Meadows Water Treatment Plant - Executive Summary |
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The Meadows Water Treatment Plant, located in Branson, Mo, is in its second year of operation. It is designed to produce five million gallons of high quality drinking water per day. The facility lies on approximately 8 acres of land that is equal to or higher in elevation than most of the surrounding terrain. The plant is manned 24 hours a day, 7 days a week by experienced, certified operators, under the direction of an Operations Supervisor. A chemical storage building and operations building occupy the site along with four settling basins, each with a holding capacity of 500,000 gallons. Chemicals used on site are Polyaluminum Hydroxychloride, Hydrofluosilicic Acid ( Fluoride ), and Chlorine. Each of these chemicals are potentially hazardous if not handled properly. Polyaluminum Hydroxychloride is used in the treatment process as a coagulant to settle suspended solids in the outside settling basins, prior to filitration. This chemic al is kept in a 5000 gallon storage tank which sits in a leak proof containment area. Should the tank ever fail, allowing a spill to occur, the chemical would be confined to the containment area. Polyaluminum Hydroxycloride is only considered hazardous because of a low pH in its concentrated form and requires minimal safety requirements. The two remaining chemicals that are used in the treatment process, require strict safety practices in handling. Fluoride is used in water treatment as a prevention for tooth decay. Fluoride is a natural component in most water supplies but amounts are usually not high enough to be of any benefit for this purpose. Enough fluoride is added to our water supply to obtain 1 to 1.5 MG/L residual. While fluoride is safe when used properly, it is considere d hazardous in its concentrated form. We receive fluoride in bulk form. It is then stored in a 1500 gallon bulk tank which also sits in a containment area that will catch any spills which might occur. Chlorine is used in the disinfection process of the water treatment. A residual of 1.4 to 1.8 MG/L remains in the finished water leaving the plant. Chlorination is a safe and effective way to prevent bacterial contamination in the water system. However, chlorine in a gas or compressed liquid form has a potential to be extremely hazardous if not handled properly. This chemical is shipped to our facility in 1-ton chlorine gas cylinders. A vacuum system is used to remove the chlorine from the cylinders at a specified rate. Should the system fail, causing loss of vacuum, regulators mounted directly to the cylinder valve will close to prevent any loss of chlorine into the atmosphere. Employees who handle chlorine are required to receive extensive training prior to working with the chemical and are involved in continous training to stay up to date with safety practices. As of June 21, 1999, the Environmental Protection Agency requires that all facilities which store chemicals such as chlorine in quantities greater than 2500 pounds, to establish a Risk Management Program. The Risk Management Program for the Meadows Water Treatment Plant includes an Emergency Response Plan that will be put into action in the event of a hazardous chemical release. This plan provides guidlines to assure that hazardous material (HAZMAT) emergencies are handled in a manner consistent with current regulations and safety practices. The plan is intended to cover all releases of hazardous chemicals regardless of size. Although a small spill or leak does not entail the same complex response mechanism as a massive release, it still has the potential to produce localized injury or damage. The intent of this plan is to ensure that all plan t personnel approach every HAZMAT incident from an informed perspective. In this way, adequate precautions can be taken to minimize the degree of hazard to our employees and the public. During a hazardous material emergency at the plant, a trained supervisor will take charge of response activities. The trained supervisor will first assess whether the release is considered emergency or incidental. Incidental releases will be handled by plant personnel, while emergency releases will require a response by the Branson Fire Department. The Meadows Emergency Response Plan details response activities of trained HAZMAT personnel and lines of communication and authority between responders from Police, Fire, and Public Works departments. The plan also describes specific responsibilities of trained individuals, as well as steps of mobilization, mitigation, and types of safety equipment needed. Clean-up procedures and levels of training to perform clea n-up are described. Also included are methods of accident prevention, instructions for evaluation and follow-up meetings to review problems encountered during the response and ways to improve response time and communications in the event of a future incident. The emergency response plan will be exercised annually so procedures can be updated as necessary. We believe this plan to be comprehensive, informative, and adequate. |