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Tag Archives: agricultural chemicals

Department emergency staff respond to 13-car train derailment

Department’s Environmental Emergency Response staff were dispatched to the scene of a 13-car train derailment near Mosby, Missouri on Saturday, Oct. 27. 

Union Pacific Railroad contacted the 24-Hour Spill Line at 5:26 a.m. to report a derailment of a Canadian Pacific train. Three hopper cars landed in Fishing River, each carrying approximately 80,000 pounds of glyphosate intermediate cake, a product used in the manufacture of herbicides. One tanker was leaking liquid fertilizer but this did not impact the creek as an earthen dam was constructed around the area.

Mosby train derailment

Environmental consultants from Canadian Pacific Railroad collected water samples. Readings for pH level of the river indicate that there was no impact from the herbicide product and no fish kill was observed. The Fishing River remains dammed above and below the impacted area. After the rail cars are removed and it is safe to enter the area, a response contractor will pump the contents of the damned area.

The bridge was compromised in the derailment making removal of the derailed train cars difficult. A large crane was onsite to repair the bridge. Due to the position of the derailed cars, equipment being used and damage to the bridge combined with concern for personnel safety issues slowed efforts at the scene. The Environmental Emergency Responder conducted further investigation Monday.

The Environmental Emergency Response section is called to the scene of more than 300 emergencies each year, including fires, traffic accidents, leaking storage tanks and other incidents that could have a negative environmental impact. The department’s 24-Hour Spill Line receives more than 1,600 incident reports annually.

To report an environmental emergency, including fuel spills, please contact the 24-Hour Spill Line at (573) 634-2436. For more information about the program visit Environmental Emergency Response.   

Mosby train derailment incident

 

Posted on Oct 29, 2012

Northwest Missouri, Missouri River flood response

On Oct. 14, the Environmental Emergency Response Section (EER), the Buchanan County Emergency Management Director, and the Missouri State Highway Patrol (MSHP) conducted a flyover of the Missouri River.  The primary mission of the flyover was to identify any abandoned or orphaned hazardous materials containers.  This information gathering event will enable EER to develop a reconnaissance plan to retrieve any containers in and around the floodway.  The MSHP provided a fixed wing aircraft for the flight.  On Oct. 19-20, EER On-Scene Coordinators from the Kansas City Regional area conducted ground reconnaissance of the containers identified during the Oct. 14 flight.  Less than fifteen containers have been identified as being left behind by the flood waters.  The containers are of sizes varying from small propane cylinders up to a 10,000-gallon underground tank.  The containers are mostly empty.  EER will be working with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on recovery and disposal of these orphaned containers
The department urges citizens in flood-prone areas to secure propane tanks properly and mark the tanks to help identify them and avoid safety problems prior to flooding. 

Information regarding reducing the impact of flooding regarding propane tanks and agricultural chemicals is available in the department’s fact sheets:

Reducing the Impact of Flooding – Propane Tanks

 and Reducing the Impact of Flooding – Agricultural Chemicals

To report an environmental emergency, including fuel spills, please contact the department’s spill line at 573-634-2436.

 For more information, please visit the Environmental Services Program web site. 

 Visit the department’s Natural Disaster Resources for more information regarding disasters and disaster resources.

Posted on Nov 03, 2011

Getting rid of unwanted pesticides

How do you properly – and legally – dispose of unwanted pesticides?

It partly depends on whether you are a household (individual), a farmer or a business.

Regardless of your classification in those three categories, the preferred method is to reuse the pesticides. Check with the Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Pesticides at 573-751-5504 to see if the pesticides are banned or if there any restrictions for using the pesticide.

Households

Missouri law requires householders, farmers and exempted persons manage hazardous wastes, which could include pesticides, they generate so as not to harm human health, threaten the environment or create a public nuisance.

If you have pesticides you’ve used at home, you are allowed to dispose of them with your normal trash. Your trash hauler could, however, refuse to pick these up. In this case you may have to seek other methods of disposal.

