Ivy River Treatment Plant - Executive Summary |
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The Ivy River Treatment Plant has been on line since October 1998. The plant has a capacity of 1.5MG/D of treated water. There are four full time employees that operate two 8-10 hour shifts per day with no employeess on duty during third shift. The plant is located on a paved road approximately 2 miles from US 19/23 north of Weaverville, NC. The plant draws water from the Ivy River. The setting is rural with approximately 300 persons living within one mile radius of the plant. The Supeervisor, Tony Laughter, has had extensive experience in water treatment and has worked in the field for approximately 10 years. A Process Safety Management Plan (PSM) was developed as part of the PHA (Process Hazard Analysis) that was addressed in November 1998. Deficiencies to the PSM are being addressed in an orderly manner. In addition to the PHA, procedures have been written and training conducted for emergency response and other related safety issues. Coordination with local fire departmen ts have been implemented. There have been no chlorine leak simulations conducted at this time. During the brief history of the plant there have been no reportable injuries or chlorine related incidents. Good documentation exists for Emergency Response (ER). There are sufficient SCBA's available for employees and training is documented. Safety inspections are conducted in a timely manner. Emergency scenarios have been developed and operators have received training to properly respond to these scenarios. Operators have been tested subsequent to all training. Training has been provided for all other chemicals used at the site. The local fire department which is a volunteer unit is approximetley five miles away and is not equipped to respond to a chlorine emergency. The nearest fire department with chlorine emergency training is the Asheville Fire Department in Asheville, NC. This unit is a designated Hazmat unit for one of the regions established in North Carolina for hazard ous chemicals emergencies. The travel time from the Asheville Fire Department to the Ivy River Treatment Plant is approximately 30 minutes. The site has a maximum of three 1-ton cylinder of chlorine on site. Cylinder changes are only effected during day operations only and two operators are required to perform the change. The site has a chlorine repair kit located in an area that would not be immediately affected by a leak. Water treatment is stopped and the chlorine feed is stopped by closing the main valves on the 1- ton cylinders during the time when there are no operators on site. The Clearwell has sufficient capacity to maintain sufficient water during the offr-treatment hours to meet normal demands. There are no other chemicals on site in quantities greater than the threshold set by the RMP. Two "worst case scenarios" have been developed: 1. The main tank valve ruptures and liquid chlorine is released (modeled with infinite supply). The Chlorine Room is inside; ther eby reducing the down-wind effect. Stability Class F. Distance to the endpoint is 2.4 miles. 2. A tranfer hole fails. Liquid chlorine is released from a 3/8 inch hole. the container is full and the valve body has a 3/8 inch hole. Stability Class D. Distance to the endpoint is 1.3 miles. There are adequate signs and warnings posted in appropriate places throughout the site. Even though the plant is less than one year old. discussions are being held to change from gaseous chlorine to liquid chlorine (hypochlorite) to reduce the risks to the employees and the surrounding community. |