East Liverpool Water Department - Executive Summary |
|
Executive Summary East Liverpool Water Treatment Plant Introduction This Risk Management Plan is designed to minimize the hazards to human health and the environment resulting from fires, explosions, or or releases of hazardous chemicals at the East Liverpool Water Treatment Facility. The USEPA Risk Management Program Regulations issued June 20, 1996, require facilities that have a regulated substance above the listed threshold quantities to develop a formal risk management plan. These new regulations apply to the East Liverpool Water Treatment Plant because we use significant quantities of chlorine in our treatment process. Chlorine is a toxic gas stored as a liquid under pressure. Chlorine is irritating and corrosive to the eyes, skin, and respiratory tract and reacts violently with easily oxidized mate rials. Contact with evaporating chlorine or equipoment releasing flashing chlorine can cause frostbite burns. Chlorine gas has a greenish yellow color and is heavier than air and will tend to travel along the ground and fill low spaces and pits, displacing air. Liquid chlorine is amber in color and is about one and one half as heavy as water. Chlorine is seldom seen as a liquid state because it boils or converts to a gas at about -30 degrees F at atmospheric pressure. One volume of liquid chlorine yields about 460 volumes of chlorine gas. For example, one lb, or about 11 fluid ounces of liquid chlorine yields approximately 5.4 cubic feet at normal temperature of 70 degrees F at atmospheric pressure. Therfore, one 150 lb cylinder would completely fill a 10 X 10 X8 foot room with 100% chlorine gas. Chlorine used at the East Liverpool Water Treatment Plant is presently stored and transported as a liquid under pressure. If a rupture or leak would occur in a liquid chlorine container or pi pe, the sudden reduction in pressure that occurs causes a portion of the liquid chlorine to vaporize as it is warmed by the environment. Consequently, a liquid chlorine release would affect a significantly greater area than a chlorine gas release from a vesse;l or pipe with a similiar size hole. The necessity for an emergency response plan becomes evident when one considers the hazardous properties of chlorine. Prevention of injuries and impact on the local environment are key considerations of our risk management plan. Our plan specifies the procedure which will be followed by the water department personel to minimize the hazards to human health and the environment in response to an emergency. This plan is intended to address situations that may occur at our water treatment plant. The provisions of this plan will be performed whenever there is a sudden release of chlorine, fires, or explosions that could threaten human health or the environment. General Information This Risk Mamagement Plan is prepared for the East Liverpool Water Treatment Plant, located at 2220 Michigan Ave., East Liverpool, Ohio. This plan identifies the responsibilities of each emplyee and describes their responsibilities with respect to initiating and implimenting this plan. The procedures established outline the proper coordination between the plant personel, the city staff, and outside agencies. We are a water treatment facility that provides water to the City of East Liverpool, and portions of the surrounding townships. The plant was built in 1916 and, since its inception operational and structural design features have been incorporated into the facility to insure that accidental releases will be contained or controlled, and will not threaten human health or the environment. We may, at any one time, have as many as five one ton cylinders, or 10,000 lbs of chlorine stored at the facility. We are situated at mile marker 40.8 o n the Ohio River, approximately 600 feet from the river bank. The sinking characteristic of chlorine is particularly relevant to our water treatment plant because we are situated near then surface water body that is significantly lower than the elevation of the surrounding land. Because of this, a chlorine gas release may tend sink and hug the ground and accumulate in this low lying area. The chlorine room is of block construction equipped with a vapor discharge system to remove chlorine gas from the liquid chlorinwe room. Chlorine gas detectors are present in the chlorine storage area to alert plant personel of any potential problem.This system was designed , constructed, equipped, and is operated to provide safe operating conditions for the use of chlorine at our facility. A training program is provided for the benefit of each employee. This training program emphasizes specific actions which would be taken in an emergency situation to minimize hazards to human healkth and the envir onment. The list of topics include: 1. Reviews of the chemical and physical hazards of chlorine at the water facility, including safety precautions which minimize the risk of personal injury from chlorine. 2. Policies and procedures regarding critical monitoring equipment and controls. 3. The contigency plan and emergency response plan and emergency response procedures including notifications, personal safety, controls, emergency shut down procedures, emergency alarms, basic fire fighting techniques, and evacuation routes. 4. Spill containment and control procedures including equipment locations and use instructions. A refresher training program, which will cover emergency response and safetry policies and procedures will be coinducted for water plant personel annually These training programs will emphasize emergency response to fires, explosions, and spills which could threaten human health or the environment. Plant Emergency Coordinator The Water Department Superintendent at the facility functions as the primary Plant Emergency Coordinator. When the Superintendent is absent, his trained alternates assume the duties of Plant Emergency Coordinator. The plant emergency coordinator has the primary responsibility to coordinate all emergency respose activities. The coordinator is thoroughly familiar with the facilitys contingency plan, facility operations, and activities. In addition, the emergency coordinator has the authority to commit the departments resources needed to impliment the contingency plan. This water treatment facility operates 24 hours per day and each shift will be staffed with a trained employee, capable of implimenting each and every appropriate response to any emergency. Implimentation The water plant operator on site will initially be available and responsible to asses the situation and determine the follow ing if the Primary Plant Emergency Coordinator is not at the plant: a. Determine if there is a need for a rescue team. b. Determine if there is a need for an emergency repair team. c. Determine the need for outside assistance and/or notification. d. Contact additional plant personnel to assist in the response. The Contigency Plan will be implimented when one or more of the following circumstances exist which may result in a release of chlorine and pose a threat to human health or the environment: 1. A fire which can not be safely extinguished using hand held fire extinguishers. 2. An explosion. 3. A spill which is beyond the capability to immediately and safely contain and clean up. Emergency Response Procedures Notification of emergency incidents involve both internal and external communication. Internal communication alerts on site personnel of possible dangers, provides for orderly shut down of operations, and work area evacuation if necessary. External communications serve to summon assistance to the on site emergency, apprise the regional emergency management agencies of the status of the situation so that assistence may be appropriately mobilized, if needed, and comply with regulatory reporting responsibilities. Potential emergencies include fires, explosions, spills, and chlorine releases. The response steps to each include discovery, identification, assesment, notification, containment, and disposal. All response personnel are trained in accordance with the facility's Personnel Training Plan and are able to respond properly to the provisions of the Contingency Plan. The initial response to an emergency will be to first protect human health and then the environment,. Any employee doscovering smoke, fire, or chlorine release will summon help and, if appropriate, attempt to control the situation with emergency equipment on hand. All emergencies require prompt and deliberate action. If evacuation of the plant is necessary, employees will follow an established set of procedures. These procedures include consideration for evacuation of the surrounding areas around the treatment plant. |