SINCLAIR TRANSPORTATION COMPANY

Incident Narrative

MARCH 14, 2024, AT 12:44 PM CST AT THE CARROLLTON PIPELINE STATION, AN LEL ALARM WAS RECEIVED CAUSING THE CARROLLTON TO MONTROSE LINE TO SHUT DOWN. HEP CONTROL CENTER RECEIVED THE ALARM AND CONTACTED A LOCAL TECHNICIAN IMMEDIATELY. THE TECHNICIAN WAS ALREADY ON SITE, WHERE HE PERFORMED AN ASSESSMENT. NO LEL WAS DETECTED ON THE STATIONARY LEL OR PERSONAL MONITORS UPON INITIAL ASSESSMENT AND NO VISUAL DRIPS OR LEAKS WERE DETECTED ON ABOVEGROUND PIPING. HOWEVER, THE TECHNICIAN NOTICED A SMALL AMOUNT OF RESIDUAL PRODUCT/SHEEN ON A WATER PUDDLE, DUE TO ONGOING RAINY CONDITIONS, NEAR THE INCOMING SCRAPER PIG TRAP AFTER FURTHER ASSESSMENT. UNDERGROUND LINES WERE ISOLATED AND FURTHER INVESTIGATION WAS CONDUCTED. THE TECHNICIAN VERIFIED THE PRODUCT WAS GASOLINE AND HE NOTIFIED THE HEP CONTROL CENTER AT 2:13 PM CST. THE HEP CONTROL CENTER THEN NOTIFIED HEP REGULATORY. ONCE HEP REGULATORY CONFIRMED THE RELEASE WITH OPERATIONS, HEP REGULATORY CONTACTED THE NRC AT 3:14 PM CST. UPON FURTHER INVESTIGATION, IT WAS DETERMINED THE 3/8-INCH STAINLESS STEEL TUBING COMING FROM THE MAINLINE, RUNNING UNDERGROUND TO THE SAMPLE BOX WAS LEAKING GASOLINE FROM A SMALL PINHOLE IN THE TUBING. THE LEAK WAS ESTIMATED AT THE TIME TO BE APPROXIMATELY 7 GALLONS OF GASOLINE BEING RELEASED ONTO THE DIRT AND ROCK. THE LINE WAS ALREADY SHUT DOWN AND ABSORBENT PADS WERE DEPLOYED. THE TECHNICIAN STATED THE AREA WOULD HAVE TO BE EXCAVATED TO DETERMINE ANY FURTHER EXTENT OF THE DISCHARGE. THE POINT OF RELEASE WAS A 3/8-INCH, STAINLESS SAMPLE LINE RUNNING FROM THE INCOMING PIPELINE MANIFOLD TO THE SAMPLE BOX. ONCE REMOVED FROM THE PIPELINE AND THE SAMPLE BOX, THE SAMPLE LINE WAS PLUGGED ON ONE END AND TESTED WITH NITROGEN PRESSURE TO APPROXIMATELY 60 PSI. THE PRESSURE BLED OFF. MARCH 15, 2024, HEP'S CONTRACTOR, TCCI, EXCAVATED THE ROCK AND SOIL DOWN TO THE PIPE. THE CONTAMINATED SOIL WAS CONTAINED IN PLASTIC AND WILL BE DISPOSED OF PROPERLY. THERE WAS A SMALL AMOUNT OF PRODUCT (GASOLINE) BETWEEN THE ROCKS AND THE SOIL, MEASURING APPROXIMATELY ONE CUBIC YARD. THE RELEASE AMOUNT WAS VERIFIED USING THE COMPANY'S INTERNAL GASOLINE SPILL CALCULATOR, IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE RELEASE WAS 5.0463 GALLONS. THE TUBING IS 3/8-INCH AND THE ENTIRE LENGTH OF THE TUBING, APPROXIMATELY 100 FEET, WAS REPLACED. THE LINE THAT WAS LEAKING WAS THE INCOMING SAMPLE LINE FROM OLATHE TO CARROLLTON. OPERATIONS ALSO HAD THE OUTGOING SAMPLE LINE ON THE CARROLLTON TO MONTROSE PIPELINE EXCAVATED AND REPLACED AS A PREVENTATIVE MEASURE WHILE TCCI WAS ONSITE. A PRELIMINARY FIELD INVESTIGATION WAS CONDUCTED AND IT IS BELIEVED THE SAMPLE LINE WAS RESTING AGAINST AN ELECTRICAL CONDUIT, WHICH CONTRIBUTED TO A SMALL HOLE IN THE STAINLESS TUBING BY SOME FORM OF ELECTROLYSIS, POSSIBLY RELATED TO LIGHTNING OR OTHER ELECTRICAL INTERFERENCE, SUCH AS CATHODIC PROTECTION. MARCH 18, 2024 - CORRECTIVE ACTION: THE AREA WAS BACKFILLED BY TCCI. PARTS WERE ORDERED FOR THE NEW SAMPLE LINE INSTALLATION AND THE MAJORITY OF THE CURRENT UNDERGROUND SAMPLE LINE WILL BE RELOCATED, LEAVING APPROXIMATELY 20' OF TUBING UNDERGROUND ONCE COMPLETE. THIS NEW LOCATION WILL ALLOW FOR MORE CLEARANCE BETWEEN THE STAINLESS TUBING AND STEEL DRAIN LINES AS A PREVENTATIVE MEASURE TO ELIMINATE FUTURE ISSUES. MARCH 19, 2024 - THE SAMPLE LINE AND FITTINGS WERE REPLACED WITH SWAGELOK TUBING AND FITTINGS AND PLACED ABOVE GROUND WHERE POSSIBLE. A SMALL SECTION REMAINS BELOW GRADE (SIDEWALK), BUT NO CONNECTIONS/FITTINGS ARE BELOW GRADE. BACKFILLING HAS BEEN COMPLETED AND THE SITE HAS BEEN RESTORED TO NORMAL OPERATIONS.