Module 9: Emergency Action Plans

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Module 9 Emergency Action Plans

• By Jeff Lorimor, Bob von Bernuth, and Nanda Joshi

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Goal
The goal of this module is to create aware-ness
among CAFO Owners/Operators of the need to have a
functional Emergency Action Plan in place for
their operations.
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Objectives

• The main objectives of this module are to assist
  CAFO Owner/Operators with
• Recognizing the need for developing an Emergency
  Action Plan.
• Identifying the steps involved in reporting and
  responding to a manure spill.

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Objectives (continued)

• Identifying activities related to their manure
  management system that lead to an increased
  environmental or human health risk.
• Being prepared to develop an emergency action
  plan for their facility.

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Contents

• Accident plans
• Worker first aid training
• Spill plans
• Be prepared for emergencies
• Types of emergencies
• Emergency spill plan
• Anticipation and prevention

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Contents (continued)

• Be prepared for emergencies (continued)
• Prearranged emergency response agreements
• Location of prearranged emergency supply
  equipment and supplies
• Post-emergency assessment and documentation
• Documentation of clean-up efforts
• Emergency phone numbers

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Contents (continued)

• Periodic self-inspection of manure management
  system
• What to look for in an inspection
• Fixing potential problems

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What is an Emergency Action Plan?

• An emergency action plan is a common-sense plan
  to help producers/farmers andtheir employees
  make the right decisionsduring an emergency.
  Such plans should include the following
  sections
• Site Plan Maps and descriptions of the
  production sites, nearby water resources, and
  land application areas

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What is an Emergency Action Plan? (continued)

• Emergency Contact Information A list of contact
  names and numbers included with the plan and
  posted near the phone
• Action Plan A plan of action to prevent the
  release of manure and prevent environmental
  contamination

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1. Site Plan

• Written Site Plan Detailed description of the
  animal production facility site and land
  application areas
• Detail MapClose up of buildings and nearby
  facilities including
• Entrances and exits from each building
• First aid kit and fire extinguisher location(s)
• Manure storage facility details (access, valves,
  pumps, switches)

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1. Site Plan (continued)

• Detail Map (continued)
• Wells, water lines, and water valves for each
  building and farmstead
• Electrical service boxes (both inside and
  outside) of each building
• Gas lines and/or propane tanks
• Valves
• Services for each building
• Tile lines in and near the farmsteadespecially
  surface inlets
• Location of all emergency equipment

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1. Site Plan (continued)

• Overall MapsShould show land application areas
  and nearby water resources including
• All land application areas normally used
• Property boundaries
• Emergency land application areas (should be
  nearby and usable all year)
• Tile lines, surface inlets, and outlet location

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1. Site Plan (continued)

• Overall Maps (continued)
• Nearby water resources to protect (creeks,
  streams, rivers, wetlands, and lakes)
• Drainage ways and potential locations of
  emergency berms to stop uncontrolled flow

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2. Emergency Contact Information

• The names and phone numbers should include anyone
  who might be able to help in the event of an
  emergency.
• Facility address and location (including 911
  address)
• Physical directions to the facility, (i.e., 3
  miles west of town on County D3 and ½ mile
  north)
• Local sheriff

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2. Emergency Contact Information (continued)

• Local fire department
• Doctor
• Poison control center
• Regulating environmental agency (including their
  emergency 24-hour number)

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2. Emergency Contact Information (continued)

• Should include anyone who might help
• All nearby neighbors and useful equipment they
  have (tractors, trucks, tankers, etc.)
• All nearby construction companies and equipment
  they have (pumps, hoses, bulldozers, skid
  loaders, etc.)
• All nearby commercial manure applicators with
  manure handling equipment
• Perhaps local elevator with trucks and skid
  loaders

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2. Emergency Contact Information (continued)

• This list should be posted next to the telephone
  so that even a stranger could make emergency
  calls if necessary. A copy should also be
  maintained in your Emergency Action Plan file.
• If you employ Hispanic workers, the list should
  be in Spanish as well as English.

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3. Action Plan
Initiated immediately when manure or other wastes
from your operation are leaking, overflowing, or
running off the site. Do not wait until manure
or wastewater reaches a stream or leaves your
propertyto acknowledge that you have a problem
make every effort to ensure that this
situationdoes not happen.
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3. Action Plan (continued)

• Your Emergency Action Plan should be available to
  all employees, and they should be trained in its
  use because accidents, overflows, leaks, and
  breaks can happen at any time.

