Methanol: Tacoma stakeholder’s create the environmental focus

First of all, that does not sound logical; it follows, most people in Tacoma have little- to no-idea what hazards should environmental study consider (detailed hazard study subject): as environment issues are presented by community people—life, property, environment (land, air, and water), and secure safe community—regarding the methane to methanol process industry proposed for operation within Port of Tacoma Washington.

Secondly, Our Tacoma City Environmental Services Wastewater Utility ^[3] workers don’t seem to be considered when we argue the methane to methanol conversion process; yet if the methanol plant flow its effluent (process discharge used water) water into Wastewater Utility piping and treatment systems; as a result, this effluent water needs the same environmental review as all other hazards considered related to this project.

Tacoma wastewater hazards already

We’re not going to dump more hydrogen sulfide (“H2S”) liquids chemical waste into my Tacoma wastewater sewer system piping and treatment process; are we?

I am asking because sometimes methane is scrubbed with water

As a result, the scrubbed methane is cleaned by water to remove:

• CO2
• N2
• H2S

In that case, these process effluent chemicals must be sent somewhere, and
could that somewhere be our Tacoma Wastewater Treatment Plant?

Nevertheless, these methane cleaning waters must be treated else just dumped into Puget Sound Commencement Bay.

Right now, our Tacoma Wastewater utility workers are exposed to bio-hazards today, the workers that are exposed to waste stream toxins flowing from homes, businesses, industry, and hospitals—including H2S, low oxygen (“O2″”) levels, and other health hazards^[1,2]—each day as these people work with wastewater physical contact, pumping stations, and treatment plants, wet-wells, and influent waste streams, and removing the solids from waste stream (the rag rakes).

We stakeholders must surface the hazards first

The proposed Tacoma plant is currently in the beginning of its SEPA review process, lead by the City of Tacoma, which aims to determine its potential environmental impacts. This begins with a scoping period in order to identify the issues that will be focused on in the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). Scoping is also the first of several opportunities for public comment during the SEPA review. ^[4]

Therefore, I hope this helps give some Community right-to-know ideas e.g., what are the Tacoma community hazard(s) assessments that must be completed!

Works cited

[1] Albatanony, M A, and M K El-Shafie, Work-Related Health Effects among Wastewater Treatment Plants Workers, The International Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 2 (2011), 237–44 online at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23022842 (visited Jan. 16, 2016).

[2] U.S. OSHA, Safety and Health Topics : Hydrogen Sulfide – Hydrogen Sulfide in Workplaces online at https://www.osha.gov/SLTC/hydrogensulfide/hydrogensulfide_found.html (visited Jan. 16, 2016).

[3] U.S. EPA, Primer for Municipal Wastewater Treatment Systems online at http://www3.epa.gov/npdes/pubs/primer.pdf (visited Jan. 16, 2016).

[4] Proposed Methanol Plant in Tacoma, WA, (Concrete Connection on WordPress.com), online at https://concreteconnection.wordpress.com/2016/01/08/proposed-methanol-plant/ (visited Jan. 16, 2016).

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Published 1/16/2016