WHAT IS A BREAKDOWN?
An unforeseeable failure or malfunction of
equipment, air pollution control equipment, or related operating equipment which
causes a violation of any rule, law, permit condition, or emission limitation;
or any in-stack continuous emission monitoring (CEM) equipment failure or
malfunction.
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WHY SHOULD A
FACILITY CALL IN A BREAKDOWN?
Because
the facility may qualify for relief from enforcement for up to 24 hours or the
end of the production run, whichever is sooner. CEM equipment breakdowns may qualify for up to 96 hours of
relief. If need be, the facility
may apply for an emergency variance to give it more time to solve the problem
causing the violation.
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WHAT DOES A FACILITY
HAVE TO DO TO RECEIVE BREAKDOWN RELIEF
-
Notify the District of the breakdown by telephone, fax or email within
one hour after its detection.
-
Your notification should include the time, specific
location, equipment involved, and the cause of the occurrence (to the extent
known)
-
Do not
report breakdowns unless a District rule or permit condition will be
violated as a result of the breakdown.
-
The breakdown or failure must not be the result of
neglect or disregard of any rule or regulation.
-
The
breakdown must not be the result of improper maintenance or operator error.
-
The
condition cannot create a nuisance.
-
The
breakdown or failure must not be of a recurrent nature.
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WHO DETERMINES WHETHER OR NOT A BREAKDOWN IS ELIGIBLE FOR
RELIEF?
The District will investigate and determine whether the
condition constitutes a breakdown. If
it determines that the condition does not constitute a breakdown, the facility
will be notified of the denial. Additionally,
the Air Pollution Control Officer may take appropriate enforcement action.
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ARE THERE OTHER
REQUIREMENTS?
Yes. The facility must submit a written report within 10 days
after a breakdown condition has been corrected.
The report must include:
-
A statement that the
condition has been corrected, the date corrected, and proof of compliance.
-
A detailed description of the
cause of the breakdown.
-
A description of the
corrective measures taken to stop the problem and actions taken to avoid
future occurrences. (Steps must
be taken to avoid future occurrences, or breakdown relief may not be granted.)
-
Picture of the equipment that
failed, if available.
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SHOULD THE FACILITY
REQUEST AN EMERGENCY VARIANCE?
If the breakdown is expected to last more than 24 hours (96
hours for CEM equipment) the facility should request an emergency variance prior
to the expiration of the breakdown period.
An
emergency variance can grant the facility up to 30 days to repair the breakdown
and achieve compliance.
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For more
information about breakdowns please consult District Rule 1100 or the nearest
Regional Compliance Office
San Joaquin Valley Unified Air Pollution Control District
4800 Enterprise
Way
1990 E. Gettysburg
2700 “M” Street, Suite 275
Modesto CA
95356
Fresno, CA 93721
Bakersfield, CA 93301
(209) 557-6400
(559)
230-5950
(661) 326-6900
Fax: (209)
557-6475
Fax: (559) 230-6062
(661)
326-6985
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