It was a hot day in St. David, Arizona, the kind where the sun beats down relentlessly, and the desert air hangs heavy. But for Harriet Skov, the real threat wasn’t the heat—it was the toxic cloud of gas that filled her control room without warning. Apache Nitrogen Products had long been a fixture in the small town, providing jobs but also wreaking havoc on the health and safety of its workers. Time and again, the company’s negligence left people like Harriet facing an uncertain future, battling injuries from preventable chemical accidents.
Groundwater Contamination
In 2009, Apache Nitrogen Products was forced to address decades of contamination when it agreed to a $5 million cleanup effort targeting both groundwater and soil pollution at the Apache Powder Superfund Site near St. David, Arizona【9†source】. The EPA identified this site as a significant environmental threat as early as the 1980s, with the full scope of the damage only becoming clear over time. Hazardous chemicals, including nitrate and perchlorate, had seeped into the groundwater, affecting not only the aquifer but also the lives of residents who rely on this scarce desert water supply.
Though Apache Nitrogen attempted to frame their bioremediation efforts—powered by renewable energy and a “green” wetlands system—as a responsible step, the truth was far more complicated. The $5 million cleanup represented a minimal investment in rectifying decades of unchecked pollution. For years, toxins had been slowly spreading beneath the surface, their presence largely invisible to the untrained eye, but no less devastating to the region’s delicate ecosystem and human health. Long-term residents of the area, already grappling with water scarcity, were now faced with the reality that the very water they depended on had been poisoned, potentially for generations.
Chemical Releases and Worker Endangerment
If the groundwater contamination was a slow, insidious threat, Apache Nitrogen’s handling of anhydrous ammonia—a highly toxic substance used in both fertilizer and explosives—posed a more immediate danger. In 2014, a catastrophic release of 52,000 pounds of anhydrous ammonia occurred when a piece of piping broke during the offloading process at the facility【12†source】. Thirteen individuals, including employees and contractors, were injured, some requiring evacuation and off-site medical treatment. The sheer scale of this release—and the injuries it caused—underscored a systemic failure in Apache Nitrogen’s safety management.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) launched an investigation that revealed a litany of violations under the Clean Air Act. Apache Nitrogen had failed to implement crucial accident prevention measures, including proper hazard assessments, emergency procedures, and mechanical integrity programs. Even more damning was the company’s delay in notifying federal and state authorities, with hours passing before the appropriate agencies were informed of the potentially life-threatening situation.
This release was not an isolated incident. In fact, the following year, another anhydrous ammonia release occurred due to the company’s ongoing failure to properly maintain its equipment【10†source】. By this point, it had become clear that Apache Nitrogen’s preventive measures were superficial at best. In both cases, the company had neglected basic safety protocols, putting not only its workers but also the surrounding community at risk of exposure to this dangerous chemical.
Injuries and Community Health
One particularly haunting example of Apache Nitrogen’s disregard for worker safety occurred in 1999, when an accidental release of nitric oxide gas filled a control room, severely injuring Harriet Skov, a 13-year employee of the company. Despite Skov’s lengthy tenure and dedication, the company’s mechanical failures left her grappling with potential lifelong health problems. Skov described the accident as happening “quick enough that it was right in my face.” While her physical wounds healed, the psychological scars were profound, with Skov lamenting the loss of simple activities, such as walking without becoming winded.
This incident epitomized a broader culture of neglect. Apache Nitrogen’s safety record was rife with violations, and while the company paid for Skov’s medical bills, the real cost to her quality of life and well-being remained immeasurable【11†source】. The EPA’s investigation into these recurring incidents found a pattern of lax oversight and a dangerous reliance on outdated equipment, highlighting the gap between Apache Nitrogen’s public statements and the on-the-ground reality faced by its employees.
Regulatory Settlements and Inadequate Penalties
In 2020, Apache Nitrogen Products agreed to a settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice and the EPA, paying $1.5 million in civil penalties. This amount, while large on paper, paled in comparison to the damage inflicted over decades. As part of the settlement, Apache Nitrogen was required to enhance its safety protocols, including upgrading its ammonia monitoring systems and emergency response plans. However, these changes came only after the company had repeatedly failed to protect both its workers and the community from preventable chemical releases.
Despite the penalties and the required improvements, the damage had already been done. The company’s long-standing refusal to invest in adequate safety and environmental protections had left deep wounds in the local area. The financial settlements did little to alleviate the ongoing health issues faced by workers like Harriet Skov, or the long-term environmental impact on the desert ecosystem.
A Call for Accountability
For the residents of St. David and the surrounding areas, Apache Nitrogen’s actions have had long-lasting and devastating consequences. The contamination of groundwater, coupled with repeated chemical releases, has eroded trust in both the company and the regulatory bodies tasked with overseeing its operations. The monetary penalties and required safety upgrades may mark the beginning of a long-overdue reckoning, but they do not erase the decades of harm inflicted on workers and the environment.
In the cold, calculating world of corporate profit margins, safety often comes at the cost of a few zeros on the balance sheet. For Apache Nitrogen Products, operating in the barren stretches of Arizona, those zeros translate into chemical spills, injured workers, and a poisoned environment. Despite settlements, fines, and promises of reform, Apache Nitrogen has continued to push forward—fueled by the relentless pursuit of productivity, leaving behind a trail of destruction that costs more than just dollars.
Apache Nitrogen has a website at: https://www.apachenitrogen.com/