Birdsfoot Delta

Mile 186.8 - LBD - Industrial Complex including PCS Nitrogen, Honeywell, and Williams Olefins

John Ruskey

20 Apr 2026 � 1 min read

186.8 LBD - Industrial Complex including PCS Nitrogen, Honeywell, and Williams Olefins

This chemical complex here is dominated by PCS Nitrogen which is owned by the Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan (PCS, get it). PCS Nitrogen makes 0.50 million tonnes of ammonia, 2.4 million tonnes of nitrogen solutions, nitric acid, and ammonium nitrate and 0.2 million tonnes of phosphoric acid primarily for use in fertilizer manufacturing. PCS Nitrogen produces phosphoric acid by processing phosphate ore with sulfuric acid. This process results in a huge amount of phosphogypsum waste. This phosphogypsum is slightly radioactive because of the uranium and thorium that occurs in phosphate ore. Because of this the phosphogypsum waste is piled up into huge piles behind the facility. PCS Nitrogen has a permit to pile the phosphogypsum up to 200 feet tall. The pile is already approaching 150 feet and you may be able to see it looming up from the horizon from the river.

Honeywell International has a chemical facility on the downriver side of PCS Nitrogen that produces hydrofluoric acid, fluorocarbon refrigerants and AlconTM Resin.

Williams Olefins has a chemical facility between PCS Nitrogen and the big phosphogypsum pile. The plant produces 40,000 tons of propylene and 650,000 tons of ethylene every year, for use in the plastics industry, through steam cracking of ethane and propane. On June 13, 2013 an explosion occurred in the plant killing two workers and injuring 114.

Toxic Releases (TRI) for 2013 in pounds:

PCS Nitrogen:
Air: 983,744
Water: 1,058,406

Honeywell International:
Air: 293,263
Water: 4,972

Williams Olefins:
Air: 230,578
Water: 11

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