MOLINE WATER TREATMENT PLANT - Executive Summary

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City Of  Moline Water Treatment  Plant Executive Summary 
 
 
1.   Accidental release prevention and Emergency Response policies  
 
We at Moline Water Treatment Plant are committed to employee, public and environmental 
safety.  This commitment is demonstrated by our comprehensive accidental release prevention 
program that covers areas such as design, installation, operating procedures, maintenance, and 
employee training associated with the processes at our facility.  It is our policy to implement 
appropriate controls to prevent possible releases of regulated substances.  Unforeseeably, if such a 
release does occur, we are coordinated with MOLINE FIRE DEPARTMENT which provides 
emergency response personnel to control and mitigate the effects of the release. 
 
2.  The Stationary Source and the Regulated Substances Handled 
 
We have 1 regulated substance present at our facility which is Chlorine. 
 
The maximum inventory of Chlori 
ne at our facility is 22000 lbs. 
 
 
3.  The Worst Case Release Scenario(s) and the Alternative Release Scenario(s), including 
administrative controls and mitigation measures to limit the distances for each reported scenario 
 
To perform the required offsite consequence analysis for our facility, we have used the look-up 
tables and equations provided by the EPA in the RMP Offsite Consequence Analysis Guidance. 
The following paragraphs provide details of the chosen scenarios. 
 
                  Toxic Worst-case analyses 
 
The Worst Case scenario involves a catastrophic release from CHLORINATION.  The scenario 
involves the release of 2000 lb. of Chlorine in a gaseous form over 10 minutes. The Release rate 
(lbs/min) is calculated to be 200. A distance to endpoint of 5.4 miles is obtained which affects  a 
residential population of 198,871 within this distance. 
 
 
               Toxic Alternative-case analyses 
 
 Alternative Cas 
e scenario #1 involves a  release from CHLORINATION.  The scenario involves 
the release of 10 lbs. of Chlorine in a gaseous form from a broken pipe over 30 minutes. The 
Release rate (lbs/min) is calculated to be .33 and a Distance to endpoint of 0.07 miles is 
obtained which affects  a residential population of 1.  
 
Alternative Case scenario #2  involves a release from CHLORINATION.  The scenario involves 
the release of 2000 lb. Of Chlorine in a gaseous form from a rupture disk failure over 32 minutes.  
The Release rate (lbs/min) is calculated to be 63 and a distance endpoint of 0.81 miles is obtained 
which affects a population of 206. 
 
                Flammables Worst-case analyses 
None applicable 
 
             Flammables Alternative-case analyses 
None applicable 
 
4.  The General Accidental Release Prevention Program and the Chemical-Specific Prevention 
Steps 
 
Our facility has taken all the necessary steps to comply with the accidental release prevention 
requirements set out unde 
r 40 CFR part 68 of the EPA. A number of processes at our facility are 
subject to the OSHA PSM standard under 29 CFR 1910.119. The following sections briefly 
describe the elements of the release prevention program that is in place at our stationary source. 
 
Process Safety Information 
Moline Water Treatment Plant maintains a record of safety information that describes the 
chemical hazards, operating parameters and equipment designs associated with all processes. 
 
Process Hazard Analysis  
Our facility conducts comprehensive studies to ensure that hazards associated with our processes 
are identified and controlled efficiently.  The methodology used to carry out these analyses is 
What if/ Checklist.   The studies are undertaken by a team of qualified personnel with expertise 
in engineering and process operations and are revalidated Bi-Annually.  Any findings related to 
the hazard analysis are addressed in a timely manner. 
 
Operating Procedures 
For the purposes of safely conducting activ 
ities within our covered processes, Moline Water 
Treatment Plant maintains written operating procedures.  These procedures address various 
modes of operation such as initial startup, normal operations, temporary operations, emergency 
shutdown, emergency operations, normal shutdown and startup after a turnaround.  The 
information is regularly reviewed and is readily accessible to operators involved in the processes. 
 
Training 
Moline Water Treatment Plant has a training program in place to ensure that employees who are 
operating processes are competent in the operating procedures associated with these processes. 
New employees receive on-the-job supervision until they are deemed competent to work 
independently. Refresher training will be provided at least every 2 years and more frequently as 
needed. 
 
Mechanical Integrity 
Moline Water Treatment Plant carries out highly documented maintenance checks on process 
equipment to ensure proper operations.  Process equipment examined by these che 
cks includes 
among others; pressure vessels, storage tanks, piping systems, relief and vent systems, controls 
and leak detection/alarm system.  Maintenance operations are carried out by qualified personnel 
with previous training in maintenance practices.  Furthermore, these personnel are offered 
specialized training as needed.  Any equipment deficiencies identified by the maintenance checks 
are corrected in a safe and timely manner. 
 
Management of Change 
Written procedures are in place at Moline Water Treatment Plant to manage changes in process 
chemicals, technology, equipment and procedures.  Process operators, maintenance personnel or 
any other employee whose job tasks are affected by a modification in process conditions are 
promptly made aware of and offered training to deal with the modification. 
 
Pre-startup Reviews 
Pre-start up safety reviews related to new processes and to modifications in established processes 
are conducted as a regular practice at Moline Water Treatment Pla 
nt.  These reviews are 
conducted to confirm that construction, equipment, operating and maintenance procedures are 
suitable for safe startup prior to placing equipment into operation. 
 
Compliance Audits 
Moline Water Treatment Plant conducts audits on a regular basis to determine whether the 
provisions set out under the RMP rule are being implemented.  These audits are carried out at 
least every 3 years and any corrective actions required as a result of the audits are undertaken in a 
safe and prompt manner. 
 
Incident Investigation 
Moline Water Treatment Plant promptly investigates any incident that has resulted in, or could 
reasonably result in a catastrophic release of a regulated substance.  These investigations are 
undertaken to identify the situation leading to the incident as well as any corrective actions to 
prevent the release from reoccurring.  All reports are retained for a minimum of 5 years. 
 
Employee Participation 
Moline Water Treatment Plant believes that process safety  
management and accident prevention 
is a team effort.  Company employees are encouraged to express their views concerning accident 
prevention issues and to recommend improvements.  In addition, our employees have access to all 
information created as part of the facility's implementation of the RMP rule, including information 
resulting from process hazard analyses in particular. 
 
Contractors 
On occasion, our company hires contractors to conduct specialized maintenance and construction 
activities.  Prior to selecting a contractor, an evaluation of safety performance of the contractor is 
carried out. Moline Water Treatment Plant has a strict policy of informing the contractors of 
known potential hazards related the contractor's work and the processes.  Contractors are also 
informed of all the procedures for emergency response should an accidental release of a regulated 
substance occur. 
 
 
5.  Five-year Accident History 
 
Moline Water Treatment Plant has had an excellent record of preventin 
g accidental releases over 
the last 5 years. Due to our stringent release prevention policies, there has been no accidental 
release during this period. 
 
6.  Emergency Response Plan 
 
Facility is included in written Community ER Plan. 
 
The Local agency coordinating ER Plan is MOLINE FIRE DEPARTMENT which has the phone 
number 911. 
 
7.  Planned Changes to Improve Safety 
Several developments and findings have resulted from the implementation of the various elements 
of our accidental release prevention program. Automatic shutoff valves  and increased training are 
some of the major steps we want to take to improve safety at our facility. These changes are 
expected to be implemented by 12/31/1999.
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