Illinois-American Water Co. Main Station 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 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 Respon se) and experience gained from community drills. THE STATIONARY SOURCE AND REGULATED SUBSTANCES The maximum amount of chlorine stored at the Main Station facility is 40,000 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. Senior management is committed to the safe operation of our facilities and its impact on the surrounding communities. 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 corrosi on, 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 liklihood of an accident release of chlorine. Chlorine feed locations are inside an enclosure to further reduce exposure. THE GENERAL ACCIDENTAL RELEASE PREVENTION PROGRAM AND THE SPECIFIC PREVENTION STEPS This facility and process uses design codes and standards from the Chlorine Institute, Wallace Tiernan Manuals, American National Standards Institute, American Society for Testing and Materials, and applicable state codes and regulations. FIVE YEAR ACCIDENT HISTORY We have had no accidental releases of chlorine in the past five years. THE EMERGENCY RESPONSE PROG RAM The written emergency reponse as mentioned in the opening paragraph is located in the facility with an ongoing training program. Fire department inspections/tours are being conducted annually, identify on-site chemicals, storage locations, chemical hazards, special instructions and requirements. Drills with this facility are coordinated with the local fire department. Public notification will be handled through the local fire department per the emergency action plan. PLANNED CHANGES TO IMPROVE SAFETY Although there are no immediate plans for changes to improve safety at this facility, we constantly review advancement in safety and process technology for the continuing pursuit to provide safer workplace and community. |