Stuart Water Treatment Plant - Executive Summary |
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The Staff at the Stuart Water Plant is comprised of State Certified Water Treatment Operators and safety trained Maintenance Mechanics.Chemical safety holds a high priority at the Stuart Water Plant and always has. Management has always supported the staff at the plant , concerning chlorine safety training , both Formal and on the job training.Safety issues are regularly discussed at weekly safety meetings held at the plant and all employees have the opportunity for input.The Utilities Coordinator and the Chief Operator at the plant are both Technician level trained in chlorine safety and the management makes every effort to send at least one employee to the UF/TREEO center in Gainsville for chlorine safety training annually.All employees at the plant are familiar with the location of our MSDS location and "Right To Know Center". They are also recieving in house training on chlorine safety on a regular basis. All employees are aware of chlorine alarms and their individual responsibilit ies at alarm conditions and all contractors are also made aware and familiar with alarm conditions and their responsibilities during an alarm condition. The Plant has in place an SOP for emergency response to chemical emergencies which covers responder contacts , critical contact personnel, individual employee responsibilities and evacuation routes and head counting policies. The City of Stuart Water treatment Plant is a 6 MGD capacity drinking water plant servicing the city of Stuart, FL. The average daily flow at the plant is 3.5 MGD. The water plant is a lime softening plant, and uses a combination of chlorine and ammonia as a disinfectant. The chlorine storage at the plant is the only chemical that falls within the threshhold guidelines for a regulated substance under the EPA Risk Management Program rules. The storage of chlorine at the plant can range from 4000 pounds to as much as 12000 pounds depending on chemical delivery schedules. Since the EPA threshhold guidelines for chlor ine is 2500 pounds , the chlorine on site at the plant must be registered as a regulated substance. A wort case scenario was developed as part of the water plants risk management program in which it was assumed that a full ton container would be ruptured or a freeze plug failure would occur, allowing a release of the total contents of the container within 13 minutes. This scenario would result in the release of approximately 1768 pounds of chlorine , initially as a liquid , then as a vaporized heavy gas.Our scenario also assumed a failure of our containment room and our modeling information(Aloha 5.2) indicated a 2.4 mph wind from the ESE that would result in a maximum threat zone of 1.3 miles.(A copy of this modeling and footprint information is included in this report).We were also required to create an alternative scenario, and this involved a failure of a cylinder regulator head that resulted in a release of similar proportions. This alternative scenario , however, assumes our con tainment room functions properly and as designed and that the chemical release is contained within the cylinder room. The local fire department and Haz MAT team would be notified and consulted on removal of gas from chlorine containment room. It is important to note that the management of the Citys Water plant is actively investigating the addition of "Scrubbers" as an addition to our containment room. The city has a OSHA PSM program in place and also maintains a SOP that covers accidental chemical releases. This emergency response indicates the responsibilities, procedures and actions to be taken in case of a chemical release. The Chief Operator and Utility Coordinator for the citys water plant are both chlorine technician level certified and there is ongoing training in chlorine safety taking place on a regular basis at the plant. We have had two accidental releases of chlorine at the plant in the last 5 years. Both releases have been Minor releases of approximately 10-20 poun ds and were contained in the cylinder room. A release 4/5/95 did result in responders being notified (Fire Dept and HAZ MAT) and , for safetys sake , the evacuation of approximately 200 residents from the surrounding areas for about 2 hours. A second , even more minor release took place 7/19/97 and was handled by plant staff. In neither of these instances was anyone injured or any property damaged. The citys Emergency Response Program involves a written SOP and direction on whom and when to contact appropriate personnel.(Fire Dept, Supervisors, Media, etc.)The Citys Local Fire Dept. is listed as first responders and they coordinate with the county HAZ MAT team in emergency situations.All the operators at the water plant are certified by the state and have been trained in chlorine safety procedures. There is ongoing chlorine safety training at the plant and chlorine safety issues are brought up at weekly safety meetings. As mentioned earlier, the city is investigating the addition of a scrubber system to be linked to our containment room.The plant personnel recently underwent some training on cylinder inspection at chemical delivery times to reduce, even further, the possibility of accidental release. The city also remains supportave and willing to send plant personnel to formal safety training programs like UF/TREEO chlorine emergency response courses. The City Of Stuart Water Department remains dedicated to practicing sound chemical safety policies and procedures and offers this summary as a brief outline of it's commitment. |