Current through Register Vol. 50, No. 9, September 20, 2024
A. The plan shall be prepared in accordance
with sound engineering practices. If the plan calls for additional facilities
or procedures, methods, or equipment not yet fully operational, these items
shall be discussed, and the details of installation and operational start-up
shall be explained individually. The department recognizes that the designs of
major facilities differ and that in certain cases the appropriate methods for
spill prevention and control must be site-specific. While the guidelines
presented herein suggest the use of specific methodologies for this purpose,
alternate methods may be employed if it can be demonstrated to the satisfaction
of the department that the alternate methods will adequately prevent and
control spills, and that they are reasonably equivalent to the suggested
methods. A complete plan shall follow the sequence outlined in LAC
33:IX.903.B-F.
B. A complete plan
shall include the following:
1. name of
facility;
2. name of the operator
of the facility;
3. mailing address
of the facility;
4. location of the
facility;
5. date and year of
initial facility operation;
6. a
brief but adequate description of the facility, including an indication of the
nearest potential receiving waters;
7. the identity, amount, and location of
substances stored at the facility meeting the applicability criteria outlined
in LAC 33:IX.903; and
8. facility
capability and procedures for taking corrective actions and/or countermeasures
when a spill event occurs.
C. The plan shall include a prediction of the
direction, rate of flow and total quantity of applicable substances which could
be spilled at the facility where experience indicates a reasonable potential
for equipment failure and/or human error.
D. Appropriate containment and/or
diversionary structures or equipment to prevent an applicable spilled substance
from reaching waters of the state should be provided. One of the following
should be used as a minimum:
1. dikes, berms
or retaining walls sufficiently impervious to contain spills;
2. curbing, drip pans;
3. culverts, gutters or other drainage
systems;
4. weirs, booms or other
barriers;
5. spill diversion
ponds;
6. retention
ponds;
7. sorbent substances;
and
8. sumps and collection
systems.
E. When it is
determined that the installation of structures or equipment listed in LAC
33:IX.907.D of this Chapter is not practical, the owner/operator of an
applicable facility shall clearly demonstrate such impracticality and provide a
strong spill contingency plan, including a written commitment of the manpower,
equipment, and materials required to ensure timely and effective action to
minimize damage resulting from a spill event.
F. In addition to the minimal prevention
standards listed under LAC 33:IX.907.D of this Chapter, sections of the plan
should include a complete discussion of conformance with the following
applicable guidelines or other effective spill prevention and containment
procedures.
1. All storage tank installations
should be constructed so that a secondary means of containment is provided for
the entire contents of the largest single tank plus sufficient freeboard to
allow for precipitation. Diked areas should be sufficiently impervious to
contain spills.
2. Drainage from
diked storage areas should be restrained by valves or other positive means to
prevent a spill event, except where facility treatment systems are designed to
handle such spills. Flapper-type drain valves should not be used as a restraint
device. Valves used for the drainage of diked areas should, as far as
practical, be of manual, open-and-closed design. In all cases, drainage from
diked areas shall be in accordance with all applicable rules, regulations and
laws.
3. New and old tank
installations should, as far as practical, be fail-safe engineered or updated
into a fail-safe engineered installation to avoid spills. Liquid level sensing
devices should be regularly tested to insure proper operation. Consideration
should be given to providing one or more of the following devices (optional for
tanks served by adequate secondary containment systems):
a. high liquid level alarms with an audible
or visual signal at a constantly manned operation or surveillance station; in
smaller plants an audible air vent may suffice;
b. high liquid level pump cutoff devices set
to stop flow at predetermined tank content level;
c. direct audible or code signal
communication between the tank gauger and the pumping station;
d. a fast response system for determining the
liquid level of each bulk storage tank such as digital computers, telepulse, or
direct vision gauges or their equivalent; and
e. additional tank(s) connected to
automatically receive overflow.
4. All above-ground tanks should be visually
inspected by a competent person for condition and need for maintenance on a
scheduled periodic basis. Such examination should include the foundation and
supports of tanks that are above the surface of the ground. Visible leaks from
a tank and its appurtenances shall be promptly corrected.
5. Buried metallic piping installations
should have a protective wrapping and coating or the equivalent, and should be
cathodically protected if soil conditions warrant. If a section of buried line
is exposed for any reason, it shall be carefully examined for deterioration. If
corrosion damage is found, additional examination and corrective action shall
be taken as indicated by the magnitude of the damage.
