Michael C. O'Laughlin Municipal Water Plant - Executive Summary |
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The Michael C. O'Laughlin Municipal Water Plant, located at 5815 Buffalo Avenue, Niagara Falls, New York, is a municipal drinking water treatment plant and we are committed to operating and maintaining all of our processes (especially those using hazardous substances) in a safe and responsible manner. We use a combination of accidental release prevention programs and the Citys' Emergency Response Plan to help ensure the safety of our employees and the public as well as protection of the environment. Our facility uses Chlorine as a disinfectant in water treatment. The chlorine is bought in one ton cylinders and stored in our chlorine building. The building is equipped with a scrubber to neutralize any inside releases. In our processes, we use the following chemicals that EPA has identified as having the potential to cause significant off site consequences in the event of a substantial accidental release: Toxics Chlorine - one ton cylinders - maximum on site is 15 Flammables None Our accidental release prevention programs and our contingency planning efforts help us effectively manage the hazards that are posed to our employees, the public, and the environment by our use of these chemicals. Worst-case Release Scenario(s) Regulated Toxic Chemicals Breaking of a Chlorine cylinder while being unloaded from a delivery truck. This would allow for 2000 pounds of chlorine to be released in approximately 10 minutes. The estimated exposure distance would be about 4.5 miles. Contained within this estimated distance are many residences, schools, and businesses. Employees are trained to mitigate this exposure by only moving one cylinder at a time. Alternative Release Scenario(s) Regulated Toxic Chemicals Failure of a fusible plug on a chlorine cylinder. This would result in a release of about 2000 pounds of chlorine in 2 hours. The estimated exposure distance would be less than .4 miles. There are several residences located within this area. Employees are trained to react and roll the cylinder so the leak is on the top and to install a fusible plug sealing device located in the chlorine building. Worst-case Release Scenario(s) Regulated Flammable Chemicals None Alternative Release Scenario(s) Regulated Flammable Chemicals We are using this information to help us ensure that our emergency response plan and the community emergency response plan address all reasonable contingency cases.We take a systematic, proactive approach to preventing accidental releases of hazardous chemicals. Our management systems address each of the key features of successful prevention programs including: Process safety information Process hazard analysis Operating procedures Training Mechanical integrity Management of change Pre-startup review Compliance audits Incident investigation Employee participation Hot work permit Contractors These individual elements of our prevention program work together to prevent accidental chemica l releases. Our company and our employees are committed to the standard that these management systems set for the way we do business, and we have specific accountabilities and controls to ensure that we are meeting our own high standards for accident prevention. We keep records for all significant accidental chemical releases that occur at our facility. The following is a brief summary of accidental chemical releases involving materials covered under EPA's RMP rule during the past five years: NONE The Citys' Emergency Response Plan, consolidates all of the various federal, state, and local regulatory requirements for emergency response planning. Our program provides the essential planning and training for effectively protecting workers, the public, and the environment during emergency situations. The following is a list of improvements that we are planning to implement at the facility to help prevent and/or better respond to accidental chemical releases: NONE |