Ice cream plant, homes don’t mix

Dan Kulin

Wednesday, March 19, 2003 | 9:34 a.m.

Concerned about the potential for thousands of pounds of ammonia gas to escape from an ice cream plant, the Henderson City Council on Tuesday rejected a proposed residential development for property between the plant and Calico Ridge.

The possibility of a dangerous release of ammonia from the Good Humor-Breyers Ice Cream facility, which uses the gas in its refrigeration process, could also upset plans for the nearby Tuscany development because part of it is within a danger zone outlined by city staff.

Michael Cyphers, the city emergency management coordinator, told the council Tuesday that if 6,600 pounds of ammonia gas were released into the atmosphere, dangerous levels of ammonia could be found within 2,300 feet of the ice cream plant.

All of the proposed Eagle Rock residential development is within that area, as are about 200 homes in the Calico Ridge community and part of the planned Tuscany development. If such an ammonia accident occurred, nearby residents in Calico Ridge would be safe if they went inside their homes, closed all the doors and windows, turned off their air conditioners and waited until the gas dissipated, Cyphers said.

The plant has about 99,000 pounds of ammonia on site. Cyphers said he based his projections on what he called a "reasonable scenario," not a worst-case scenario, for an accidental ammonia release. Under a worst-case scenario dangerous levels of ammonia could reach almost two miles from the plant, he said.

The issue came up during a Tuesday public hearing on a request to change the zoning designation on 20.5 acres of the proposed Eagle Rock development. The land, which shares two borders with Calico Ridge homes, is currently zoned for industrial uses. Holden Development Co. asked the council to give the land residential zoning so it could build 84 homes there.

City staff objected to the zoning change. Mary Kay Peck, the city community development director, said if the change were approved, the ice cream plant's new neighbors would be bothered by excessive noise and odors from the plant's on-site sewage pretreatment facility and would be in danger if there were an ammonia leak.

The city also received a letter from Allen Biaggi, administrator of the state Division of Environmental Protection, who said the agency is concerned about the possible encroachment of residential developments around a facility that uses so much ammonia.

But Paul Larsen, an attorney representing Holden, said the fear of an ammonia leak is a "red herring."

The scenario presented by Cyphers is unlikely, considering the safety measures in place at the plant, such as dual layers on ammonia containers and a water suppression system that would take ammonia out of the air, he said.

"It's not a circle of death," Larsen said of the red circle drawn on a city map to show the potential danger area in case of an ammonia release.

But the council was not swayed.

Councilman Steven Kirk said he opposed the rezoning because it would only bring more homes into a potentially dangerous area.

"I do not believe the right thing to do is to bring more people there," Kirk said.

Kirk, Mayor Jim Gibson and Councilman Andy Hafen voted against the zoning change. Councilman Jack Clark and Councilwoman Amanda Cyphers, who is married to Michael Cyphers, did not attend the Tuesday meeting.

Gibson and City Attorney Shauna Hughes said the council also needs to review the Tuscany development to see how the potential ammonia threat could affect that project.

"We have to revisit the approvals and deal with them," Gibson said. "We must do something about that."

The mayor said city staff should study the situation more to see exactly how Tuscany could be affected.

"I want a more thorough evaluation of what the risks are," he said.