Cactus, Texas-It was business as usual at Omnia Ag right after an explosion in a fertilizer tank brought both the Dumas and Cactus fire departments to the scene, along with investigators from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. “We were very fortunate,” Plant Superintendent Gene Legg told Green Markets. Legg said the firemen put water on the tank and fertilizer to bring things under control. The quick response, he added, even saved the fertilizer that was in the tank, which amounted to only a few hundred pounds. But the fiberglass tank itself can’t be put back in use anytime soon because a hole was blown near the bottom, and Legg was not sure how or who would be doing the repairs. State investigators said the urea had been allowed to dry and became endothermic, causing the tank explosion. “Omni Ag removed the material and is determining if the product can be used or will need to be disposed of at an authorized facility,” Spokesman Terry Clawson reported. He said although urea is considered non-hazardous, the fire departments responded as if they were dealing with hazardous material. Legg said state investigators were not concerned after looking over the situation. He said they told him there wasn’t anything that even required filing a report.
Transparency Across the Fertilizer Value-Chain