If you are unable to dispose of pesticides with your trash, the next option would be to take them to a household hazardous waste collection facility if they are willing to accept them.

Contact your Solid Waste Management District to locate the nearest collection facility.

There might also be a hazardous waste collection event in your area that would accept unwanted pesticides. The department maintains a list  of these events.

Farmers

If you are a farmer, a person primarily engaged in the production of crops or livestock for agricultural purposes, or both, many of the exemptions that apply to household hazardous waste also apply to you. Disposal in your trash may be legal, but you must ensure your pesticides don’t create a danger to human health or the environment.

Check the labels to see if there are any directions or recommendations for disposal. Sometimes manufacturers will offer options such as drop-off or take back programs.

Also check with the Bureau of Pesticides to see if there are restrictions on using the pesticide.

If there are no manufacturer options available or if the use of the pesticide is restricted, contact your Solid Waste Management District for additional options. As a final resort you may opt to hire a licensed hazardous waste transporter  to take the pesticides to a permitted Treatment, Storage or Disposal facility.

Businesses:

An unused pesticide product becomes a waste when it is permanently removed it from service. If you have determined the pesticide is a waste you must then determine if it is a hazardous waste.

If it is a hazardous waste you are required to dispose of it at a permitted Treatment, Storage or Disposal facility. You are also required to use a licensed hazardous waste transporter to ship them.

If they are not hazardous wastes, they may be disposed of at a solid waste landfill or transfer station. Some special waste requirements may still apply, and would be determined by the solid waste facility receiving the waste.

If you have any questions about properly disposing of pesticides, give us a call at 800-361-4827.

Posted on Sep 28, 2011

Reduce Flooding Impact – Waste Pesticides

 Reducing the Impact of Flooding –

Agricultural Chemicals – Waste Pesticides

When Flooding is Inevitable

Unlike other natural disasters that strike Missouri (e.g. tornadoes), severe flooding usually can be predicted, giving those in the effected areas the opportunity to prepare. One important form of preparation is to take steps to minimize the environmental effects agricultural chemicals would have if exposed to flood waters. The suggestions below are taken from Reducing the Impact of Flooding – Agricultural Chemicals, a fact sheet created by the Minnesota Department of Agriculture.

Waste Pesticides

  • Protect all pesticides including any unusable or unwanted herbicides, insecticides or other pesticides from rising water or other water damage.
  • Repackage or overpack all paper bags to protect dry product from water damage.
  • Repackage or overpack older containers, liquid products or containers in poor condition to protect from water damage.
  • Use rigid plastic or metal containers to repackage or overpack containers.
  • Store pesticides damaged by water or otherwise rendered unusable for proper disposal. Do not throw pesticides into trash or dump onto ground.
  • Contact the waste pesticide collection program for information on the disposal of damaged or unusable pesticides.

More information regarding reducing the impact of flooding regarding other agricultural chemicals is available in the department’s fact sheets:

Reducing the Impact of Flooding – Agricultural Chemicals

In addition to agricultural chemicals, those living in rural areas affected by flooding should take steps to secure propane and other fuel tanks. Additional information related to securing and preparing propane tanks is available in the department’s fact sheet,

Reducing the Impact of Flooding – Propane Tanks

To report an environmental emergency, including fuel spills, please contact the department’s spill line at 573-634-2436.

For more information, please visit the Environmental Services Program web site.  

 

Posted on Aug 30, 2011

Reduce Flooding Impact – Bulk Liquid Fertilizer or Pesticides

Reducing the Impact of Flooding –

Agricultural Chemicals – Bulk Liquid Fertilizer or Pesticides

When Flooding is Inevitable

Unlike other natural disasters that strike Missouri (e.g. tornadoes), severe flooding usually can be predicted, giving those in the effected areas the opportunity to prepare. One important form of preparation is to take steps to minimize the environmental effects agricultural chemicals would have if exposed to flood waters. The suggestions below are taken from Reducing the Impact of Flooding – Agricultural Chemicals, a fact sheet created by the Minnesota Department of Agriculture.

