WEST COAST TERMINAL PIPELINE (WCTP)
hazardous_liquid Incident — — December 23, 2024
Incident Information
| Incident Date | December 23, 2024 |
| Operator | WEST COAST TERMINAL PIPELINE (WCTP) |
| Commodity | REFINED AND/OR PETROLEUM PRODUCT (NON-HVL) WHICH IS A LIQUID |
| Pipeline Type | hazardous_liquid |
Location
| State | |
| Coordinates | 33.80522, -118.23192 |
Cause
| Cause | INCORRECT OPERATION |
| Subcause | "TANK, VESSEL, OR SUMP/SEPARATOR ALLOWED OR CAUSED TO OVERFILL OR OVERFLOW" |
Casualties
| Fatalities | 0 |
| Injuries | 0 |
Costs
| Property Damage | $0 |
| Emergency Response | $80,000 |
| Other Costs | $0 |
Location Map
Incident Narrative
"ON 12/23/24, AT 10:02 PACIFIC TIME, OPERATOR PERSONNEL AT THE WEST COAST TERMINAL PIPELINE (PHMSA OPID 32688) DISCOVERED TRANSMIX OVERFLOWING FROM A WATER DRAW POT DURING A ROUTINE FACILITY WALK-AROUND. IMMEDIATE ACTION WAS TAKEN TO ISOLATE AND DRAIN THE WATER DRAW SYSTEM, EFFECTIVELY STOPPING THE RELEASE. THE ENTIRE RELEASE WAS CONTAINED WITHIN THE TANK CONTAINMENT PAD AND VALVE VAULT. STANDING PRODUCT AND GRAVEL DIRECTLY IMPACTED BY THE TRANSMIX WERE PROMPTLY REMOVED. THE INCIDENT IS CURRENTLY UNDER INVESTIGATION TO DETERMINE THE CAUSE. 3/18/2025 UPDATE: THE INVESTIGATION DETERMINED THAT THE WATER DRAW POT OVERFLOWED DUE TO INCORRECT VALVE ALIGNMENT FOLLOWING ROUTINE OPERATION ACTIVITY. AS A RESULT, THE HEAD PRESSURE FROM TANK 30091 FLOWED BACK THROUGH THE WATER DRAW LINES, CAUSING THE OVERFLOW. OPERATIONS LATER VALIDATED THAT THE PERSON WHO PERFORMED THE VALVE ALIGNMENT WAS TRAINED AND OQ CERTIFIED FOR THE TASK.
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.