CLAYSVILLE, Mo. (AP) - A 1,500-gallon tank full of anhydrous ammonia was pulled from the Missouri River as it floated downstream near Jefferson City, the Environmental Protection Agency said.
Observers reported the tank and its wheeled chassis floating on the river near Claysville last Friday, when the river was at flood stage, the EPA said in a news release Thursday.
Because anhydrous ammonia is a toxic and potentially deadly chemical, the Missouri Department of Natural Resources called in the EPA. The Missouri State Highway Patrol and Jefferson City fire department secured the tank Friday and determined it wasn’t leaking.
Federal, state, Jefferson City agencies and businesses, along with the Missouri Farmers Association, worked together to corral the tank and remove it from the river on Saturday, when the water level was safer, the EPA said.
The MFA is storing the tank while authorities search for its owner.
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