Chemical leak is found in Brazoria

Firm asks locals to evacuate after ammonia release

Ammonia from Ascend Performance Materials LLC leaked Thursday in a rural area of Brazoria County, the company announced Sunday.

The leak was northeast of the intersection of County Road 232 and County Road 226. Ascend asked residents of three farmhouses to evacuate, the company told the Associated Press.

Ascend, which has facilities in Alvin, about 20 miles from the leak, said it is working to repair the supply line that leaked Thursday. The ammonia flow has been turned off.

There are no reported injuries, spokeswoman Alison Jahn wrote in an email, and a “full investigation” is ongoing. The leak is near the Brazoria National Wildlife Refuge.

She did not respond to questions on the leak’s cause, when it was reported to local officials, how many people had to evacuate or the time frame of a potential fix. The Brazoria County fire marshal’s dispatch referred all questions to Jahn.

“These questions will all be answered in due course after the repairs and the investigation are complete,” Jahn wrote in an email.

Company officials warned in a news release that the smell of ammonia may be detectable but that air quality is being monitored.

The Houston-based company makes plastics, fibers and chemicals.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has inspected Ascend facilities in Texas after complaints four times. In 2014, the agency found that Ascend did not manage hydrogen cyanide, a highly hazardous chemical, safely.

The state has cited the company for violations to the Safe Drinking Water Act in recent years, including breaking rules on public notice, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.