San Patricio Municipal Water District - Executive Summary |
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ACCIDENT RELEASE PREVENTION AND EMERGENCY RESPONSE POLICIES The San Patricio Municipal Water District's (SPMWD) Ingleside water treatment plant is committed to serving the citizens by operating our facility in a safe and responsible manner. We use a combination of accidental release prevention programs and emergency response planning programs to help ensure the safety of our employees and the public as well as the protection of the environment. Our goal is zero incidents. The SPMWD follows and enforces a comprehensive safety program which incudes a written Safety Manual and Risk Management Program Manual, an on-site safety officer who monitors the daily activity of the facility, as well as an independent consultant who provides on-site training and inspections. The SPMWD is a member of the San Patricio Emergency Planning Committee and actively participates in emergency response drills with its industrial neighbors. FACILITY DESCRIPTION The San Patricio Munic ipal Water District's Ingleside Water Treatment Complex is located between Reynolds Aluminum and OxyMar Chemical on Highway 361 near Ingleside, Texas. The area is rural and farming in nature. The SPMWD treats and converts raw Nueces River surface water into potable drinking water for the citizens of San Patricio and Aransas Counties. A second facility located at this site treats water to industrial standards for OxyMar Chemical. Raw untreated water is supplied to DuPont Chemical and Reynolds Metals from this site. In the disinfection process, the SPMWD uses the RMP regulated chemical Chlorine. The maximum amount of chlorine stored on the Ingleside Site is eight tons. WORST CASE TOXIC RELEASE SCENARIO The worst-case accidental toxic release scenario for chlorine involves a rupture and complete failure of a full one ton chlorine cylinder containing 2000 pounds. The entire quantity is released and vaporizes over a 10 minute period and the resulting vapor cloud travels downwin d. According to EPA's OCA Guidance, this toxic gas would have an off-site impact. A complete tank failure, resulting in a rupture, is highly unlikely due to the design and frequent rigorous inspection of these cylinders. ALTERNATIVE RELEASE SCENARIO The alternative release scenario for chlorine involves the failure of a valve on a one ton chlorine cylinder. This failure allows the release of 762 pounds of chlorine into the atmosphere. The leak is stopped within 60 minutes by emergency response personnel. The impact was identified in a process hazards analysis. GENERAL ACCIDENTAL RELEASE PREVENTION AND CHEMICAL -SPECIFIC PREVENTION STEPS The SPMWD Maintenance and Operational Staff are highly trained and motivated in all areas of water processing. Daily safety inspections are performed by a staff safety officer. Monthly safety inspections are performed by an independent, professional safety consultant. Yearly inspections are performed by the Texas Natural Resources Conse rvation Commission. The SPMWD Management is dedicated to the safe operation of all facilities. All operational and maintenance personnel are trained in the handling and maintenance of the chlorination systems used at the Ingleside Facility. A complete vacuum system has been installed to minimize the chance of an accidental release. Chlorine leak detectors are in place and the entire chlorine system is computer monitored and controlled on a twenty four hour basis. The SPMWD has thirty years of experience in the safe handling of chlorine. FIVE YEAR ACCIDENT HISTORY The SPMWD maintains records of all accidental releases. It is the SPMWD's opinion that any release would be a serious release. The SPMWD Ingleside facility has an excellent safety and release prevention record, there have been no releases of RMP regulated substances (chlorine) in the past five years. The SPMWD has operated and maintained the Ingleside water plant for thirty years. There has not been a chlorine r elease that produced off-site consequences during this entire thirty year period. EMERGENCY RESPONSE PROGRAM The SPMWD's Emergency Response Program is in place and updated as necessary. An Emergency Response Team is available immediately on a 24 hour basis. The SPMWD is an active member in the OxyMar and DuPont Emergency Response Program. The OxyMar Emergency Response Team performs Response Drills on the SPMWD Plant site. If a release were to occur, the OxyMar Emergency Response Team would be notified immediately. The Emergency Management Coordinator would be notified, this coordinator would then inform citizens by various means. The Local Emergency Planning Committee, Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission, and the Department of Public Safety would also be notified. Once the emergency has passed, an incident investigation would be conducted and corrective action would be taken. PLANNED CHANGES TO IMPROVE SAFETY The SPMWD intends to add additional chlorine gas monito rs in the near future which will enable the operational personnel to better monitor the chlorine areas. The SPMWD will continue working closely with it's industrial partners in all areas of safety and emergency response in order to realize our zero release goals. |