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3. Action Plan (continued)

• Enact your Emergency Action Plan as follows
• Eliminate the source.
• If possible, contain the spill.
• Assess the extent of the spill and note any
  obvious damage.
• Notify the appropriate agencies.
• Clean up the spill and make repairs.
• Prepare and submit a summary report.

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3. Action Plan (continued)

• Types of Emergencies
• Your emergency action plan should outline
  responses based on the type of emergency. These
  responses can be grouped by thefollowing three
  types of emergencies
• Pollution in progress
• Imminent pollution or emergency
• Pollution discovered after the fact

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Pollution in Progress

• The two most important things to do if you
  discover pollution in progress are to
• Stop the leak.
• Contain the spill.

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Pollution in Progress (continued)

• Leaking or broken pipe, pit wall, or lagoon berm
  
• Determine where the leak or breach is occurring.
• Stop the flow into the pipe, pit, or lagoon.
• Prevent additional leaking of material by
• Stopping all recycle or flushing pumps.

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Pollution in Progress (continued)

• Leaking or broken pipe, pit wall, or lagoon berm
  (continued)
• Prevent additional leaking of material by
  (continued)
• Stopping irrigation pumps.
• Closing valves.
• Opening valves or pipes to prevent siphons.
• If necessary, crushing pipes to stop (or slow) a
  flow.

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Pollution in Progress (continued)

• Leaking or broken pipe, pit wall, or lagoon berm
  (continued)
• Prevent liquid from reaching nearby waterways.
• Dig a holding area or construct a berm to capture
  and contain escaped waste waters.
• Protect any tile line surface inlet by placing a
  pipe in it and mounding dirt or filling with
  bentonite.

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Pollution in Progress (continued)

• Leaking or broken pipe, pit wall, or lagoon berm
  (continued)
• Prevent liquid from reaching nearby waterways.
  (continued)
• If liquids are getting into tile lines, block the
  tile line inlet or outlet.
• Remove any released and recaptured liquid by
  pumping or hauling to land application areas.

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Pollution in Progress (continued)

• Tank spreader leak or overturn If present, human
  injuries take precedence over other responses.
  Next, limiting the environmental impact of this
  emergency becomes the main goal.
• If possible, stop the additional spill of
  material.
• If along state or county roads, contact the
  appropriate transportation department.

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Pollution in Progress (continued)

• Tank spreader leak or overturn (continued)
• Contain the material that has spilled with earth
  berms, sandbags, and dug holding areas.
• Begin clean-up procedures remove and land apply
  captured liquids.
• Check for tile line surface inlets and protect
  any that may be present.

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Pollution in Progress (continued)

• Runoff from land application
• Immediately stop applying.
• Determine the cause of runoff loss
  (over-applying, unexpected precipitation, not
  applying on contour, etc.).
• Protect tile surface inlets by mounding dirt.

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Pollution in Progress (continued)

• Runoff from land application (continued)
• If feasible, dig a holding area or construct a
  berm to capture and contain escaped wastewaters.
• If liquids are getting into tile lines, block the
  tile line outlets.
• Remove recaptured liquid by pumping and hauling
  to other areas.
• If possible, incorporate surface-applied manure.

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Imminent Pollution or Emergency

• Storage capacity about to be exceeded Long
  periods of excessive rain or malfunctioning
  animal water systems may cause your storage to
  un-expectedly reach capacity. You must attempt
  to prevent the release of wastes. Suggested
  responses are as follows
• Stop (or minimize) all additional flow (waterers,
  flushing water, etc.) into the storage.

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Imminent Pollution or Emergency (continued)

• Storage capacity about to be exceeded
  (continued)
• Prevent surface water from entering the storage.
  
• Begin a planned emergency utilization of manure
  by applying it to fields at acceptable rates.
• Add soil to the berm to repair low areas (Raising
  berm height requires prior approval from your
  regulating agency.).

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Imminent Pollution or Emergency (continued)

• Potential runoff from an application field This
  situation could result from unexpected rains
  during or immediately after field application of
  manure or from over-application of liquid manure.
  Prevent the release of wastes to neighboring
  areas. Possible solutions include
• Stop additional manure application.
• Contain manure by creating temporary diversions
  or berms.

