EXPLORER PIPELINE CO
hazardous_liquid Incident —
Incident Information
| Report Date | — |
| Operator | EXPLORER PIPELINE CO |
| Commodity | — |
| Pipeline Type | hazardous_liquid |
Location
| State | |
| Coordinates | 39.70737, -89.17723 |
Cause
| Cause | EQUIPMENT FAILURE |
| Subcause | — |
Casualties
| Fatalities | 0 |
| Injuries | 0 |
Costs
| Property Damage | — |
| Lost Commodity | — |
| Public/Private Damage | — |
| Emergency Response | — |
| Environmental Remediation | — |
| Other Costs | — |
Location Map
Incident Narrative
ON AUGUST 6, 2023, THE DECATUR, IL PUMP STATION RECEIVED A PUMP SEAL FAIL ALARM FROM A LARGE RAINFALL EVENT. THE SEAL FAIL ALARM ISOLATED THE PUMP, WHICH WAS NOT OPERATING SINCE THE STATION WAS DOWN. THE CONTROLLER ADDITIONALLY ISOLATED THE STATION FROM THE MAINLINE PIPELINE, SHUT DOWN THE PIPELINE, AND INITIATED A STATION CALL OUT. UPON THE TECHNICIANS ARRIVAL AT THE STATION, THE TECHNICIAN DISCOVERED 130 GALLONS OF NATURAL GASOLINE HAD BEEN RELEASED FROM THE SUCTION VALVE OF THE PUMP. ALL THE PRODUCT THAT WAS RELEASED WAS TOTALLY CONTAINED IN THE VALVE VAULT INSIDE A SECURED STATION. THE PRODUCT IN THE VAULT WAS PROPERLY MANAGED BY A CONTRACTED OSRO. THE RELEASE WAS CAUSED BY VALVE STEM WEAR ON THE PACKING WHEN IT WAS SHUT. THE PIPELINE REMAINED SHUT DOWN UNTIL THE VALVE WAS REPAIRED. SCADA RECORDS SHOW NO ADDITIONAL ALARMS OTHER THAN THE ORIGINAL SEAL FAIL, WHICH WAS CAUSED FROM A STORM AND RAINFALL THAT HAD BEEN ABLE TO SEEP INTO THE SEAL POT.
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.