UTE WATER TREATMENT PLANT - Executive Summary |
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THE UTE WATER CONSERVANCY DISTRICT'S ACCIDENTAL RELEASE PREVENTION PLAN INCORPORATES TECHNOLOGIES, PROCEDURES, AND MANAGEMENT PRACTICES GEARED TOWARDS REDUCING THE PROBABILITY OF AN ACCIDENTAL RELEASE OF CHLORINE GAS. ALL APPLICABLE PROCEDURES OF THE U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY PREVENTION PROGRAM HAVE BEEN ADHERED TO. THE UTE WATER TREATMENT PLANT'S EMERGENCY RESPONSE PLAN IS TAILORED TO THE OPERATIONAL PRACTICES OF THE DISTRICT'S TREATMENT PLANT AND THOSE OF THE EMERGENCY RESPONSE SERVICES AVAILABLE IN THE COMMUNITY, AND IS IN COMPLIANCE WITH EPA'S EMERGENCY RESPONSE PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS. THE UTE WATER TREATMENT PLANT PROVIDES OVER 60 % OF THE DOMESTIC AND FIRE FIGHTING WATER TO URBAN AND RURAL AREAS OF THE GREATER GRAND VALLEY, WITH OVER 900 MILES OF FINISHED WATER DISTRIBUTION PIPELINES. THE FULL CONVENTIONAL TREATMENT PLANT UTILIZES CHLORINE GAS FOR DISINFECTION. THE CHLORINE STORAGE ROOM IS ISOLATED FROM THE FACILITY AND STORES A MAXIMUM OF EIGHT ( 8 ) ONE TON CON TAINERS OF LIQUID CHLORINE AT ANY GIVEN TIME. THE CHLORINE STORAGE ROOM IS EQUIPPED WITH, CHLORINATORS, A LEAK DETECTOR WITH AUDIO AND VISUAL ALARMS, VARIOUS SAFETY EQUIPMENT, ELECTRIC PANELS, AND INSTRUMENTATION. THE TREATMENT PLANT IS MANNED 24 HOURS A DAY BY CERTIFIED OPERATORS. THE OFF-SITE CONSEQUENCE ANALYSIS INCLUDES TWO ( 2 ) CHLORINE RELEASE SCENARIOS. THE FIRST IS IDENTIFIED AS THE WORST CASE RELEASE, WHERE IT IS ASSUMED THAT THE MAXIMUM QUANTITY IN THE LARGEST CONTAINER IS RELEASED AS CHLORINE GAS IN TEN ( 10 ) MINUTES. THE SECOND SCENARIO IS IDENTIFIED AS AN ALTERNATIVE RELEASE WHICH IS MORE LIKELY TO OCCUR THAN THE WORST CASE SCENARIO. ACTIVE MITIGATION MEASURES WHICH ARE IN AFFECT INCLUDE: - CHLORINE LEAK DETECTION EQUIPMENT WITH AUDIO AND VISUAL ALARMS - VACUUM TYPE CHLORINATORS AND CHLORINE GAS PIPING - LEAK CONTAINMENT WITHIN THE CHLORINE STORAGE BUILDING - ABILITY TO PROVIDE NEGATIVE PRESSURE WITHIN THE CHLORINE STORAGE BUILDING THE U TE WATER TREATMENT PLANTS ACCIDENTAL CHLORINE RELEASE PREVENTION PROGRAM IS BASED ON THE FOLLOWING KEY ELEMENTS: - HIGH LEVEL OF OPERATOR AND SUPERVISORY TRAINING - AN ONGOING PREVENTATIVE MAINTENANCE PROGRAM - THE USE OF STATE OF THE ART PROCESS AND SAFETY EQUIPMENT - THE CREATION AND USE OF ACCURATE AND EFFICIENT OPERATING PROCEDURES, DEVELOPED AND WRITTEN WITH THE FULL PARTICIPATION OF THE OPERATORS AND STAFF AT THE DISTRICT'S TREATMENT PLANT - IMPLEMENTATION OF AN AUDITING AND INSPECTION PROGRAM WHICH INCLUDES A HAZARD REVIEW OF EQUIPMENT AND PROCEDURES OPERATOR SAFETY MEASURES FOR HANDLING CHLORINE INCLUDE: - SELF CONTAINED BREATHING APPARATUS ( SCBA ) - INDIVIDUAL CHEMICAL SPECIFIC RESPIRATORS WORN BY BOTH OPERATORS DURING CONNECTION AND/OR DISCONNECTION OF CHLORINE CONTAINERS AND MAINTENANCE OF CHLORINE FEED EQUIPMENT - ON-GOING OPERATOR TRAINING AND SET PROCEDURES FOR HANDLING CHLORINE CONTAINERS AND RELATED EQUIPMENT RMP*COMP MODELING WAS USED TO PERFORM THE WORST CASE AND ALTERNATE WORST CASE OFFSITE CONSEQUENCE ANALYSES FOR A CHLORINE RELEASE. THE TOXIC END POINT FOR THE WORST CASE SCENARIO IS 0.9 MILES. THE RESIDENTIAL POPULATION WITHIN A CIRCLE WITH A RADIUS CORRESPONDING TO THE WORST CASE SCENARIO TOXIC ENDPOINT DISTANCE HAS BEEN ESTIMATED AT +/- 30 PERSONS. THE TOXIC END POINT FOR THE ALTERNATE WORST CASE SCENARIO IS 0.1 MILES. THE RESIDENTIAL POPULATION WITHIN A CIRCLE WITH A RADIUS CORRESPONDING TO THE ALTERNATE WORST CASE SCENARIO TOXIC ENDPOINT DISTANCE HAS BEEN ESTIMATED AT +/- 10 PERSONS. THERE HAS BEEN NO ACCIDENTAL RELEASES OF CHLORINE SINCE THE PLANT WAS INITIALLY PUT INTO SERVICE IN 1964. THE UTE WATER TREATMENT PLANT HAS AN EMERGENCY RESPONSE PLAN, WHICH HAS BEEN REVIEWED AND COORDINATED WITH THE GRAND JUNCTION FIRE DEPARTMENTS HAZ-MAT TEAM AND THE MESA COUNTY LOCAL EMERGENCY RESPONSE PLANNING COMMITTEE. THE PLAN IS REVIEWED ANNUAL LY, AND UPDATED AS NEEDED |