Hazardous materials are chemical substances, which if released or misused can pose a threat to the environment or health of a community. These chemicals are used in industry, agriculture, medicine, research and consumer goods throughout Stearns County. Hazardous materials come in forms of explosives, flammable and combustible substances, corrosives, poisons and radioactive materials.
A hazardous material spills or releases can pose a risk to life, health and property. An incident can force the evacuation of few people, a section of a facility or an entire neighborhood or community, resulting in significant economic impact and possible property damage and loss of life. Spilled materials can be costly to clean up and may render the area of the spill unusable for an extended period of time. Hazardous materials incidents are generally associated with transportation accidents or accidents at fixed facilities.
Hazardous materials are conveyed by road, rail, and pipeline, each presenting differing levels of risk of unwanted release of the hazardous materials. Transported products include hazardous materials moving from producers to users, moving between storage and use facilities, and hazardous waste moving from generator to treatment and disposal facilities.
Road
The road system in Stearns County provides a network to transport both hazardous and non-hazardous materials throughout the region and between local communities. Risk of hazardous materials events vary based on the classification of the road and its proximity to people and property. The risk of a major event is most severe in the populated portions of the County and along state highways. According to the most recent findings at the Minnesota Department of Transportation, more than half of all accidents involving hazardous materials have occurred on the state roadways. Roads are a major concern in Stearns County, due to the lack of information available regarding what is traveling on the road systems on a daily basis.
Rail
Rail transportation risks from hazardous materials affect some portions of the County. Approximately 4% of the statewide transportation incidents over the last few years involving hazardous materials were from rail transport. According to the Federal Railroad Administration, Minnesota has had 1,166 rail incidents from 2013-2017 including Railroad Equipment Accidents, Highway Rail Accidents, and Railroad Casualties. Stearns County had 8 incidents within this time frame. Value leakage and safety valve releases can be sources of material spills on pressurized and general service tank cars or other hazardous materials containers such as covered hoppers, inter-modal trailer/containers, or portable tanks. These leaks can manifest themselves as odors or vaporous clouds from tanker top valves; spraying or splashing from tanker top valves; wetness on the side of the car; or drainage from the bottom outlet value. Depending on the type of rail car involved a leak or spill could result in hundreds to thousands of gallon/pounds of substance being released along the Soo Railroad Line.
Pipeline
Stearns County has six major pipelines running through it. The exact locations of these pipelines are on file at the Stearns County Emergency Management Office.
Additional Resources
Minnesota Poison Control
Stearns County Household Hazardous Waste
Enforcement and Compliance History Online (ECHO)
Minnesota Office of Pipeline Safety
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