Co-seismic fire ignition at WTP and WWTP

[geotechguy1]

Slightly esoteric question but does anyone know of any examples of co-seismic fire ignition at WTP / WWTP facilities during large earthquakes? Is this a credible hazard?

FEMAS Hazus model addresses damage states for WWTP's but doesn't directly address fires at them, and the fire ignition section of HAZUS is written in a way that would exclude WTP/ WWTP's based on population density / lack of woodframe buildings but I'm not certain that was the authors intent.

 

[1503-44]

Codes and design standards cannot address every conceivable situation, so failing to mention any one in particular should not signify that design precautions should not be taken when such may be appropriate. Even if certain design features, especially those regarding safety, may not be specifically required due to population density, other factors may warrant their inclusion, such as if the facilities have operating or administrative personel present, or if they are typically unmanned. In any case, unless an item is specifically excluded by a code or standard in writing, you should never assume that it is. The code will not be liable should things go wrong. What is certain is that you will be. If you see the potential for fire, you must design your facilities for fire. Wood is obviously not the best material for resisting fire, but if you have it, it should at least have sufficient fire proofing to be safe, whether your design code requires it, or not.

--Einstein gave the same test to students every year. When asked why he would do something like that, "Because the answers had changed."

 

[bimr]

WWTP's utilize natural gas for heating like all commercial buildings. Larger WWTP's have anaerobic digesters where methane is generated and used for cogeneration. The preliminary treatment processes at WWTP's are also electrically classified hazardous areas. Digesters also have emergency relief safety flares. All of these areas may be affected by a seismic event.

"In the last decades, the damages caused by earthquakes on WWTPS have been collected and registered through direct observations and analyses of the consequences produced. Many papers and reports have been published describing the main features of the seismic event and its environmental, social and economic impacts Well-documented post-earthquake reports are available in the literature (ASCE-TCLEE, 1998,1999 and 2010; Erdik, 1999; USGS, 2007; EERI, 2010; Evans and McGhie, 2011) starting from Californian earthquake of Loma Prieta (1989), till the recent event of Darfield (2010) in New Zealand. WWTPs are frequently located in coastal zones and/or near rivers since their effluents are discharged into the sea or other superficial water bodies (i.e. rivers and lakes). Such zones are usually constituted by soft sedimentary deposits or saturated loose sand layers and, for this reason, the seismic response of the plants could be strongly influenced by the geotechnical effects (O’Rourke and Liu, 1999)."

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