Water Reclamation Facility #2 - Executive Summary |
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Our facility is very proactive in chemical safety. At budget time, any safety item purchase takes first priority. There is severe disciplinary action for any emp[loyee violating established safety procedures. At present, the only regulated substance of threshold quantity is chlorine. This is stored and used for disinfection of treated wastewater effluent. There is space to store up to 28,000 pounds of chlorine in ton containers. Average annual daily storage is about 12,000 pounds. The two scenarios addressed in this report are at endpoints of 0.9 and 0.1 miles for the worst-caes and alternate scenarios, respectively. This was calculated by using RMP Comp. Population affected is 71 people versus 1 person, respectively. This was calculated by using Landview 3. In both scenarios, a partial enclosure of the chlorine was considered along with berms and low-lying abandoned percolation ponds as passive mitigation. To prevent a worse-case scenario release, there are chlorine leak detectors lo cated in both the chlorine storage and control areas. These are set to alarm with red beacons and high-decibel audible alarms at several points throughout the facility. There are high-vacuum and low-vacuum alarms and automatic switchover apparatus with electric valves. There is a large number of isolation valves in feed and injection lines all of the way from the chlorine containers to the injection points. This facility complies with all PSM, EPCRA 302, and (with this filing) RMP regulations. We have had no accidental releases of chlorine since the facility was built in 1971.Our department joined together with the local fire department to establish a joint hazardous response team. The two entities train together and share resources, expertise, and training facilities. There are annual chlorine full-functional or tabletop response exercises. Critiques of the responses are incorporated into the PSM manuals as PHA assessment. Any SOP and/or process changes are noted and tracked. Public n otification is given for this training through the city public information officer, who uses various local media. Review of this facility at the last exercise (4-7-99) has resulted in obtaining response color-coded ID badges for responders and incident command personnel. We are also investigating installation of electric gates on the entrances to enhance site access during a response incident. This will especially be helpful during wind direction shifts in the middle of aa incident. |