30,000-gallon ammonia tank leak forces evacuations in southeast Hastings

HASTINGS, Neb. (KSNB) - A 30,000-gallon tank at a fertilizer company leaked anhydrous ammonia for hours Monday, prompting an emergency alert to Adams County residents and forcing multiple businesses in southeast Hastings to evacuate as a precaution.

Adams County Emergency Manager Ron Pughes said the leak was reported a little after 12 p.m. Monday at fertilizer company MacroSource, located in the 4900 block of J Street.

The leak occurred during repairs on the tank that held anhydrous ammonia, a waterless nitrogen gas used on Nebraska farms.

The gas is used in farming to boost crop yields, said Ron Seymour, cropping systems extension educator at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

“The formulation that’s used in agriculture is this nitrogen with four hydrogen bond atoms on it. And so it’