A bit more information here. The Ammonium nitrate started appearing on their reports in 2012. Apparently nobody at the one office notified the other regulators of the hazard.
NY Daily News: Saturday, April 20, 2013, 11:34 AM
Texas fertilizer plant had 1,350 times the amount of ammonium nitrate that would normally raise red flags
The factory in West, Texas, did not report its massive amount of the potentially explosive fertilizer to the Department of Homeland Security, a source familiar with DHS operations said. At least 14 people died and more than 200 were injured following the blast on Wednesday.
Quote: “Fertilizer plants and depots must report to the DHS when they hold 400 lb (180 kg) or more of the substance. Filings this year with the Texas Department of State Health Services, which weren’t shared with DHS, show the plant had 270 tons of it on hand last year.”
““It seems this manufacturer was willfully off the grid,” Rep. Bennie Thompson, (D-MS), ranking member of the House Committee on Homeland Security, said in a statement. “This facility was known to have chemicals well above the threshold amount to be regulated under the Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards Act (CFATS), yet we understand that DHS did not even know the plant existed until it blew up.””
“In its RMP filings, West Fertilizer reported on its storage of anhydrous ammonia and said that it did not expect a fire or explosion to affect the facility, even in a worst-case scenario. And it had not installed safeguards such as blast walls around the plant.”
“In response to a request from Reuters, Haywood, who has been a safety engineer for 17 years, reviewed West Fertilizer’s Tier II sheets from the last six years. He said he found several items that should have triggered the attention of local emergency planning authorities - most notably the sudden appearance of a large amount of ammonium nitrate in 2012.”
Good idea. Google Earth it is.
Large, brown tank.
1) There appear to have been 2 large storage tanks there in the past. The circle on the ground is the remains of the pad for that tank that is no longer there.
2) The existing tank is approximately 115 ft in diameter.
3) The old pad is also approx 115 ft in diameter.
4) Roof of this tank is made up of what appear to be 5’x15’ pieces of metal.
SILVER TANKS: TWO
1) Little one to North of large tank appears to be 54 feet in diameter. It is sitting on the old 115 foot diameter pad.
2) Bigger one to North east of that appears to be 80 feet in diameter.
TRUCK to West of Large Tank
1) It is sitting on the rail spur, but it appears to be a truck.
2) Aprox 9 foot wide by 43 foot long for the truck
3) Cab is the same width but another 15 foot long.
4) So what loading/unloading operation are they doing here?
WHITE BUILDING - Middle East side.
1) 65 foot wide by 120 foot long.
2) 3 trucks parked to east.
3) 2 SUV’s parked on south side.
4) Unid’ vehicles parked, 1 on North and 2 on West.
It appears that they are cabs pulling square hoppers.
5) May be an overhang on the roof.
GRAY BUILDING - Middle West side.
1) Another truck parked to west of this building - at the North end. Same size as first.
2) Funny shape to this building, it is multistory of some kind.
3) Overall shape appears to be 150 feet by 80 feet.
CLUSTER OF WHITE STORAGE TANKS - Lower Middle of lot.
1) 4 white vertical tanks in first row
11ft; 8 ft; 8 ft; 8 ft diameters estimated
2) 3 white vertical tanks in second row
9ft; 12 ft; 14 ft diameters estimated
3) 5 white vertical tanks in third row.
6ft; 9ft; 9ft; 6ft; and 6ft; diameters estimated
Presumed NH3 Storage: - Lower Left side of lot
1) 2 horizontal white cylinders (typical of Ammonia)
6 ft diameter by 42 foot long
2) Two additional cylinders running North-South instead of east west.
Also presumably Ammonia storage.
6 ft diameter by 32 foot long (may be foreshortened in photo)
WHITE BIN:
1) Just south of gaggle of White storage tanks
22by 22 foot by 8 foot tall
Appears to have 4 6x8 empty square haulers by it.
EAST SIDE OF White Storage Tanks
1) Two ‘baby’ ammonia storage tanks
15 ft long x 5 foot diameter.
Lots more of these ‘delivery’ units on site.
I count 22 more to the South and East.
And another 33 South of that in the ‘extension’.
SMALL ROUND TANK - South Lot, West side
1) 48 foot in diameter
2) Connection to offloading facility on rail spur
3) Two, regular sized trailer trucks (42 ft plus 15 ft cab) parked East and West near it.
4) Perhaps 40 foot tall.
GREEN ROOF BUILDING:
1) 50 foot by 50 foot
2) 5 Cars parked in front
3) 6 car shelters to east of building
4) 1 car parked to south west
SOUTH:
1) 6 - Vertical white storage tanks.
6 foot diameter by 8 foot tall.