U.S. Army Garrision Aberdeen Proving Ground - Executive Summary |
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Executive Summary Prevention and Emergency Response Policies: The Aberdeen Proving Ground (APG) is committed to being a safe neighbor and employer. Prevention of accidents, employee safety and emergency response are all operations which have command support and visibility. The APG follows applicable regulations, requirements and policies designed to provide a safe work environment. This document meets the initial requirements for the Aberdeen Proving Ground to develop a Risk Management Program (RMP) as required by the Clean Air Act as Amended 1990 (CAAA-90). It describes elements of the program, assigns responsibility and tasks for implementation, and communicates clearly APG's commitment to its workers and surrounding community that the risk of catastrophic releases of chlorine are minimized. Facility Background: The APG is located approximately 30 miles north of Baltimore, Maryland and 50 miles south of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It occupies more than 72,500 acres in Ha rford County, Maryland. 44,000 of those acres are either wetlands, or under water, including portions of the Bush and Gunpowder River and the Chesapeake Bay. The APG comprises two areas, the Aberdeen Proving Ground Aberdeen Area (APG-AA) and the Aberdeen Proving Ground Edgewood Area (APG-EA), which are 15 miles apart by land. The APG is home to more than fifty tenants and numerous satellite activities. Among the major tenants are the U.S. Army Test and Evaluation Command (TECOM), U.S. Army Ordnance Center and School (OC&S), U.S. Army Aberdeen Test Center (ATC), U.S. Army Solider and Biological Chemical Command (SBDCCOM), U.S. Army Environmental Center (AEC), U.S. Army Center for Health Promotion and Preventative Medicine (USACHPPM), U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Chemical Defense (MRICD), and major elements of U.S. Army Research Laboratory (ARL). The combined military and civilian work force exceeds 15,000. The quantity of chlorine stored and used at APG's two water trea tment plants (WTP) and the two wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) require APG to develop and implement a Risk Management Program. Chlorine is the only chemical that currently exceeds threshold for applicable risk management regulations at APG. Worst-Case Release Scenario(s) and Alternative Release Scenario(s): A worst-case release analysis has been performed for each of the four treatment plants using Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) required parameters. Results of this analysis indicate that the area of concern, or footprint, from a worst-case release would potentially impact a 3 mile radius around each of the WWTPs and a 1.3 mile radius around each WTPs. A release at the APG-EA WWTP has the potential to impact the largest population. The area of concern for the worst-case release from the APG-EA WWTP would include a population of 9,511 people. The worst-case of concern for the other plants include the following populations: 4,469 people around the APG-AA WWTP, 7,107 peop le around the Van Bibber WTP, and 1,222 people around the Chapel Hill WTP. General Accidental Release Prevention Program and Chemical-specific prevention steps: In addition to the RMP, APG has a Process Safety Management Plan (PSMP) and an Integrated Contingency Plan (ICP). APG's PSMP addresses safety in the workplace by identifying related work processes and assuring all safety measures required are followed. The ICP describes additional procedures and regulations followed by various APG offices in preparation for response to a hazardous materials incident. The ICP is included in this document by reference. The following is a list of specific standards followed: 29 CFR 1910.120 Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response 29 CFR 1910.38 Employee Emergency and Fire Protection Plans 40 CFR 110 Discharge of Oil 40 CFR 116 Hazardous Substances, Designation of 40 CFR 117 Hazardous Substances, Reportable Quantities 40 CFR 300 National Oil and Hazardous Substance Pollution Cont ingency Plan PL 92-500 Federal Water Pollution Control Act, as ammended NFPA 471 Recommended Practice for Responding to Hazardous Material Incidents NFPA 472 Professional Competence of Responders to Hazardous Material Incidents EO 12088 Federal Compliance with Pollution Standards DODD 5030.41 Oil and Hazardous Substance Pollution Prevention and Contingency Program DODD 6050.8 Storage and Disposal of Non-DOD Owned Hazardous or Toxic Materials on DOD Installations AR 200-1 Environmental Protection and Enhancement AR 385-40 Accident Reporting and Records AR 420-90 Fire Protection AR 500-60 Disaster Relief Five Year Accident History: There have been no documented accidental off site releases of any chemical, which could have had a catastrophic impact to the public or environment, in the last 5 years at APG's waste water and drinking water treatment plants as addressed by this RMP. Emergency Response Program: The APG Directorate of Safety, Health and Environment's Fire and Emergenc y Services Division (APG DSHE-FESD) is a comprehensive community and emergency service system. In addition, DSHE-FESD is a member of the local community response network with mutual aid agreements in place to assist or be assisted by other fire departments, including the Harford county Hazardous Material Emergency Response Unit. The APG DSHE-FESD consists of two fire stations with 61 full time emergency responder positions. Emergency response personnel participate in addressing major regulations (such as the RMP) with other directorates/divisions that require emergency service planning. Policy for the DSHE-FESD is defined by Army Regulation (AR)420-90 which adopts the National Fire Protection Association codes for operation. |