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Imminent Pollution or Emergency (continued)

• Potential runoff from an application field
  (continued)
• Prevent further runoff by incorporating the
  manure and/or reducing application rates.
• Apply on the contour rather than up and down the
  slope.
• To allow a larger buffer area, stay further back
  from water resources.

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Imminent Pollution or Emergency (continued)

• Flooding Before floodwaters begin to rise,
  consider the following
• Will the farm be isolated if certain access roads
  are flooded?
• How many days of protected feed are on the farm?
• How could animals be evacuated from the farm?

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Imminent Pollution or Emergency (continued)

• Flooding (continued)
• How will animal mortalities be managed? If burial
  is the preferred option, is an upland site
  dedicated to that purpose?
• Which of the following items are at a higher risk
  from floodingbuildings, manure storage, feed
  storage, or mortality disposal sites?

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Imminent Pollution or Emergency (continued)

• Catastrophic animal loss One of the most
  devastating emergencies on a farm is the
  catastrophic loss of animals. Floods, tornadoes,
  power loss, and manure gas buildup in buildings
  can all result in significant loss of animals.
  Con-sider the following questions
• What is your greatest risk for catastrophic
  animal losses?

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Imminent Pollution or Emergency (continued)

• Catastrophic animal loss (continued)
• How will animals be removed from production
  houses?
• What disposal options do you have?
• Does your state veterinarian or contractor have
  to approve the disposal method?
• Do you have an appropriate site for burying or
  composting animals?

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Spill Kit

• Consider making (and having on hand at all times)
  a spill kit that includes the following
• Shovels (2 or more)
• PVC pipe or buckets with the bottoms removed (to
  put over tile risers)
• Bentonite
• Roll of 6-mil plastic
• Hay bales
• Tools (pliers, hammers, etc)
• Plywood (to close culvert openings)

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Pollution Discovered After the Fact

• Because the discovery was delayed, the
  environ-mental impact may be increased. This can
  occur from mechanical failures as well as from
  runoff from previously applied manure. To
  minimize the damage, respond quickly by
• Stopping additional leakage or manure
  application.
• Containing spilled wastes by creating berms,
  containment basins, or small dams across
  waterways.

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Pollution Discovered After the Fact (continued)

• Protecting tile line surface inlets.
• Applying spilled wastes on nearby cropland.
• Notifying agencies and local authorities.
• Do NOT flush the spill away with water.

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Post-Spill Assessment and Reporting
In addition to providing information to your
regulating agency, you should keep a detailed
record of a spill and how you responded to it.
This record could be useful in the event of
legal action and help prevent similar occurrences
inthe future.
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Post-Spill Assessment and Reporting (continued)

• Assess the extent of the spill and note any
  obvious damages.
• Did the spill reach surface waters, wetlands,
  tile drains, or wells?
• How much manure was released and for what
  duration?
• Did you note any employee injury, fish kills, or
  property damage?

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Post-Spill Assessment and Reporting (continued)

• Response to spill
• When, where, and how was the spill contained?
• What measures were taken to avoid additional
  contamination and threat to the environment or
  human health?
• Did anyone or any local group assist in the
  cleanup?

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Post-Spill Assessment and Reporting (continued)

• Response to spill (continued)
• Was a technical specialist (NRCS, Conservation
  District, or engineer) consulted? What corrective
  actions are necessary to repair any damageto
  your storage structure, manure transfer, or
  application equipment?

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Post-Spill Assessment and Reporting (continued)

• Cause of the spill
• Can you determine the cause of the spill or
  discharge?
• If appropriate, were signs of the impending
  spill present before the accident occurred?

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Post-Spill Assessment and Reporting (continued)

• Many state environmental agencies have deadlines
  for reporting spills. Contact the appropriate
  agencies.
• When were local and state agencies contacted
  (record the day, hour, and minute), notifying
  them of the spill?
• Did state or local representatives give you any
  special instructions?

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Post-Spill Assessment and Reporting (continued)

• (continued)
• Did a representative of the state water quality
  agency or health department respond to the
  notification? List names, titles, and agencies.

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Summary

• An emergency action plan will help you be
  prepared in the event of an accidental release.
  In almost all situations, the actions needed are
  similar stop the spill, contain the spill, and
  contact someone.
• Being prepared reduces the risk of environ-mental
  pollution and legal action.