Fruit Belt Service Company Metropolis NH3 - Executive Summary |
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1. The management and employees of Fruit Belt Service Company are committed to the prevention of any accidental releases of anhydrous ammonia. If an accidental release should occur, the facility is prepared to work with the local fire department, or other authorities, to mitigate any release and minimize the impace of the release to people and the environment. 2. The primary activity at the facility is the storage and blending of fertilizers for sale to farmers. Anhydrous ammonia is received, stored, and distributed for direct application as a crop production nutrient. Access to the site is restricted to authorized facility employees, authorized management personnel and authorized contractors. The maximum quantity of anhydrous ammonia that can be stored would be 120,000 pounds. 3. The worst-case release scenario would be the release of the total contents of a storage tank released as a gas over 10 minutes. The maximum quantity released would be 120,000 pounds, which represent s the volume of the largest storage tank as limited by design standards. The distance to the endpoint of .14 mg/L for the worst-case scenario is 2.3 miles. The alternative release scenario based on the most likely potential incident is a release from a break in a transfer hose. The distance to the endpoint of .14mg/L for the alternative scenario is .19 miles. This release has the possibility of extending beyond the facility boundary. 4. This facility complies with EPA's Accidental Release Prevention Rule and with all applicable state codes and regulation. This facility has implemented the provisions of "Safety Requirements for the Storage and Handling of Anhydrous Ammonia, K-61.1", published by The American National Standards Institute, Inc. as adopted by state regulation and the standards of the U S Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), 29 CFR 1910.111, "Storage and Handling of Anhydrous Ammonia". 5. The following is a list of accidental releases in the past fi ve years that have occurred at the facility: - We had an accidental release of over 750 pounds of anhydrous ammonia on July 5, 1999. A garden hose was attached to a valve with duct tape and the valve was opend, the duct tape did not hold and the hose blew off, releasing 750 pounds of anhydrous ammonia. An adjacent soybean field was damaged by the release. - There was a release of less than 100 pounds of anhydrous ammonia on April 17, 1999. A sheriff's deputy was taken to the emergency room for precautionary measures. He was released without treatment. 6. The facility has: - A written emergency action plan, in accordance with OSHA standard, 29 CFR 1910.38; - provided state and local authorities the emergency planning and community right-to-know information as required under SARA Title III (EPCRA); - a written emergency response plan, in accordance with OSHA standard, 29 CFR 1910.120, including pre-emergency planning and employee training. 7. Safety imp rovement is an on-going process at the facility. Periodic evaluations are performed to assess the maintenance of safe conditions. There are no specific safety recommendation for implementation at this time. |