COLONIAL PIPELINE CO

Incident Narrative

"ON APRIL 14, 2025, AT APPROXIMATELY 13:40 (LOCAL TIME) WHILE A COLONIAL OPERATOR WAS ON SITE ASSISTING WITH A MAINTENANCE ACTIVITY, THEY DISCOVERED PRODUCT IN 2 ADJACENT ACCESS WELLS. THE ACCESS WELLS WERE IN THE PROXIMITY TO THE UNIT 3 SUCTION VALVE. THE ALPHARETTA CONTROL CENTER WAS NOTIFIED OF A SUSPECTED LEAK INVESTIGATION AT 14:00. THE PRODUCT IN THE WELLS WAS CLEANED UP WITH ABSORBENTS. THE WELLS WERE MONITORED BUT NO PRODUCT CAME BACK INTO THE WELLS. THE RIGHT OF WAY (ROW) INSPECTOR WAS CONTACTED TO PROBE BOTH THE LINE 3 STATION LOOP, WHICH WAS OPERATING IN GASOLINE, AND STUB-LINE 28A, WHICH WAS SHUT DOWN, BUT HAD LAST DELIVERED DIESEL FUEL. WHEN THE ROW INSPECTOR PROBED ALONG LINE 28A THERE WAS NO DETECTION OF PRODUCT. WHEN THEY PROBED THE AREA AROUND THE UNIT 3 CHECK VALVE, THERE WAS A DETECTION OF PRODUCT ODOR. A CALL WAS MADE TO THE CONTROL CENTER AT 17:06 TO CLOSE OUT OF THE STATION LOOP. SPILL RESPONSE PERSONNEL WERE DISPATCHED TO BEGIN EXCAVATION IN THE AREA WHERE THE ODORS WERE DETECTED. AT 21:56 PRODUCT WAS OBSERVED IN THE EXCAVATION AREA. A NOTIFICATION WAS MADE TO THE NRC AT 22:29 BASED ON ESTIMATED RESPONSE COSTS TO EXCEED $50, 000. EXCAVATION CONTINUED TO IDENTIFY THE SOURCE OF THE PRODUCT IN THE SOIL. ON 4/15/25 AT 14:46 THE SOURCE OF THE PRODUCT WAS DETERMINED TO BE A SEEP AROUND 4 STUDS AND NUTS ON THE TOP OF THE UNIT 3 CHECK VALVE CAUSED BY AN O-RING FAILURE. A REPAIR PLAN WAS DEVELOPED WHILE ONGOING EXCAVATION OF IMPACTED SOIL CONTINUED. ON 4/16/25 AT 11:15 PLT REPAIR WAS COMPLETED. AT 16:30 PLT THE PIPELINE WAS REOPENED INTO THE STATION LOOP. ON-SITE MONITORING OF THE STATION AND THE UNIT 3 CHECK VALVE CONTINUED UNTIL 19:30 PLT, REPAIR WAS CONFIRMED, AND THE STATION WAS TURNED BACK OVER TO THE CONTROL CENTER."