City of Lufkin Water Plant - Executive Summary |
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Facility Description The Lufkin Water Plant is located in Lufkin, Texas at 118 West Lake. The facility is owned and operated by the City of Lufkin. This facility disinfects ground water collected from a well field and pumped into the plant. The water is chlorinated as it enters the plant and once it has passed through vertical aeration towers and is being pumped into the ground storage tanks. Currently, a maximum of 30,000 pounds of chlorine are maintained on the site. No other toxic or flammable substances, as listed in 40 CFR 68 are stored or utilized at the facility. Safety Policies The City of Lufkin is fully committed to safety at the Water Plant. The Lufkin Utilities Department has long emphasized the importance of safety in storing and using regulated toxic substances and has used the 40 CFR 68 requirements as an opportunity to further refine its safety program. The City has also used this opportunity to strengthen its emergency response procedures between the Water Pl ant and the City Fire Department. The Fire Department is capable of responding to accidental releases of chlorine, should a release occur. Finally, the City will continue to improve its risk management program for chlorine at the Water Plant. Five Year Accident History The City's commitment to managing risks associated with chlorine is demonstrated by its excellent track record with this substance. The Water Plant has not experienced an accident related to chlorine within the past five years. The City is not aware of any such accidents prior to the past five years. Offsite Consequence Analysis For the facility's offsite consequence analysis a worst-case scenario was modeled using a one-ton container of chlorine. Public receptors do exist within this radius, including residences, educational facilities, parks, and major commercial/industrial buildings. As required by the risk management regulations, alternative-release scenarios for potential chlorine releases were developed. R ealistic alternatives were modeled, considering the actual conditions at the site. The resulting radii of impact are therefore useful tools for emergency response teams in planning for and responding to emergency situations. Prevention Program Description The City's prevention program represents the core of the day-to-day means by which accidental releases of regulated substances into the air will be minimized. This component will be used primarily by plant personnel responsible for the operation and maintenance of regulated processes at the facility. The prevention program will also become a useful tool in ongoing training of plant personnel. The Program 2 Prevention Program includes seven primary components: 7 Safety Information: Up-to-date safety information has been compiled relating to regulated substances, processes, and equipment. Safety information will also be updated any time a major change occurs that would make the safety information inaccurate. 7 Hazard Review: Reg ulated processes at the facility have been reviewed to identify potential hazards. The results have been documented in a hazard review report. Problems identified by the hazard review are being resolved in a timely manner. 7 Operating Procedures: Written operating procedures have been prepared providing instructions for safely conducting activities associated with regulated processes. These procedures will also be updated should a major change in the handling or storage of regulated substances occur. 7 Training: Plant personnel responsible for operating regulated processes receive training in the processes. Periodic refresher training is required. 7 Maintenance: Procedures have been implemented to ensure that the mechanical integrity of the process equipment is maintained. Ongoing training of personnel responsible for maintenance is also required. Inspection and testing of regulated process equipment is a requirement as well. 7 Compliance Audits: The prevention program wi ll be audited at least once every three years to evaluate compliance with the risk management rules. The results of the audit will be documented, and deficiencies corrected. 7 Incident Investigation: Should an incident involving a release, or near release, of a regulated substance occur, it will be investigated promptly. The findings of any such incident investigation will be used to improve the safety of the process. Emergency Response Program The City of Lufkin has determined that the Water Plant will assume a non-responder status with respect to accidental releases of chlorine. The Fire Department for the City will instead be the appropriate local emergency response agency in such cases. The Lufkin Fire Department has the necessary training to respond to chlorine releases. The Lufkin Water Utilities Department has coordinated with the Fire Department to ensure that the facility is included in the community emergency response plant regarding response to potential releases. Ev en as a non-responding facility, the facility's employees have a significant role in the event of a chlorine release. Should a release occur or be suspected when employees are at the facility, employees responsible for working with chlorine will follow procedures for assessing the situation and attempting to safely stop the release using normal shutdown procedures. Facility personnel will receive ongoing training in identification of potential releases, and in how to determine when emergency response personnel should be involved. The Water Utilities Department will continue to work closely with the Fire Department to ensure that emergency response, should it become necessary, is efficiently and safely carried out. Coordination may include: 7 periodic meetings between operators and Fire Department emergency responders to discuss emergency response measures 7 periodic inspections of the facility by Fire Department emergency responders to ensure their familiarity with routes to the facility, ingress and egress routes at the facility, and layout of the chlorine process area 7 periodic practice drills utilizing both Water Utilities and Fire Department personnel. Improving Safety The City of Lufkin will continue to improve its risk management program for the Water Plant by responding to the recommended changes outlined in the Hazard Review, by ongoing training of personnel, and by continued coordination with emergency response officials. As the Water Plant grows to meet the growing demands of the City further improvements in the treatment process to manage risks associated with this regulated substance are being considered. |