Bulk Liquid Fertilizer or Pesticides

  • Lock and protect valves.
  • Close and lock site gauge valves on bulk fertilizer storage tanks.
  • Inventory all stored products.
  • Accelerate or postpone shipments.
  • Prominently display firm manager’s name and telephone number.
  • Road restrictions could limit the speed at which product can be removed.
  • All agricultural chemical bulk tanks should be anchored in some manner if empty.

 

More information regarding reducing the impact of flooding regarding other agricultural chemicals is available in the department’s fact sheets:

Reducing the Impact of Flooding – Agricultural Chemicals

In addition to agricultural chemicals, those living in rural areas affected by flooding should take steps to secure propane and other fuel tanks. Additional information related to securing and preparing propane tanks is available in the department’s fact sheet,

Reducing the Impact of Flooding – Propane Tanks

To report an environmental emergency, including fuel spills, please contact the department’s spill line at 573-634-2436.

For more information, please visit the Environmental Services Program web site. 

Posted on Aug 23, 2011

Reducing Flooding Impact – Bulk Dry Fertilizer

Reducing the Impact of Flooding –

Agricultural Chemicals – Bulk Dry Fertilizer

 When Flooding is Inevitable

Unlike other natural disasters that strike Missouri (e.g. tornadoes), severe flooding usually can be predicted, giving those in the effected areas the opportunity to prepare. One important form of preparation is to take steps to minimize the environmental effects agricultural chemicals would have if exposed to flood waters. The suggestions below are taken from Reducing the Impact of Flooding – Agricultural Chemicals, a fact sheet created by the Minnesota Department of Agriculture.

Bulk Dry Fertilizer

  • Construct barriers at flood water entrances to prevent water from entering bins.
  • Delay shipments or temporarily move product to higher ground.
  • Spring road restrictions could limit the speed at which product can be removed.

More information regarding reducing the impact of flooding regarding other agricultural chemicals is available in the department’s fact sheets:

Reducing the Impact of Flooding – Agricultural Chemicals

In addition to agricultural chemicals, those living in rural areas affected by flooding should take steps to secure propane and other fuel tanks. Additional information related to securing and preparing propane tanks is available in the department’s fact sheet,

Reducing the Impact of Flooding – Propane Tanks

To report an environmental emergency, including fuel spills, please contact the department’s spill line at 573-634-2436.

 

For more information, please visit the Environmental Services Program web site.

 

 

Posted on Jul 12, 2011

Reduce Flooding Impact – Pesticide Containers

Reducing the Impact of Flooding –

Agricultural Chemicals – Small Packaged Pesticide Containers

When Flooding is Inevitable

Unlike other natural disasters that strike Missouri (e.g. tornadoes), severe flooding usually can be predicted, giving those in the effected areas the opportunity to prepare. One important form of preparation is to take steps to minimize the environmental effects agricultural chemicals would have if exposed to flood waters. The suggestions below are taken from Reducing the Impact of Flooding – Agricultural Chemicals, a fact sheet created by the Minnesota Department of Agriculture.

Small Packaged Pesticide Containers

  • Keep containers off the floor and secured.
  • Inventory products.
  • Move grain fumigants to an area not within the flood zone.
  • Move products to an area protected from flood waters and away from drains.
  • Postpone incoming shipments.

More information regarding reducing the impact of flooding regarding other agricultural chemicals is available in the department’s fact sheets:

Reducing the Impact of Flooding – Agricultural Chemicals

In addition to agricultural chemicals, those living in rural areas affected by flooding should take steps to secure propane and other fuel tanks. Additional information related to securing and preparing propane tanks is available in the department’s fact sheet,

Reducing the Impact of Flooding – Propane Tanks

To report an environmental emergency, including fuel spills, please contact the department’s spill line at 573-634-2436.

For more information, please visit the Environmental Services Program web site.  

 

Posted on Jul 11, 2011