City of Sunbury Water Filtration Plant - Executive Summary |
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Facility Description - The Municipal Authority of the City of Sunbury owns and operates the Sunbury Water Filtration Plant. The plant treats an average of 2.6 million gallons per day of water to serve the population of Sunbury and parts of the surrounding Township of Upper Augusta. The plant falls under the EPA's Risk Management Plan Program 2 rules due to the use of chlorine in its disinfection proccess. A maximum inventory of 8,000 lbs of chlorine is kept on site and up to 4,000 lbs (two - 1 ton cylinders) of chlorine are connected to the facility's water system at any one time. Because this facility is owned by a Municipal entity, it is not covered under OSHA rulings, and as such, the facility is not a Program 3 facility. Accidental Release Prevention and Emergency Responce Policies - The water plant's chlorine facility was modified in 1996 to allow vacuum regulators to be mounted directly on the chlorine tanks. Any break in the line after the regulator will cause the release of chlorine to stop. A chlorine leak detection system is in place, which sets off warning lights at the facility, in the event that there is a leak. The water plant's low employee turn around ensures that there are experienced employees familiar with the operation of the system; this reduces the risk of accidental release. Ongoing maintenance and inspection of vacuum regulators, SCBA, fire extinguishers, and the B-kit further reduces the risk of release and increases the efficiency of emergency response. In addition to the Municipal Authority's Emergency Responce Plan, the water plant has a Preparedness, Prevention, and Contingency (PPC) Plan which outlines the facility's Emergency Responce Policies specifically in relation to the accidental release of toxic, hazardous, or otherwise threatening materials. As a part of the PPC Plan, all employees of the plant are trained to follow the plant's Code Yellow Chlorine Emergency Procedures. The water plant is also part of the Northumbe rland County Emergency Response Plan. Worst-case Release Scenario - The EPA's OCA guide was used to determine the worst-case chlorine release scenario. An impact area with a 3.5 mile radius was determined for a release of 2000 lbs of chlorine over ten minutes time. The only mitigation considered in this scenario was that the chlorine facility is enclosed in a building. An additional consideration that would affect the spread of the chlorine gas in a real life situation is the area's topography. A levee/dyke system to the south and west of the City would reduce the spread of the heavier than air toxin in these directions. Additionally, hilly regions to the south and to the northeast would hinder the spread of the gas. No topographic obstacles to the east are apparent. Alternate Release Scenario - For the alternate release scenario, failure of a fusible plug was chosen. Active mitigation in the form of emergency response procedures was considered as part of the scenario. An i mpact area with a 0.3 mile radius was determined for a release of 690 lbs of chlorine over an hour. This is a more realistic impact area as it is mostly within the confines of the City's levee system in the southern and western directions. Accidental Release Program and Emergency Response Program - The water plant and its chlorine facilities were designed under the specifications of the Public Water Supply Manual as per PA Code Title 25 Ch 109. These design standards help to insure safe designs and minimize the risk of accidental release. Additionally, the water plant follows the State Emergency Planning and Community Right-To-Know Rules as a part of its accidental release and emergency response programs. Coordination with local emergency response agencies (Hazmat, Fire, Police, Ambulance) is coordinated through the 911 system. As previously noted, employees are trained to follow the Code Yellow Chlorine Emergency Procedures. Five Year Accident History - No accidents have occ ured within the last five years. Planned Changes - No equipment or procedural changes are planned at this time, as a result of the risk management plan evaluation. However, a more pro-active approach to record management in regards to training and maintenance is needed. This change should be affected through implementation of the risk management program. |