Compton Drive Wastewater Treatment Plant - Executive Summary |
The Compton Drive Wastewater Treatment Plant located in Branson, Missouri, has been in operation since 1988. It is designed to treat 5.4 million gallons of wastewater per day. The facility is located next to Lake Taneycomo on approximately 4 acres of land that is equal or lower in elevation than the surrounding terrain. The plant is manned 24 hours per day, 7 days per week by experienced, certified operators, under the direction of an Operations Supervisor. A lab and office building occupy the site along with an equipment building, a sludge thickener building, 4 oxidation basins, 4 clarifiers, chlorine basins and sand filters, 2 waste sludge tanks, and 3 sludge holding basins. Chemical and biological nutrient removal systems were added in 1995 to remove phosphorus and enhance the quality of the plant effluent. Chemicals used on site are Potassium Permanganate, dry Polymer, Liquid Alum, Chlorine, and Sulfur Dioxide. Each of these chemicals are pot entially hazardous if not handled properly. Potassium Permanganate is metered into the waste sludge flow at a specified rate to reduce odors in the sludge holding basins. It is considered hazardous because of its ability to accelerate the burning of combustible materials and the irritating effects caused by its dust or mist. Gloves, respirators, and eye protection are used when handling this chemical. A dry polymer is used in the treatment process to dewater sludge as it passes over a gravity belt thickener. The polymer is mixed and aged and is then metered into the sludge flow to seperate solids contained in water. The hazards of this chemical are minimal, but spilled material can be extremely slipperly when mixed with water. Polymer dust can also be slightly irritating to the eyes and skin. The same protective equipment used to handle potassium permanganate should be used to handle dry polymer. During the final step of phosphorus removal, l iquid alum is used to coagulate suspended solids in the effluent, prior to filtration. We receive liquid alum in bulk form. It is then stored in 3, 3000 gallon bulk storage tanks which sit in a containment area that will catch any spills which might occur. This chemical is considered hazardous because of its toxic fumes, low pH, and corrosive nature. The remaining two chemicals are chlorine and sulfur dioxide. Both of these chemicals are extremely hazardous in their gas or compressed liquid form if not handled properly. Employees who handle chlorine and sulfur dioxide are required to receive extensive training prior to working with either chemical and must be involved in continous training to stay up to date with safety practices. Chlorination is a safe and effective way to disinfect treated wastewater before it is discharged into a receiving stream. Chlorine is shipped to the site in 1-ton gas cylinders. A vacuum system is used to remove the chlorine from the cylinder 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. After the chlorine has had sufficient time to disinfect the effluent waters sulfur dioxide is used to dechlorinate the plant effluent just before it enters Lake Taneycomo. Sulfur dioxide is shipped to the plant in 150 lb cylinders. The same type vacuum system used in chlorination is also used to feed sulfur dioxide. As of June 21, 1999, the Environmental Protection Agency requires that all facilities which store and use chemicals such as chlorine in quantities greater than 2500 pounds, to establish a risk management program. The Risk Management Program for the Compton Drive Wastewater Treatment Plant includes an Emergency Response Plan that will be put into action in the event of a hazardous chemical release. This plan provides guidelines to assure that haza rdous material (HAZMAT) emergencies are handled in a manner consisent 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 assure that all plant 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 personel, while emergency releases will require a response by the Branson Fire Department. The Compton Drive Emergency Response Plan details response activities of trained HAZMAT personnel and lines of communications 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 clean up are described. Also included are methods of accident prevention, instructions for evaluation and followup 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. |