United States Environmental Protection Agency
Region X
POLLUTION REPORT

Subject: 

Agrium Conda Phosphate Operations is located north of the community of Soda Springs, Idaho, about 50 miles southeast of Pocatello.

Phosphogypsum is a waste-product created from the production of fertilizers.  A slurry of phosphogypsum is discharged during processing to a "gypstack".  The dike around one of these lined gypstacks failed on the morning of 12/27/06, releasing an estimated 4 to 5 million gallons of phosphoric acid at an estimated pH of 1.85.  About 1 million gallons were contained on the facility grounds, with about 3.7 million gallons (including some snowmelt and water runoff) accumulated in an adjacent farm field.  

The farm field is located to the east of the plant facility several hundred from the plant.  The associated farmhouse is located about 2000 feet from the facility, and is currently unoccupied, but about 10 horses at the farm have been moved to the northern side of the farm to minimize risk of exposure to the acid.  

OSC Barber arrived at the facility at about 1745 on 12/28/06 and met with plant general manager, Charlie Ross.  Weather is very cold (low of 7F tonight, high of 21F expected tomorrow), but little or no percipitation is expected for the next few days.

PRP response activities began soon after the incident began, and continued throughout the night and into the following day.  Due to fatigue and cold conditions responders stood down the evening, planning to return tomorrow morning and continue activities.  

Activities thus far by the PRP include stopping the discharge from the gypstack, recovering spilled acid to a process pond, sampling of spill area liquids and monitoring and residential wells downgradient of the spill.  It is reported that no downgradient groundwater impacts have yet been found.  

Latest results on the farm field are reported as pH of 2.2 after some dilution with snowmelt and springwater runoff ocurred.

Tasks to accomplish include EPA integration into incident/unified command, review of status and response activities thus far, assessment of threat to human health and the environment, and communcation to stakeholders as appropriate.

Two START personnel have arrived at Soda Springs, and will mobilize to the spill site for 0745 planning and operations meeting at the facility.

OSC Barber will meet with IDEQ personnel in Pocatello Friday morning before returning to the spill site.  

Additional spill site response meetings are currently planned for 1300 and 1615 on Friday.

pending