Project Overview

The review conducted by Sweco was required to update the previous assessment for the site in line with the revised guidelines which were published by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 2019 – Guidance on Retention Requirements for Firewater Run-off.

The assessment looked at changes which had occurred including new hard surface areas; extensions to buildings on site; changes in raw materials stored and processing operations. In their revised guidance, the EPA had tightened the risk range within which retention would be required and increased the fire-fighting duration required for the storage of firewater, to further protect the environment.

As well as reviewing the firewater retention capacity, Sweco examined potential options for increasing retention capacity at the site using sustainable solutions. These included re-configuring the on-site stormwater collection systems to firstly remove clean water from a retention scenario as well as introducing local containment in high risk areas.

Sweco brought together Maeve English (with a strong background in the pharmaceutical industry, environmentally hazardous substances, EU regulations and processing activities) and Mary Creedon (who is experienced in preparing firewater risk assessments for pharmaceutical and manufacturing plants) to undertake this review. This led to meaningful cooperation and discussion on all aspects of the project with the client.