Hawkins Water Treatment Group - Red Rock - Executive Summary |
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Since Hawkins Chemical was founded in 1938, the company has become a critical source of chemical products for communities and businesses across the upper Midwest. For example, municipal and industrial water treatment facilities in the region rely on Hawkins for water disinfectants and other treatment products, equipment and expertise. Hawkins Chemical is based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, with branches that meet local needs in six neighboring states. The company's primary business is to repackage, custom-blend and distribute products for the water disinfection, pharmaceutical, food, computer and other industries. Hawkins subsidiary, the Hawkins Water Treatment Group, has prepared and filed a Risk Management Plan for its St. Paul facility, also known as Red Rock, where its primary activity is to receive products such as chlorine from manufacturers and to repackage those products into portions appropriate for individual customer facilities. Because of its historical reputation for responsiveness, customers also turn to staff at this facility for customized services such as manufacturing household bleach and blending products for the treatment of potable water. The Risk Management Plan that Hawkins staff has filed for this facility is a planning and prevention tool; it helps us to better identify hazards and communicate with others. Risk Management Plans are developed by facilities that have sufficient quantities of any of 140 hazardous materials on site; at this facility, we handle two (2) of those materials. Key Products The products covered in our Risk Management Plan for this facility are: * Chlorine: Chlorine and bleach (sodium hypochlorite) are well known and trusted disinfectants for drinking water, waste water, food processing equipment, swimming pools, etc. * Sulfur dioxide: Used to make paper and by water treatment facilities to purify water. Planning Scenarios In addition to identifying and reporting materials of interest, RMP also requires com panies to prepare two accident scenarios as a way to plan for--and thus to prevent--hazardous accidents. The first of the two types of planning scenarios required under RMP is called a "worst-case scenario." Facilities develop and share this scenario with emergency responders as a planning tool, not a prediction. The worst-case scenario, as its name indicates, assumes a complete and simultaneous failure in every one of several layers of mechanical and safety controls, that the worst possible weather conditions exist, and that the entire contents of our largest container would release suddenly. Our worst-case scenario involves a rail car of chlorine, a product that our customers use to make water safe. Assuming the worst-case scenario, the entire contents of the rail car would release at our site over a ten-minute period and would travel 14 miles by air before dispersing to a level that is not harmful. This estimate is based on EPA's guidance for water treatment facilities, whic h handle chlorine similarly to Hawkins. Again, the worst-case scenario is a planning tool, not a prediction. In fact, such a catastrophic release of chlorine has never occurred anywhere. Many mechanical and procedural safeguards are in place to make sure even small releases don't happen. For example, * The rail car is equipped with pressure relief valves, which will prevent catastrophic failure from over-pressurization, * The rail car unloading system is equipped with automatic shutdown devices activated by sensors designed to detect chlorine in the air. The second of the planning scenarios are known as "alternative release scenarios." Hawkins' first alternative scenario also involves chlorine. In this planning scenario, a 150-pound container might have a faulty pressure relief device (fuse plug), which leaks some chlorine. For this scenario, EPA estimates the chlorine gas would travel a distance of 0.12 miles by air over 60 minutes before it dissipates to a level that is not harmful. Hawkins also has prepared alternative release scenarios for other products on site, such as: a larger container of chlorine (a ton container) might leak, traveling 1.2 miles over 60 minutes; or a container of sulfur dioxide might leak, traveling 0.10 mile over 60 minutes. Risk Management Hawkins provides products critical to meeting the region's public health and manufacturing needs. Some of these products pose risks, which is why all Hawkins employees share a commitment to safety. Our safety policy states: "Hawkins Chemical, Inc. recognizes its obligation to provide all employees with a safe and healthful workplace and to ensure that operations do not impact neighbors. The Company has provided, and will continue to provide, the human, physical and financial resources necessary to meet this objective. We expect all employees of the Company to use these resources to make our operations as safe and healthful as is humanly possible." Planning for accidents, such as that do ne through RMP, helps to ensure that they never happen. In fact, our Red Rock facility has been built to specifically minimize any environmental impact an accident may have. Hawkins has nearly 50 years of experience in handling chlorine and is a leader in national efforts to ensure safe handling of chemicals. Reality is, however, that accidents can happen. That's why we will continue to update mechanical safeguards and invest heavily in training for our employees and our customers. In addition to our internal efforts, safety and emergency response planning also is coordinated with local and national officials, including the St. Paul Fire Department, Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, and U.S. Coast Guard. Hawkins also must regularly meet requirements in industrial wastewater, national pollutant discharge (NPDS) and other permits. |