City of Kinston Peachtree WWTP - Executive Summary |
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City of Kinston RMP Executive Summary The City has implemented a comprehensive program to safely manage chlorine at its wastewater treatment plants located in or adjacent to the City. There have been no chlorine incidents in the most recent five-year history period. In 1997 and 1998, a Process Safety Management (PSM) program was initiated at the two Wastewater Treatment Plants with the support of a consulting firm, Operations Excellence Consulting, Inc. A PSM Implementation Manual was developed to be site specific for each plant. Key items included in the manual were: - Written site-specific procedures for Employee Involvement, Management of Change, Incident Investigation, Pre-Startup Reviews and Self Audits. - Chlorine safety information as required by the regulations Next, these additional steps were implemented to complete the PSM program. - Training on PSM and its key components including Management of Change, Mechanical Integrity and Incident Investigation. -Conducting Pro cess Hazards Analyses for the two chlorine processes -Developing Standard Operating Procedures for Chlorine Management -Developing an initial Emergency Response Plan -Training in support of the certification of operators The utilities safety coordinator, plant supervisors, chief operators and several plant operators are meeting several times per year to review and update procedures and to maintain compliance with all aspects of the PSM regulation. In addition to PSM compliance, the plants have implemented a number of programs to improve the safe handling of chlorine and other chemicals - The chlorine delivery systems at the plants have been upgraded to vacuum processes over the past 10 years. This process has proven to greatly reduce leaks by reducing the amount of equipment that is exposed to pressurized chlorine. - In January 1999, an automatic switchover system was installed on the chlorine cylinders at both plants. This system is designed to automatically switch fro m an empty to a full chlorine cylinder. This process avoids the need for an operator to manually change the cylinders at anytime, day or night. - In January 1999, chlorine leak detectors were installed at the chlorine facilities at both plants. This equipment will detect any chlorine leak allowing operators to initiate emergency response The site's Emergency Response Plans (ERP) have been significantly upgraded. In 1997, the ERP was revised to include offsite response and communication. The County LEPC and other local response organizations have been incorporated into the ERP. Where necessary, communication plans have been developed to notify businesses or residences that may be impacted by a release. Chlorine Response Drills have are being routinely conducted. To further understand chlorine risks, a consulting firm , Operations Excellence Consulting, Inc., was contracted to conduct "Offsite Consequence" Modeling Analysis, as required by EPA's Risk Management Program. Both a "Worst Case" and an "Alternative Case" chlorine release scenarios were studied for each site. The "Worst Case" modeling showed the potential impact of a full, 2000 pound cylinder of chlorine released in 10 minutes. This resulting chlorine plume extended 1.3 to 3.0 miles depending on the type of terrain. For the "Alternative Case", a more typical possible release of 180 pounds, 3 pounds/minute for 60 minutes, was modeled. The modeling indicated that a plume extending 0.1 mile. The results showed that the risk of chlorine exposure is low due to the favorable location of the plants. - The Peachtree Wastewater Treatment Plant is located south of the town. Due to the topography and location of the plant, the most likely scenario would be for the chlorine to fall to the adjacent Neuse River until the chlorine cloud disperses. Thus, the impact of a chlorine release should result in no to minimum public exposure. -The Northside Wastewater Treatment Plant is located northeast of the town in a re mote, rural area. The prevailing westerly winds will typically move any chlorine leak to the adjacent Neuse River. Thus, most chloride releases will have little to no impact on the surrounding area. Also, the site has a large green belt that will contain most small to medium (up to 100 pounds) leaks on site. In addition to Process Safety Management, the organization has an active safety program. The City has an active Safety Committee. The committee meets monthly and its duties include reviewing new safety procedures, accident investigations, safety surveys and safety communications. The Safety and Risk Manager for the City also takes an active role in supporting the Utilities Safety Program. Within the Utilities department, there are monthly safety meetings to review an OSHA subject or discuss a safety issue. Routine training is conducted for topics such as: - Hazard Communications - Personal Protective Equipment - Lockout/Tagout - Confined Space As a result of our programs, the plants have had an excellent safety record with few recordable injuries over the past three years. As mentioned earlier, there have no reportable chlorine releases from the plants in the last five years. The city has worked extensively to upgrade its safety program. We plan to continue our emphasis on safety to maintain and improve our safety performance. Report by: Director of Utilities Date |