John C. Stennis Space Center (SSC) - Executive Summary |
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY I. Description of Center A. Location The John C. Stennis Space Center (SSC), operated by the National Aeronautic and Space Administration (NASA), is located near the Gulf of Mexico in western Hancock County, Mississippi, approximately 55 miles northeast of New Orleans, Louisiana and 30 miles west of Gulfport, Mississippi. The facility consists of two areas totaling 138,801 acres. The "Fee Area" encompasses approximately 13,800 acres and represents the gated area of SSC. The "Buffer Zone" encompasses approximately 125,071 acres and extends in a five-mile radius around SSC. The majority of the Buffer Zone is located in Hancock County, Mississippi with portions extending into Pearl River County, Mississippi and St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana. A perpetual restrictive easement prohibiting dwelling construction covers the Buffer Zone for safety and acoustic considerations. B. Purpose In 1996 SSC was officially named as the lead Center for Excellence in Large S ystems Propulsion Testing for NASA. Four test stand areas are located onsite for a variety of rocket engine testing programs. C. Regulated Substances Various regulated substances are stored and used at SSC in support of rocket propulsion testing. Liquid hydrogen, along with liquid oxygen, is used as fuel for rocket engine tests and is stored in various tanks onsite. Six of these tanks contain hydrogen in amounts that exceed the threshold quantity (TQ) for hydrogen set by the Risk Management Program (RMP). In addition, chlorine (used for potable water treatment), diesel fuel, gasoline, hydrogen peroxide (used for rocket testing), 1,1,1 trichloroethane, nitric acid and sodium hydroxide (all three used for rocket component cleaning operations) are stored onsite in quantities below RMP TQ limits. II. Accidental Release Prevention and Emergency Response Policy SSC in accordance with regulatory guidelines as a user of hazardous materials, oil products and a generator of hazardous w aste must operate in a manner that protects human health and minimizes the possibility of a fire, explosion, or release of substances into the environment. SSC maintains equipment onsite to facilitate a rapid response to ensure release mitigation efforts are implemented in a timely manner to protect human health and environment. Additionally, mutual aid agreements are in place to obtain emergency assistance from local agencies/authorities. Copies and revisions of the SSC Integrated Contingency Plan (ICP) are forwarded to the mutual aid agencies. The SSC Fire Department is the First Responder for incidents at the Center. To promote the SSC commitment to the protection of human health and the environment, a number of multi-disciplinary personnel are now trained in hazardous materials (HazMat) and/or hazardous waste operations and emergency response (HAZWOPER) to assist the First Responders in the event of a serious incident. III. Worst-case Scenarios Six tanks onsite contain liqui d hydrogen in amounts exceeding the TQ limit for liquid hydrogen. Three of the tanks are used for storage and three are run tanks located on the test stands for rocket testing. All offsite consequence analysis (OCA) was performed using NASA guidance documents for quantity distance (QD) analysis. The QD values were calculated using the cube root scaling law (Sach's Law). In all the scenarios, the complete contents of each tank were assumed released in a vapor cloud explosion. The six worst-case scenarios are summarized below. SSC worst-case scenarios 1 Tank size (gal): 20,000 Configuration: storage tank Offsite Effects: none 2 Tank size (gal): 600,000 Configuration: storage tank Offsite Effects: none 3 Tank size (gal): 50,000 Configuration: storage tank Offsite Effects: none 4 Tank size (gal): 110,000 Configuration: run tank Offsite Effects: none 5 Tank size (gal): 110,000 Configuration: run tank Offsite Effects: none 6 Tank size (gal): 90,000 Configuration: run tank Offsi te Effects: none IV. Accidental Release Prevention Program The SSC Integrated Contingency Plan (ICP) addresses the prevention and control of hazardous material releases. Specifically, the ICP contains as an annex the Spill Prevention, Control and Countermeasures Plan (SPCC), which details the prevention of and response to accidental releases. The ICP was prepared in accordance with regulations from the Code of Federal Regulations summarized below. ICP related regulations 14 CFR 1216 NASA Environmental Quality 29 CFR 1910.120 OSHA HAZWOPER 40 CFR 110 Discharge of Oil 40 CFR 112 Oil Pollution Prevention 40 CFR 116 Designation of Hazardous Substances 40 CFR 117 Determination of Reportable Quantities for Hazardous Substances 40 CFR 260 Hazardous Waste Management System: General 40 CFR 261 Identification and Listing of Hazardous Waste 40 CFR 262 Standards Applicable to Generators of Hazardous Waste 40 CFR 265 Subpart D - Contingency Plan and Emergency Procedures 40 CFR 279 Standards for the Management of Used Oil 40 CFR 300 National Oil and Hazardous Substances Pollution Contingency Plan 40 CFR 302 Designation, Reportable Quantities and Notification 40 CFR 355 Emergency Planning and Notification 40 CFR 372 Toxic Chemical Release Reporting: Community Right-to- Know 49 CFR 171-180 Department of Transportation, Hazardous Materials Regulations In addition to the ICP, various procedures and site-specific parameters ensure release prevention, or at least make the potential minimal. Access to SSC is limited by security at two permanently manned gates. All regulated bulk storage facilities have secondary containment or other controls to capture releases. All above ground storage tanks are either double walled or equipped with impervious secondary containment. All under ground storage tanks are double walled and maintained in accordance with EPA protocol. All personnel involved with the storage and transfer of hazardous material are traine d in spill prevention and control. Inspections are performed on a regular basis on all tanks and other storage and transfer systems. Finally, all operations are performed using written procedures to minimize the possibility of accidental release. V. Five Year Accident History SSC has had two accidents in the last five years involving liquid hydrogen fuel operations. In both accidents, an explosion/fire occurred in a vent line, which then vented burning hydrogen to the atmosphere. In the February 9, 1995 accident, the fire was extinguished after four hours and twenty minutes and the property damage was estimated at $134,000. In the February 8, 1996 accident, the fire was extinguished after two hours and fifty minutes and the property damage was estimated at $150,000. No one onsite or offsite was injured in either accident, no offsite consequences occurred and all released hydrogen was consumed in both fires. VI. Emergency Response Emergency response is an integral component of onsite emergency plans. Specifically, the SSC ICP contains established procedures for the preparation for and response to releases of oil and other hazardous materials. The ICP classifies emergency extent, details response procedures for solid, liquid and atmospheric releases, establishes a full notification system (ranging from onsite contacts to the state and federal level), establishes a response management system and contains a summary of structures and facilities. SSC has an established onsite fire department trained to respond to all site emergencies. In addition, a mutual aid agreement with seven local fire departments is in place. An onsite medical clinic is available for onsite emergencies. Higher level medical assistance has been coordinated with six area hospitals. Personnel certified in HAZWOPER include the NASA Environmental Office, the Fire Department, the Environmental Health division, the Environmental Laboratory and the Medical Clinic. All certified pers onnel are required to attend yearly refresher training. The Fire Department independently conducts training and drills on a scheduled basis. An air horn system has been installed onsite for audible warning of site emergencies. VII. Planned Safety Improvements All onsite programs, plans and procedures are reviewed at specified periodic intervals, with safety and environmental issues evaluated. The ICP is updated annually; this year the Risk Management Plan was added. All site design reviews are required to include safety and environmental representation. SSC has designated an Environmental Working Group, which meets quarterly, to discuss onsite environmental issues and problems. |