HazMat team mitigates fertilizer leak Monday

FORT MADISON – A fertilizer leak on Ortho Road Monday required intervention from local first responders, and the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.
According to a release from Fort Madison Fire Chief Chad Hannum, the fire department was notified of a leak at the Merschman Fertilizer facility on Ortho Road at about 11:52 a.m.  Lee County Emergency Management’s Jason Dinwiddie notified the fire department about the incident.
Upon investigation of the leak, the Lee County HazMat team was called to the site and the two agencies worked with Merschman representatives to coordinate the response.
Responders surveyed downstream areas, conducted atmospheric monitoring and water testing, and deployed containment materials at several locations along the creek to help limit further spread, according to Hannum. Merschman reported the leak had been stopped before responders arrived.
Fire officials requested Iowa Department of Natural Resources assistance and spoke directly with DNR personnel at 12:55 p.m. DNR staff arrived at approximately 2:22 p.m.  Fort Madison Fire personnel briefed them on conditions and actions taken, assisted with downstream assessment, and participated in cleanup planning.
Following that coordination, fire department personnel cleared the scene. The Iowa DNR remained on scene for clean-up oversight.

According to information from DNR field staff, Merschman staff reported one of their tanks developed a leak in early October, which required them to pump the product into an alternate tank. Both tanks sit inside a secondary containment berm that is poly lined with 6-8 inches of gravel. 
Over the past month, facility staff activated a sump pump to remove liquid from the containment area following recent rains. Consequently, an unknown amount of the product and rainwater mixture was pumped over the berm into a drainage ditch south of the property. This ditch connects to an unnamed tributary that empties into the Mississippi River.
Cleanup operations have begun. Facility staff are pumping the remaining product and rainwater mixture into an alternate on-site storage tank, and temporary dams have been placed in multiple places in the tributary. 
No dead fish have been observed at this time. Water samples have been collected, and the investigation is ongoing. Residents are asked to avoid the area at this time.   
Hannum said the leak was liquid fertilizer, known as UAN or Urea Ammonium Nitrate, which is a liquid fertilizer stored on site.