Amoco Road Water Well Site - Executive Summary

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RISK MANAGEMENT PLAN 
AMOCO ROAD WATER WELL SITE 
CITY OF MOSS POINT, MS 
 
 
The Moss Point Amoco Road Water Well site is located just east of MS Highway 63 in a commercial and industrial complex in the northern portion of the city.  The site includes a 300 gpm water well, a small concrete block equipment building, a direct drive auxiliary engine and two one-ton cylinders of chlorine. 
 
REGULATED SUBSTANCES HANDLED 
 
The regulated substance handled at the Amoco Road Water Well is highly toxic gaseous chlorine stored in two one-ton steel tanks.  The chlorine is used to oxidize hydrogen sulfide in and disinfect the raw well water as it is pumped into the distribution system. 
 
The chlorine in the steel tanks is stored under pressure and liquified.  An accidental release would result in gaseous chlorine escaping into the atmosphere.  Chlorine gas is heavier than air and would tend to spread out near the ground surface.  Therefore, a large scale accidental release would represent a serious health 
and safety hazard to people and animal life in the area surrounding the well site. 
 
ACCIDENTAL RELEASE EMERGENCY RESPONSE POLICIES 
 
There are no workers assigned to the Amoco Road well site on a full-time basis.  However, the site is monitored daily by Moss Point Public Works personnel.  During these short monitoring visits, chlorination equipment is checked for proper operation, leaks, or other malfunctions.  Any malfunctions posing health or safety hazards to the workers or the general public are immediately reported to public works headquarters by radio. 
 
Preventive maintenance activities are also undertaken periodically to replace deteriorating chlorination equipment. The municipal water department recently initiated a program to place fiberglass enclosures over the chlorine cylinders and roller trunions under the cylinders.  The enclosures protect the cylinders, regulators, piping and related equipment from the elements and from physical damage.  Although the enclosures are not a 
irtight, they will assist in containing chlorine leaks.  The roller trunions allow a tank that is leaking to be rotated so that liquified chlorine is not spilled. 
 
Public Works personnel's emergency response to chlorine leaks is to immediately notify public works headquarters by radio and then make every effort to contain the accidental release.  Public works headquarters immediately notifies the Moss Point Fire Department (Fire Marshall is the Civil Defense Director).  The Moss Point Fire Department notifies the Jackson County LEPC, mobilizes the Moss Point Police Department, Jackson County Sheriffs Office, and the Moss Point Public Works Department.  These organizations immediately begin appropriate emergency actions such a public notification, isolation and evacuation of the danger area, and repair of the damaged chlorine facilities. 
 
WORSE-CASE RELEASE SCENARIO 
 
The worse-case release scenario is based upon the rupture of one chlorine tank and the release of 2000 pounds of gaseous  
chlorine over a period of ten minutes at the rate of 200 pounds per minute.  The RMP/Comp computer program furnished by EPA notes that an area with a radius of 1.3 miles center on the well site would be adversely impacted by this accidental release.  This impact area includes a hundred or so homes, a school, several churches and a number of commercial and industrial establishments. 
 
The 1.3-mile area around the well site would immediately be cordoned-off by law enforcement personnel and all people would be evacuated, except for properly equipped and protected emergency personnel. 
 
ALTERNATIVE RELEASE SCENARIO 
 
The worse-case accidental release scenario noted above is an unlikely event.  Based upon past history and experience, a more like scenario is a slow chlorine leak from a partially filled tank.  Therefore, the alternative release scenario is based upon the accidental release of 1,000 pounds of gaseous chlorine over a period of two hours at the rate of about eight pounds per minute 
.  The toxic endpoint of this accidental release would extend about 0.1 mile from the well site. 
 
This alternative release scenario would impact the surrounding commercial and industrial property.  The same emergency procedures would be undertaken as for the worse-case scenario, except the isolation and evacuation area would be reduced to about 0.1 mile. 
 
ACCIDENTAL RELEASE PREVENTION PROGRAM 
 
City personnel comply with OSHA 1910.36 (Emergency Action Plan) and coordinate accidental release prevention activities with the Moss Point Fire Department and Civil Defense Director, the City Engineer, and the Jackson County LEPC. Public Works personnel perform routine checks and preventive maintenance activities designed to prevent accidental release of chlorine gas. 
 
FIVE YEAR ACCIDENT HISTORY 
 
The have been not significant accidental releases of chlorine at this site.
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