[Editor’s Note: This is part of an ongoing series of stories in which the ABC15 Investigators and the Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting collaborated to explore how Arizona regulates the storage and transportation of hazardous chemicals across the state.]
By Brandon Quester, AZCIR | Lauren Gilger and Maria Tomasch, ABC15
BLOGGER NOTE: This study was done in 2014 and needs some updating.
Here in Mesa an additional facility needs to be added to the list of the four vulnerable sites farther on this post.
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BLOGGER NOTE: Interactive map is included in the report using the link below
The toxic agents, which the Environmental Protection Agency deems extremely hazardous, include chemicals such as anhydrous ammonia, chlorine and hydrofluoric acid. They are stored in more than 100 facilities that dot the Arizona landscape and, when released, can cause temporary blindness, searing pain, suffocation, and even death.
The “worst-case” scenarios are part of the EPA’s Risk Management Plan (RMP) law, which requires facilities storing large amounts of hazardous materials to file the plans for emergency planning and risk assessment purposes. The companies include water treatment plants, grocery store distribution centers and commonly known businesses such as Target, Wal-Mart and Shamrock Farms.
HOWEVER, as noted in the report Toxic and flammable worst-case scenarios are limited in scope
> the worst-case scenarios only describe leaks from the containers of specific chemicals that exceed storage thresholds. It doesn’t take into account the proximity of other containers storing the same chemical, the total amount of all chemicals stored at the facility, or the combination of different chemicals at that location.
> plans also fail to determine realistic estimates of residential populations surrounding these facilities. The estimates don’t include employees within the facility or the schools, hospitals, businesses and transportation routes nearby.
> it’s unclear whether facilities importing these chemicals are following RMP laws.
One Arizona facility was mentioned, but not identified, in a recent EPA Office of Inspector General (OIG) report that questioned whether that facility was reporting its chemical imports. According to the OIG opinion, the chemicals weren’t identified on the company’s current RMP documents
“The public should be greatly concerned about these facilities,” said Sean Moulton, director of Open Government Policy, which is part of the Center for Effective Government, a nonprofit organization dedicated to government transparency and public access to information. “As a public, as a country, as a general population, we probably know less now and are less prepared for emergencies at these facilities than we were 15 years ago when the (Risk Management Program) started. . . The RMP is a great first step in terms of understanding the risks in our front yard, but it has a number of holes that prevent it from really giving us the full picture."
knowing this information is an important part of emergency planning for communities and first responders.
“. . . the most fundamental level in terms of emergency management, you can’t plan for an emergency if you don’t know that there’s a risk,” Moulton said.
Information exists on the EPA’s Vulnerable Zone Indicator website, which allows residents to search for RMP facilities to determine if their home is within a worst-case danger zone. The website will send an email notification to anyone searching for facilities and will inform them if an RMP facility is nearby.
Arizona is one of several states that are singled out in the reportRead More > http://azcir.org/az-risk-management-plans-epa/
VULNERABLE SITES IN MESA
All sites can be located on the interactive map in the link
Not included in the 2014 report is the SIGNAL BUTTE WATER TREATMENT PLANT.
Here's an upload of City Manager Chris Brady talking about the new water treatment plant
Facility Name: VAL VISTA WATER TREATMENT PLANT
Chemical: CHLORINE
Chemical Physical State: GAS LIQUIFIED BY PRESSURE
Scenario Type: GAS RELEASE
Hazard Zone: 0.9 miles
Population within hazard zone: 5,546 people
Schools: YES
Residences: YES
Hospitals: NO
Recreation areas: YES
Prisons or corrections: NO
Commercial and industrial: NO
Other: n/a
Facility Name: BROWN ROAD WATER TREATMENT PLANT
Chemical: CHLORINE
Chemical Physical State: GAS LIQUIFIED BY PRESSURE
Scenario Type: GAS RELEASE
Hazard Zone: 1.3 miles
Population within hazard zone: 8,400 people
Schools: YES
Residences: YES
Hospitals: NO
Recreation areas: YES
Prisons or corrections: NO
Commercial and industrial: NO
Other: RED MOUNTAIN MULTIGENERATIONAL CENTER
Facility Name: MGC PURE CHEMICALS AMERICA, INC
Chemical: AMMONIA (ANHYDROUS)
Chemical Physical State: LIQUID
Scenario Type: LIQUID SPILL AND VAPORIZATION
Hazard Zone: 2.6 miles
Population within hazard zone: 898 people
Schools: NO
Residences: YES
Hospitals: NO
Recreation areas: YES
Prisons or corrections: NO
Commercial and industrial: YES
Other: n/a
Facility Name: S.W.D. URETHANE COMPANY
Chemical: FORMALDEHYDE (SOLUTION)
Chemical Physical State: LIQUID
Scenario Type: LIQUID SPILL AND VAPORIZATION
Hazard Zone: 0.1 miles
Population within hazard zone: 65 people
Schools: NO
Residences: YES
Hospitals: NO
Recreation areas: NO
Prisons or corrections: NO
Commercial and industrial: YES
Other: n/a
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