Naval Air Station - Jacksonville - Executive Summary |
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NAS Jacksonville is located in Duval County, which is in the northeastern part of the state. The base is located on the St. Johns River, approximately 6 miles upstream from downtown Jacksonville. The main gate to the base can be accessed from US-17 (Roosevelt Blvd), just north of the US-17/I-295 interchange. The primary mission of NAS Jacksonville is to provide quality support to antisubmarine warfare aircraft squadrons, perform rework on miltary aircraft, and to support other Navy operations with region-wide support activities that are housed at the base. NAS Jacksonville is deeply committed to chemical safety. This commitment is exemplified by the presence of a full time safety staff, regular inspections of all facilities within the station, and strict adherence to applicable federal, state, and local laws regarding the storage, handling and use of chemicals. In addition, all activities at NAS are required to abide by stringent regulations (NAVOSH) adopted and enforced by the Navy, and the policies and requirements in the Navy environmental and natural resources instruction (OPNAVINST 5090.1B) Per Section 112(r) of the Clean Air Act, NAS Jacksonville is submitting this Risk Management Plan (RMP) for the chlorination/disinfection process at the Waste Water Treatment Plant (WWTP). The maximum intended inventory of chlorine stored at the plant is 6,000 pounds. Chlorine is used to protect the environment and the public health by disinfecting treated wastewater prior to discharge. As mandated by EPA, the worst-case release scenario (WRS) involves the catastrophic failure of one of the chlorine containers at the WWTP. The gas cloud resulting from this hypothetical release is predicted to have offsite impacts. A catastrophic failure of a container is extremely unlikely due to the existing safety practices observed by the facility, the rigid DOT-mandated construction specifications of the container, and the Chlorine Institute requirements covering the refilling and i nspections of containers (by the chemical supply company prior to delivery). Further, the Facility Response Plan (FRP) in place at the base provides protection from an external event which could lead to a catastrophic failure (i.e. fire). The alternative release scenario (ARS) involves the release of a much smaller quantity of chlorine through a failure of the container valve. No public receptors were identified within the offsite vulnerable zone of the alternative release. NAS Jacksonville has its own fully trained and capable fire department located within 0.5 mile from the WWTP. The base's emergency response program is managed by the Fire Department, which has the equipment and training to respond effectively to a chlorine emergency. In the event of a chlorine release, the fire department would initiate the base Facility Response Plan and other prescribed measures, which have detailed procedures notifying personnel on base, and to initiate any mutual aid agreements with the lo cal police and fire department to inform the people off base who may be affected by a release. There have been no reportable accidents within the past five years at the plant. The process is subject to OSHA Process Safety Management Standard (29 CFR 1910.119), which mandates a specific and detailed prevention program to ensure the safe handling of hazardous substances. All operators are trained in the safe handling of chlorine, chemical safety is discussed at weekly safety meetings, the equipment is inspected on a daily basis, and a preventative maintenance program is in place. The system is equipped with alarms to monitor for leaks and alert the plant personnel to take corrective action. The system is also equipped with vacuum regulators, which would stop the supply of chemical at the container, thereby limiting the chemical release to a very small amount. |