Illinois-Amer. Water Co, Granite City Facility - Executive Summary |
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY/RMP SUBMIT CORPORATE PREVENTION AND EMERGENCY RESPONSE APPROACHES At this facility, Illinois-American Water Company handles chlorine for the purpose of disinfecting and treating drinking water. OSHA and EPA consider chlorine a hazardous chemical. The hazards of chlorine make it necessary to observe certain safety precautions in the use and handling to prevent unnecessary human exposure, to reduce the threat to our own personal health as well as our co-workers, and to reduce the threat to nearby members of the community. It is Illinois-American Water Company policy to adhere to all applicable Federal and State rules and regulations. Safety depends on the manner that covered process chemicals are handled and used, combined with the safety devices inherent in the design along with operating procedures and the training of our personnel. The emergency action plan is based upon OSHA 1910.38 (Employee Emergency Plans) 1910.120 (Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response) and experience obtained from community drills. THE STATIONARY SOURCE AND REGULATED SUBSTANCES The maximum amount of chlorine stored at the Granite City facility is 32,000 pounds. Ammonia is used at the Granite City facility but, is in a quantity below the threshold quantity limit. The maximum amount of ammonia stored at the Granite City facility is 8550 pounds. The chlorine is delivered by truck in one-ton cylinders. Liquid chlorine is added to water by evaporating chlorine liquid to gas, metering the gas through an injector, and then diffusing the gas into the flow stream of water at the point of application. Anhydrous Ammonia is delivered by tanker truck. Liquid ammonia is added to water by evaporating ammonia liquid to gas, metering the gas through an injector, and then diffusing the gas into the flow stream of water at the point of application. Senior management is committed to the safe operation of our facilities and its impact on the surrounding communties. THE WORST-CASE RELEASE SCENARIO AND THE ALTERNATIVE RELEASE INCLUDING ADMINISTRATIVE CONTROLS AND MITIGATION MEASURES TO LIMIT THE DISTANCES FOR EACH REPORTED SCENARIO Chlorine - Greenish yellow gas with a pungent irritating odor. Chlorine is liquified under pressure, but is used as a gas at ambient temperature. Illinois-American Water Company uses chlorine for water disinfection. Worst Case Scenario - Catastrophic failure due to corrosion, impact or construction defects. 2000 lb release in 10 minutes. Distance to endpoint is 0.9 miles. Alternative Case Scenario - Tubing failure, bad connection, or valve failure resulting in the release of gas through the 5/16 inch valve body opening. 317lbs released in 60 minutes. Distance to endpoint is 0.1 miles. Proper design, operation, and maintenance of the chlorine feed system should significantly decrease the likelihood of an accidental release of chlorine. Chlorine feed locations are inside an enclosure to further reduce exposure. 3.1 T HE GENERAL ACCIDENTAL RELEASE PREVENTION PROGRAM AND THE SPECIFIC PREVENTION STEPS This facility and process uses design codes and standards from the Chlorine Institute, Capitol Controls Manuals, American National Standards Institute, American Society for Testing and Materials, and applicable state codes and regulations. 3.2 FIVE YEAR ACCIDENT HISTORY We have had no accidental releases of chlorine in the past five years. 3.3 THE EMERGENCY RESPONSE PROGRAM The written emergency response program as mentioned in the opening paragraph is located at the facility with an ongoing training program. Fire department inspections/tours are being conducted annually, detailing on-site chemicals, storage locations, chemical hazards, special instructions and requirements. Drills at this facility are being coordinated with the local fire department. Public notification will be handled through the local fire department per the emergency action plan. 3.4 PLANNED CHANGES TO IMPROVE SAFETY Alt hough there are no immediate plans for changes to improve safety at this facility, installation of a scrubber at this location has been scheduled for the year 2000 as an active mitigation system. We are also considering phasing out gaseous ammonia and substituting a 19% aqueous solution. We constantly review advancement in safety and process technology for the continuing pursuit to provide a safer workplace and community. |