New Albany Wastewater Treatment Plant - Executive Summary |
|
The New Albany Wastewater Treatment Plant, located on West 10th Street in New Albany, Indiana, maintains active Accidental Release Prevention and Process Safety Management Programs. This facility treats the City's wastewater using Chlorine and Sulfur Dioxide, chemicals covered by the EPA's Accidental Release Prevention and Risk Management Program. Chlorine and Sulfur Dioxide are both delivered to and stored at the facility in high-pressure containers that hold up to 2,000 pounds of liquefied Chlorine or Sulfur Dioxide each when they are full. This facility is subject to, has implemented, and is in compliance with the occupational safety and Health Agency (OSHA) Process Safety Management Program as it applies to the handling of Chlorine and Sulfur Dioxide in the process equipment and container storage areas located at the facility. There have been no accidents or releases at this facility over the past five years that have led to onsite or offsite impacts to people or the environmen t. The facility's worst-case release scenario, as required by EPA, involves a sudden release of the entire contents of one full sulfur dioxide (or chlorine, which is very similar) storage container over a time span of ten minutes. The release would be mitigated (slowed down) by the fact that the sulfur dioxide (or chlorine) would be released into the process building before escaping to the outside air. The alternative release scenario, one that would be more likely to occur than the worst-case scenario, involves a leak through the valve opening in the container. The release rate would be slower than the worst-case scenario, and the offsite impact area would be smaller. This is primarily the result of the different environmental (weather) conditions for the alternative scenario, rather than the difference in leak rates. |