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PRAXAIR, INC

gas_transmission Incident —

Incident Information

Report Date—
OperatorPRAXAIR, INC
Commodity—
Pipeline Typegas_transmission

Location

State
Coordinates29.57214, -94.94176

Cause

CauseOTHER INCIDENT CAUSE
Subcause—

Casualties

Fatalities0
Injuries0

Costs

Property Damage—
Lost Commodity—
Public/Private Damage—
Emergency Response—
Environmental Remediation—
Other Costs—

Location Map

Incident Narrative

11/15/2010 DURING A ROUTINE AERIAL SURVEY OF PRAXAIR'S PIPELINE IN THE GALVESTON BAY, THE SURVEY PILOT OBSERVED VIOLENT BUBBLING NEAR THE PIPELINE. HE RECORDED A GPS READING AND REPORTED IT TO PRAXAIR PERSONNEL. PRAXAIR PERSONNEL FILED AN INCIDENT REPORT WITH THE NRC. PRAXAIR'S CONTROL ROOM WAS NOTIFIED. THEY REPORTED NO EVIDENCE OF A LEAK FROM THEIR OPERATING INFORMATION. PRAXAIR PLOTTED THE GPS LOCATIONS OF THE APPARENT LEAK AND OF PRAXAIR'S ONLY PIPELINE IN THE VICINITY IN BOTH GOOGLE EARTH AND IN PRAXAIR'S GIS. BOTH PLOTS SHOWED THE LEAK TO BE ABOUT 1600 FEET FROM PRAXAIR'S PIPELINE. PRAXAIR PERSONNEL CONTACTED THE COAST GUARD AT ABOUT 16:00, THEN OTHER PIPELINE OPERATORS THEY WERE AWARE OF, INCLUDING DAVIS PETROLEUM (FRANCIS LEBEAUX), AND KINDER MORGAN. 11/16/2010 PRAXAIR PERSONNEL REPORTED THE LEAK TO FLORIDA GAS, WHO SAID THEY NO LONGER OPERATED ANY PIPELINES IN THE AREA, AND SUGGESTED CALLING ENERGY TRANSFER, WHO ALSO SAID THEY HAD NO PIPELINES IN THE AREA. DAVIS PETROLEUM REPORTED THAT THEIR PLATFORMS WERE BLOCKED IN AND PRESSURE WAS HOLDING. THEY ALSO REPORTED THAT THEIR GIS SHOWS AN ABANDONED GAS WELL NEAR THE GPS COORDINATES OF THE LEAK. PRAXAIR ALSO FILED A REPORT WITH THE TEXAS RAILROAD COMMISSION. THE COAST GUARD REPORTED THAT THERE WAS NO OIL SHEEN IN THE VICINITY AND THAT THEY HAD NO FURTHER PLANS TO OBSERVE THE SITE. PRAXAIR PERSONNEL TOOK A BOAT OUT TO THE LOCATION OF THE LEAK, BUT WERE UNABLE TO LOCATE IT DUE TO ROUGH WATER CONDITIONS. IN THE AFTERNOON, PRAXAIR PERSONNEL MADE ANOTHER FLIGHT OVER THE LEAK AREA WITH THE AERIAL SURVEYOR. THE LEAK WAS EASY TO FIND AND STILL PRESENT. 11/17/2010 PRAXAIR MADE A SECOND TRIP TO THE LEAK SITE WITH A LARGER BOAT, BUT COULD NOT LOCATE THE LEAK. AN AIRCRAFT WAS DISPATCHED TO GUIDE THE BOAT TO THE LEAK AREA. ON ARRIVAL, THE LEAK AND PRAXAIR'S PIPELINE WERE PRECISELY MARKED WITH BUOYS. THE DISTANCE BETWEEN THE BUOYS WAS MEASURED AT 1600 FEET. PRAXAIR'S PIPELINE IS UNDER THREE FEET OF COVER, AND THE WATER DEPTH IS ABOUT 7 - 8 FEET AT ITS CLOSEST POINT TO THE LEAK LOCATION. PRAXAIR'S CONTROL ROOM STAFF CONTINUE TO REPORT NO OPERATIONAL OBSERVATIONS THAT WOULD INDICATE A LEAK ON ITS PIPELINE NEAR THE LEAK. PRAXAIR PERSONNEL DO NOT BELIEVE THAT THE LEAK IS FROM THE PRAXAIR PIPELINE, AND CONSIDER THE MATTER CLOSED.

About This Pipeline Incident

Pipeline incident data is reported to the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA). All significant incidents involving fatalities, injuries, or property damage over $50,000 must be reported.

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