BRIDGER PIPELINE LLC

Incident Narrative

ON FEBRUARY 27, 2024 WHILE EXCAVATING THE 12 INCH HWY 450 TO GUERNSEY PIPELINE IN PREPARATION FOR UPCOMING MAINTENANCE ACTIVITIES, AN UNIDENTIFIED APPURTENANCE ATTACHED TO THE SIDE OF IT WAS STRUCK BY A BPL CONTRACTOR. THE STRIKE RESULTED IN AN APPROXIMATELY 4 INCH ROUND SHAPED HOLE IN THE SIDE OF THE 12 INCH LINE WHICH RELEASED APPROXIMATELY 855 BBLS OF CRUDE OIL INTO THE EXCAVATION. THE CONSTRUCTION SUPERVISOR IMMEDIATELY CALLED THE CONTROL ROOM TO NOTIFY THEM OF THE RELEASE. THE CONTROLLER WAS REVIEWING THE LINE OPERATION AT THE TIME HE RECEIVED THE CALL FROM THE CONSTRUCTION SUPERVISOR DUE TO AN ALERT HE HAD JUST RECEIVED FROM HIS INTERNAL LINE PRESSURE WRAP. THE CONTROLLER IMMEDIATELY SHUT DOWN THE UPSTREAM UNIT(S) AT HWY 450 STATION, AND THEN ISOLATED THE SEGMENT BY CLOSING THE NEAREST UPSTREAM AND DOWNSTREAM VALVES. LOCAL OPERATIONS PERSONNEL CLOSED THE MANUAL INLINE BLOCK VALUE AT THE LOCATION WHERE THE EXCAVATION WAS OCCURRING. THE CONSTRUCTION SUPERVISOR THEN CONTACTED A CREW AND VACUUM TRUCK WORKING NEARBY AND ASKED THEM TO RESPOND TO THE RELEASE SITE. ALL RELEASED CRUDE OIL STAYED WITHIN THE EXCAVATION HOLE AND ALL FREE LIQUIDS WERE REMOVED FROM THE EXCAVATION SITE USING VACUUM TRUCKS. RECOVERED FREE LIQUIDS WERE HAULED TO A NEARBY TRUCK DUMP WHERE IT WAS RUN THROUGH THE METERS AND RETURNED TO THE PIPELINE SYSTEM. AFTER THE PIPELINE SEGMENT WAS COMPLETELY DRAINED DOWN, THE DAMAGED SECTION OF PIPE WAS CUT OUT, REMOVED, AND REPLACED. AFTER THE REPAIRS WERE COMPLETED, THE LINE WAS RETURNED TO SERVICE. AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE INCIDENT HAS BEEN COMPLETED AND THE ROOT CAUSE CONFIRMED WHAT WAS ORIGINALLY REPORTED, THE CAUSE WAS ""EXCAVATION ISSUE- EXCAVATOR FAILED TO PROTECT/SHORE/SUPPORT FACILITIES"". THE SPOTTER DID NOT SEE THE APPURTENANCE AND THE FIELD REPRESENTATIVES MISSED THE APPURTENANCE DURING PROJECT PREPARATION REVIEW. NO SURFACE WATER, GROUND WATER OR WILDLIFE WAS IMPACTED BY THE RELEASE. CONTAMINATED SOIL WAS REMOVED AND MANAGED IN ACCORDANCE WITH WYOMING DEQ REQUIREMENTS. AS SOON AS THE LEAK WAS DETERMINED TO MEET STATE AND FEDERAL REPORTING THRESHOLDS, NOTIFICATIONS WERE MADE TO THE WYOMING DEQ SPILL COORDINATOR AND THE NRC. IN ADDITION, NOTIFICATIONS WERE MADE TO THE PHMSA ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION DIVISION, THE PHMSA WESTERN REGION DIRECTOR, AND THE NIOBRARA SHERIFF'S OFFICE.