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By Gabe Licht

Anhydrous ammonia was last applied a couple months ago , and it will be a couple more months before the next application , but it ’ s never a bad time to talk about anhydrous ammonia safety .

That fact was highlighted by a Nov . 14 anhydrous ammonia spill north of Brownton .

According to McLeod County Emergency Management Director Kevin Mathews , the incident was reported at 10:48 p . m . near the intersection of Plum Avenue and 90th Street about a mile north of Brownton .

It appears a mechanical failure caused a hose or valve to leak .

Members of the Brownton Fire Department were able to shut off the valves on the tanks in the field .

The anhydrous ammonia that had escaped formed a cloud that crept along the ground .

“ Especially that night we had a foggy night ,” Mathews said . “ The deputies and firefighters going out into the area were driving around and not seeing they were in the anhydrous cloud . If it ’ s clear , night or day , you can see the white cloud . With the fog , it was hard to tell .”

Some area residents also drove into the cloud before retreating .

According to Mathews , none of those individuals nor the farmer or emergency personnel sought medical treatment for anhydrous ammonia exposure , which can hamper breathing .

To prevent others from driving into the cloud , Mathews and emergency personnel established a perimeter around the site , shutting down roads in a section measuring 6 square miles , including Highway 15 .

“ The cloud dissipated and we had responders who could smell it on Highway 15 a couple miles away ,” Mathews said .

His department utilized CodeRed and IPAWS ( Integrated Public Alert and Warning System ) to notify people in that area of the situation . One family voluntarily evacuated , while the majority sheltered in place until the cloud dissipated .

By 2:30 a . m ., the situation was resolved and roads were reopened .

Mathews said he was pleased with how the situation was handled .

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