServices of Brunswick, Mo., also confirmed on March 27 that its terminal on the Missouri River was fully operational, with no access issues or flooded roads impeding operations.
A source with Nutrien Ltd. reported no impacts to facilities due to flooding, but said “navigation remains extremely challenging.” CF Industries Holdings Inc. did not respond to requests for service updates. The company’s website, however, confirmed that all terminals were open as of March 28, except for locations at Cowden, Ill., and Terra Haute, Ind.
CF also leases a liquid terminal at Pacific Junction from Winfield United. Attempts to reach CF and Winfield United for comment on the status of that facility were unsuccessful.
“We, too, are waiting to learn about the extent of damage and operational expectations for the liquid facility that Winfield United owns and leases to CF,” said Coppess. “It has been an
important source of UAN and liquid mix for this geography.”
Railroads, pipeline service, and road access were slowly being restored as the flood waters recede. The 115-mile west leg of NuStar Energy LP’s ammonia pipeline returned to service at 1:00 p.m. on March 26 after being idled on March 14 due to flooding (GM March 22, p. 1), the company told Green Markets.
The BNSF Railway’s track outage map on March 28 showed that service had been restored from Sioux City south to Omaha, but remained offline from Omaha south to Kansas City, Mo; from Sioux City west into the O’Neill Subdivision; and from Lincoln north into the Bellwood Subdivision. Service was expected to be restored by the weekend from Lincoln southeast through St. Joseph to Kansas City, and in some areas south of Omaha. The map also showed service outages still in effect in areas south of St. Louis, and also between St. Louis and Galesburg, Ill.
Embargoes in response to track outages were in effect as of March 25 for BNSF and Canadian Pacific Railway service to Iowa locations at Davenport, Bettendorf, Pleasant Valley, Le Claire, Camanche, and Clinton. Embargoes remained in effect since March 21 for some types of freight service to Omaha and Burlington, Iowa, as well.
The Union Pacific Railroad was also making progress. As of March 25, sections of the UP line that remained out of service included the Lincoln Subdivision from Valley, Neb., to Lincoln, Neb.; the Falls City Subdivision from Council Bluffs, Iowa, to Kansas City; and the River Subdivision from Kansas City to Jefferson City, Mo., via Marshall, Mo.
On March 21, UP announced the reopening of two of its subdivisions that were damaged by flooding, including the Blair (Fremont, Neb., to Missouri Valley, Iowa, via Blair) and the Omaha (Missouri Valley, Iowa, to Fremont via Omaha).
“Where possible, Union Pacific will continue to reroute traffic around the affected areas,” the railroad said. “Manifest customers with rerouted shipments may experience an additional 72-96 hours of transit time.”
The U.S. Geological Service on March 25 reported that 38 percent of river gauges on the Missouri River were at some stage of flooding, along with 50 percent of Mississippi River gauges, and fully 79 percent of Big Sioux River gauges.
As of March 28, the National Weather Service office in Omaha reported that 40 of the 265 river gauges in its area of responsibility were still above flood stage, with major flooding reported on the James River near Scotland and Yankton, S.D.; on the Big Sioux River at Akron, Iowa, and above Hawarden, Iowa; on the West Fork Des Moines River at Estherville, Iowa; and on the Missouri River at Miami, Mo.
Moderate flooding continued on the Missouri River from Rulo, Neb., southeast to Glasgow, Mo., while minor flooding was reported on the Missouri from Plattsmouth south to Brownville, Neb.; on the Platte River near Agency, Sharps Station, and Platte City, Mo; on the Des Moines River at Fort Dodge and Des Moines, Iowa; the Little Sioux River from Milford, Iowa, south to Cherokee, Iowa; and at a handful of other points on the Vermillion, Big Blue, Grand, and Blackwater Rivers in South Dakota, Iowa, Missouri, and Kansas.
