Acme Improvement District Water Treatment Plant - Executive Summary |
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The Village of Wellington (Acme Improvement District) accidental release prevention and emergency response policies integrate technology, procedures and management practices to assure safety of it's employees, the community and the environment. In service to the community, Acme has a history of proactive approach to prevention and emergency response for accidental release of toxic substances. Current prevention and emergency response polices adhere to the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Prevention Program and Emergency Response requirements as set forth under the 40 CFR 68 regulations. The Acme water treatment plant located at 1100 Wellington Trace in Wellington, Florida utilizes chlorine gas in the water treatment process to disinfect potable drinking water supplied to the village. The water treatment plant contains a chlorination area and chlorination distribution system on-site. Chlorine is delivered and stored on-site in cylinders containing 2,000 pounds of liquefied chlorine under pressure when full. Typically at any given time of day, three (3) cylinders are full and awaiting rotation into service, two (2) cylinders are "on-line" and one (1) cylinder is connected into the system as backup. Acme has an outstanding performance history in conjunction with handling, storing, maintaining and operating of chlorine gas and the chlorine disinfection system. No accidental releases have occurred since the system went into service in 1973. The water treatment plant is manned 24 hours/day, seven (7) day/week and 365 days/year. State certified operational personnel are trained in safe handling, maintenance and operation of the chlorine disinfection system that comply with EPA 40 CFR 68 regulations. The chlorination system is designed utilizing latest technologies and industry specific design codes and standards. This state-of-the- art approach at Acme makes the system inherently safer than most gaseous chlorine systems at utility facilities. The current emergency response plans are documented and coordinated with the community emergency response officials through the Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC). Operational staff are trained according to these response plans. The EPA 40 CFR 68 requires offsite consequence analysis of two (2) release scenarios for toxic substances identified as "worst case release" and "alternative release." The "worst case release" is defined by EPA as "the owner/operator shall assume that the ... maximum quantity in the largest vessel ... is released as a gas over 10 minutes." For the worst case release, EPA specifies the parameters to use in calculation of the distance the chlorine will travel to achieve "toxic endpoint." The alternative release is defined as "more likely to occur than the worst case release scenario." EPA's Offsite Consequence Analysis was performed to determine the distance traveled by the chlorine released b efore it's concentration decreases to the "toxic endpoint" selected by EPA as 3 ppm, which is the Emergency Response Planning Guideline Level 2 (ERPG - 2). This is defined by the American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA) as the "maximum airborne concentration below which it is believed that nearly all individuals could be exposed for up to one hour without experiencing or developing irreversible or other serious health effects or symptoms which could impair an individual's ability to take protective action." Utilizing the EPA Offsite Consequence Analysis Guidance document for Acme, a distance calculated to toxic endpoint is 3.5 miles for the worst case release and a 0.30 mile for the alternative release. As per EPA regulations, the population is estimated within the circles defined by the radius' corresponding to the toxic endpoints. These population values are 44,343 for the worst case and 495 for the alternative release, respectively. It is noted that if an actual release did occur according to the alternative release scenario, the population at risk would be substantially less due to the plume of gas being more in the form of an elliptical pattern moving down wind of the point source rather than a circle centered on the point source. The use of chlorination for disinfection of potable water has yielded enormous benefits in this County related to preventing the spread of water borne diseases. The Acme Improvement District, like virtually every modern water treatment facility, understands the value and risks of this treatment procedure. The Acme Improvement District has an exceptional track record of no accidental releases in its history and remains ever vigilant in its attention to safety regarding chlorine. Acme Improvement District supports this regulatory effort to inform the public in the general vicinity of any utility of the risks associated with accidental gaseous releases. Indeed, we support efforts to notify the public of such risks at all points of exposure including the production, delivery and site storage of chlorine gas. If you have questions on this matter, you may contact the Acme Improvement District at 14000 Greenbriar Blvd., Wellington, FL 33414, (561)791-4000. dwm/execsum/98-101 |