Today at 12:58 am, EPA was notified of a release of
anhydrous ammonia at 1311 East Main Street in Weatherford, OK, that resulted
from a leaking gasket from a tanker truck carrying 25,000 pounds of ammonia.
The Oklahoma City Fire Department and the Oklahoma National Guard 63rd
Civil Support Team initially responded to the incident and are on-site. Early
this morning, EPA immediately mobilized to the area and performed community
air, water, and soil monitoring.
EPA Response teams conducted continuous community air
monitoring and did not detect any ammonia in the local residential area. EPA
also took pH measurements of the local creek and soil. The creek measured a pH
of 7 (neutral), which is well within the range for the local ecosystem. The
surrounding soil measured a pH of 10, a level that will naturally neutralize
over a short period.
EPA will continue to work closely with state and local
responders and the Cheyenne Arapaho Tribe to ensure public health in the
community and the environment are protected.
Background
The tanker is owned by Air Gas Specialty Products. A
1.5-mile evacuation radius was ordered, and local responders from Custer County
confirmed there are health impacts to 36 residents who were hospitalized. Out
of caution, local officials called for schools to be closed in the area. At 8
a.m., the City of Weatherford Emergency Management division cancelled the
shelter-in-place order.
Anhydrous ammonia is a concentrated farming fertilizer.
First responders used a cone spray of water to knock down anhydrous ammonia
vapor to dilute and neutralize the contaminant. They then flushed the parking
lot and grass directly surrounding the trailer with approximately 2.4 million
gallons of water that entered a storm drain and nearby Timber Creek. First
responders flushed the drainage ditch that leads to Timber Creek and
constructed an earthen berm to prevent further migration.
