City of Uvalde, Wastewater Treatment Facility - Executive Summary

| Accident History | Chemicals | Emergency Response | Registration | Source | Executive Summary |

Juan Zamora is the Wastewater Superintendent of the City of Uvalde wastewater facility. The facility is located approximately three (3) miles south of the central business district of the city. The facility is located on FM 106, Uvalde, Uvalde County, Texas. The facility processes between 1.5 M and 1.8 M gallons per day. Liquid chlorine is the regulated chemical at the facility and is used in the treatment process. The chlorine is stored in one ton containers.  The maximum amount of chlorine stored on site at any one time is 2.5 tons. There are seven (7) full time employees at the treatment facility. 
 
Accidental release and prevention policies include training and certification of wastewater operators. Containers, piping, valves, etc., are inspected on a regular basis. If and deficiencies are observed, they are addressed on an immediate basis. Additional training and safety management practices are planned in the near future. The city is committed to operating a safe and compliant wast 
ewater treatment facility. 
 
The worst case scenario assumes a rupture of one of the liquid chlorine containers and 2,000 pounds are released over a 10 minute period. EPA's RMP Guidance for Wastewater Treatment facilities tables and/or equations were used to model the release. Uvalde is an urban facility. The model predicts the toxic end point is 1.3 miles from the release point. This area encompasses one school facility, approximately seven churches and approximately 5, 000 residents. No other receptors are anticipated. 
 
An alternate release scenario is a hole (1/4 inch) diameter developing in the container. A hole of this diameter would equate to a release rate of 150 pounds per minute. The model predicts  the toxic end point is 0.2 miles from the release point. This area encompasses approximately 200 residents. No other receptors are anticipated. 
 
Future planed include upgrading of safety devices and developing written procedures to minimize impact from an accidental release of chlor 
ine. Also, an OSHA PSM for the facility is anticipated in the near future. A checklist program is being implemented to address safety issues. 
 
There have been no accidental releases from the facility during the last five years. If a release from the facility should occur, the current procedure is to evacuate the area and call the local fire department to address the situation. Wastewater employees are not trained or equipped to handle an emergency response of the facility at the current time. To improve safety and response to an accidental release of chlorine, it is anticipated an OSHA PSM program and training will be implemented in the near future. What if, checklist, HAZOP and written training procedures are in the process of being implemented. These along with other Prevention programs are being addressed.
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