Carl J. Olsen Water Treatment Plant - Executive Summary

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The Carl J. Olsen Water Treatment Plant is located at 100 Fairview Avenue in Edison, New Jersey, and is owned and operated by the Middlesex Water Company.  The CJO Water Treatment Plant has a treatment capacity of 44 million gallons per day (MGD) and is currently being upgraded to a total capacity of 60 MGD. The CJO Plant provides potable water supply to a population of approximately 212,000 people throughout Middlesex and Union counties. 
 
Chlorine is uitilized at the CJO Plant for the disinfection of potable water.  The chlorine process is the only process at the CJO Plant that is subject to the EPA and TCPA Risk Management Plan regulations.  Chlorine is stored in steel one-ton containers in the Chlorine Storage Room, which is a sealed reinforced concrete structure. 
 
Middlesex Water Company has maintained an "approved" Risk Management Plan Program under the New Jersey Toxic Catastrophe Prevention Act (TCPA) for the chlorine process since approximately 1988.  The Water Company has an e 
xceptional chlorine safety program, including extensive operator training, emergency response training, standard operating procedures, and chlorine safety equipment.  The chlorine process utilizes state-of-the-art design for all piping and equipment, including all necessary chlorine monitors, alarms and controls. 
 
Emergency response procedures include an on-site emergency response team, as well as off-site emergency response assistance from local emergency response agencies.  Annual emergency response drills are conducted, which include on-site and off-site responders. 
 
The Water Company's written Risk Management Program includes all necessary Prevention Program elements meeting the requirements of EPA and OSHA Process Safety Management.  The Prevention Program includes elements such as safety information, standard operating procedures, operator training, preventive maintenance, hot works permits and other safety programs to ensure that the chlorine process meets the highest possible s 
afety standards. 
 
There have been no reportable catastrophic chlorine accidents at the CJO Plant to date. 
 
As required by the EPA Rule, the worst-case release scenario for the chlorine process is the release of the entire contents of a full one-ton container of chlorine (2000 lbs.) within 10 minutes.  According to Exhibit 4-4 in the EPA RMP Guidance for Wastewater Treatment Plants, the toxic endpoint (concentration of 3 parts per million) downwind distance for this scenario is 1.3 miles for the area surrounding the Plant.  The worst-case release scenario is considered to be an unlikely release scenario. 
 
The alternative release scenario for the chlorine process was determined to be an indoor liquid chlorine release through a fusible plug on a chlorine container.  The alternative release scenario represents a more realistic potential release event than the worst-case scenario.  In accordance with Exhibit 4-12 in the EPA RMP Guidance for Wastewater Treatment Plants, the toxic endpoint (c 
oncentration of 3 parts per million) downwind distance for this scenario is 0.3 miles for the area surrounding the Plant. 
 
Emergency contacts for the CJO Plant shall be the Supervisor on call at the time (Item 1.8).  This may include Frank Falco, Richard Risoldi, or Joseph Baginsky.  The 24-hour contact number is (732) 985-2255.
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