6. When a pipeline is not in service or in
standby service for an extended time, the terminal connection at the transfer
point should be isolated, capped, or blank-flanged as well as marked, or the
on/off switch tagged as to origin.
7. Pipe supports shall be properly designed
to minimize abrasion and corrosion; to allow for expansion and contraction, and
to adequately support thrust loadings at bends.
8. All above-ground valves and pipelines
should be subjected to regular examinations by operating personnel at which
time the general conditions of items such as flange joints, pipeline supports,
locking of valves, and metal surfaces should be assessed. In addition, periodic
pressure testing may be warranted for piping in areas where facility drainage
is such that a failure might lead to a spill event if there is reason to
suspect the integrity of the piping. Records of such inspections and tests
shall be kept for three years and include all items addressed.
9. All tank car and tank truck
loading/unloading area drainage shall flow into a catchment basin, treatment
system or other containment system designed to hold at least the maximum
capacity of any single compartment of a tank car or truck loaded or unloaded at
the facility.
10. An interlocked
warning light, physical barrier system, or warning signs shall be provided in
loading/unloading areas to prevent vehicular departure before complete
disconnect of flexible or fixed transfer lines.
11. Prior to filling and departure of any
tank car or truck, the lowermost drain and all outlets of such vehicles shall
be closely examined for leakage, and if necessary, tightened, adjusted, or
replaced to prevent leakage.
G. The plan, as applicable, should include a
complete discussion of conformance with the following guidelines for facility
drainage.
1. Facility drainage from undiked
areas subject to spill events should if possible, flow into ponds, lagoons or
catchment basins designed to retain spills or return them to the facility.
Catchment basins should not be located in areas subject to flooding.
2. Facility drainage systems should be
adequately engineered to prevent spills from reaching the waters of the state
in the event of equipment failure or human error at the facility.
H. The plan, as applicable, should
include a complete discussion of conformance with the following guidelines for
facility security.
1. Means for restricting
unauthorized entry or other security procedures should be provided when the
facility is not attended.
2. Master
flow and drain valves and any other valves that permit direct outward flow of
spilled substances to the waters of the state should be securely locked,
tagged, or sealed in the closed position when unattended. Sample cocks, gauge
valves, and other small valves are not subject to this requirement.
3. The starter control on all pumps with
discharge piping open to the waters of the state should be locked in the "off"
position, or accessible only to authorized personnel when in nonoperating or
nonstandby status.
4. The
loading/unloading connections of pipelines should be securely capped or
blank-flanged when not in service or standby service. This security practice
should also apply to pipelines that are emptied either by draining or by inert
gas pressure.
5. Facility lighting
should be commensurate with the type and location of the facility and should
provide for the following: (These provisions may not apply to oil and gas
production sites.)
a. discovery of spills
occurring during hours of darkness, both by operating personnel and by
nonoperating personnel (the general public, local police, etc.); and
b. prevention of spills that may result
through acts of vandalism.
I. Personnel training and spill prevention
procedures should be employed, and brief discussions of the following should be
included in the plan.
1. Operators are
responsible for properly instructing the appropriate personnel in the operation
and maintenance of equipment to prevent or contain spills of substances that
are subject to this Chapter's provisions, and all applicable spill control
rules and regulations associated with substances present on the facility site
that are subject to this Chapter's provisions.
2. Each facility should have a designated
person who is accountable for spill prevention who reports to line
management.
3. Operators should
schedule and conduct spill prevention briefings for their operating personnel
and appropriate contractors at intervals frequent enough to assure adequate
understanding of the plan for that facility. Such briefings should highlight
and describe known spill events or failures, malfunctioning components, and
recently developed precautionary measures.
J. Inspections and Records. The plan shall
provide for inspections required by this Chapter. Inspections shall be in
accordance with written procedures developed for the facility by the operator.
These written procedures shall be part of the plan. Inspection records shall be
signed or initialed by the inspector, appropriate supervisor or the facility
designee (LAC 33:IX.303.H), and shall be retained for a minimum of three
years.
K. Verification by the
Department. Facilities at which this Chapter applies may be inspected by an
authorized representative of the department to assure implementation and
adequacy of the plan. Such inspections shall be covered by the conditions
provided for in LAC 33:IX.311.I of these regulations.
AUTHORITY NOTE:
Promulgated in accordance with
R.S.
30:2001 et seq., and in particular Section
2074(B)(3) and (B)(4)
