Central City Water Works - Executive Summary |
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The Risk Management Plan (RMP) that is included with this document is being submitted on behalf of Central City Water Works. Central City Water Works is a water treatment plant that is located in the northern portion of Muhlenburg County, Kentucky. The primary function of this facility is to produce potable water and distribute it throughout Central City and Muhlenburg County for consumption and other uses. Central City Water Works uses chlorine in its process, which is the substance that is regulated by the EPA. The most chlorine that is stored at the plant at any one time is 10,000 lbs. This amount is above the threshold quanity, therefore a RMP is needed. The chlorine is stored in vessels that are approximately 2,000 lbs each. The vessels are co-located in an enclosed structure and are placed on wooden skids to prevent movement. The structure is made of concrete block walls with a concrete floor. It is also vented to outside air by means of an exhaust fan located near the v essel that is in use. The worst-case scenario would be that all vessels rupture, releasing the total amout of 10,000 lbs of chlorine liquid and gas. The estimated distance to the toxic endpoint in this case would be 5.2 miles according to the RMP Comp program. There are several public receptors within this radius including schools, prisions, houses, and commerical offices. As stated above there is some type of passive mitigation in the form of the enclosed structure. Although this scenario is highly unlikely it could occur. An alternate scenario would be a failure in the piping connection or a valve failure. The estimated distance to the toxic endpoint for this scenario is 0.8 miles according to the RMP Comp program. The public receptors within this radius are houses and a prison. The same type of passive mitigation is in place for this scenario as well. Central City Water Works also has detectors and alarms that alert them if a rupture or a leak occurs. This scenario is mor e likely to occur than the worst-case scenario. The employees also make routine checks of the chlorine storage facility to make sure that there are no leaks and that everything is working properly. There has not been any reportable accidents in the past five years at Central City Water Works. There is an emergency response plan in effect for Central City Water Works at this time. The plan has recently been reviewed and is currently being updated to improve its effectiveness. The existing emergency response plan was written by the Muhlenburg County Disaster and Emergency Services. The plan includes instructions on how the facility should respond in the event of an accident. It lists the names of the community resources that the facility should use along with the telephone numbers where these resources may be reached. The community resources all include employees that are trained to respond to chlorine spills and the effects of the spill on the residents in the contaimination are a. Public notification is also addressed in the emergency responce plan. It will be accomplished by the use of radio stations, PA systems, emergency response vehicles, and house to house notification. An emergency evacuation plan is also included in the emergency respose plan. Evacuation sites are given in the plan along with their alternate locations. Training for employees at Central City Water Works is in the process of being arranged. The training will include how to handle, if the event arises, a chlorine liguid or gas leak. The configuration of the chlorine storage facility is also being looked at in the attempt to add more passive and active mitigation to help control any type of spill or leak of the chlorine. After all reviews are completed, Central City Water Works risk of a chlorine spill or leak should be at a minimal level. |