Study: 1M gallons of flammable liquids rolling down Interstate 380 daily

More than a million gallons of flammable liquids pass down Interstate 380 each day within a mile of up to 8,000 Cedar Rapids residents.

Other dangerous chemicals trucking down I-380 include ammonia, propane, chlorine and pesticides, according to a recent study of commodities being shipped by road and rail in Linn County.

'The volume of HAZMAT really surprised me,” said Shane Dodge, chairman of the Local Emergency Planning Commission that covers Linn County.

The county sought the $9,000 study to quantify the amount and type of hazardous materials moving through it so first responders can better prepare for spills, fires and other emergencies, Dodge said.

The commission presented a study summary to the Linn County Board of Supervisors July 28. Only first responders may see the detailed findings because federal law prohibits public release of details about chemical transport because of terrorism concerns.

Since the county's last commodity study in 1998, the daily truck count on I-380 nearly quadrupled, from 3,540 to 12,960, Dodge reported. Loads of propane and corrosives doubled.

The new study showed 322 HAZMAT shipments on I-380 every 24 hours, which is one load every five minutes. Between 7,000 and 8,000 people live within the 0.9-mile 'vulnerability zone” for chemical explosions or spills, Dodge said.

'That doesn't include people who work downtown,” he said.

The bulk of the flammables on Eastern Iowa interstates and highways are petroleum products and ethanol, Dodge said. The study did not show any highly volatile crude oil from the Bakken region coming through Linn County by truck.

Chlorine, commonly used at water treatment plants, is transported and stored as a liquid. But the Linn County report notes release of chlorine gas - which can burn skin, eyes and lungs - could be a major problem in the Cedar Rapids area.

'Airborne release of toxic substances such as chlorine and sulfur dioxide from both highway and rail transports could rapidly impact thousands of people,” the report notes.

EHS Resource Group, a Des Moines-based company founded by Matt Woody, former HAZMAT coordinator for the Des Moines Fire Department, performed the study for Linn, Benton, Buchanan, Cedar, Clayton, Clinton, Delaware, Fayette, Jackson, Jones and Dubuque counties.

Company employees counted trucks at two locations on I-380 over an eight-hour period, noting placards that list what type of hazardous materials are inside, Dodge said. That data is multiplied by three to come up with a 24-hour truck count and an overall volume of specific types of chemicals, he said.

Woody, who has been doing commodity studies in Iowa since 1985, has noticed some statewide trends:

' Increased ethanol production has meant more shipments of sulfuric acid, a chemical used in the process, Woody told The Gazette.

' More companies are shipping smaller containers of more concentrated chemicals, which lowers a company's shipping costs but could result in a more toxic spill.

' More intermodal shipping containers, metal boxes that can be moved by road, rail or ship, are being used for hazardous materials. These vessels, which usually contain an interior tank, can be tricky to access if there's a leak.

Now that Linn County knows what types of hazardous materials are rolling through the Corridor, officials plan to work with neighboring counties to hire a consultant to figure out where local HAZMAT teams need more equipment or training. The analysis is expected to be done in fiscal 2017.