Environmental High-Risk Facilities Analysis Application

About the Program

Category: Risk and Emergency Management (Best in Category)

Year: 2011

A key function of Miami-Dade's Department of Environmental Resources management (DERM) is to inspect DERM-permitted industrial facilites that handle even small volumes of hazardous materials. There are approxomately 8,500 of these industrial facilites that operatie in Miami-Dade County. Most of these facilities were inspected every two to three years, regardless of the environmental risk posed by the operations or the environmental sensitivity of the area where the facilities were located. In 2010, DERM formulated and undertook a risk analysis project to determine whether resources were being adequately allocated to high-risk areas or not. Based on the criteria that was developed, a total of 1,300 higher-risk, industrial facilities were identified to require inspection annually by seasoned inspectors. The analysis also led to changes for many of the remaining 16,000 permitted facilities, where inspection frequencies were modified to match their assessed risks. This approach ensures that the environmental resources, specifically the areas surrounding the County's potable water wells (a source of water supply for the citizens of the County) are adequately protected. This program has yielded a plethora of positive results, among the most notable, however, are the long-term benefits for Miami-Dade Coutny residents due to the increased emphasis on the protection of critical County environmental resources.