COLONIAL PIPELINE CO

hazardous_liquid Incident —

Incident Information

Report Date
OperatorCOLONIAL PIPELINE CO
Commodity—
Pipeline Typehazardous_liquid

Location

State
Coordinates36.07123, -79.93687

Cause

CauseEQUIPMENT FAILURE
Subcause—

Casualties

Fatalities0
Injuries0

Costs

Property Damage
Lost Commodity
Public/Private Damage
Emergency Response
Environmental Remediation
Other Costs

Location Map

Incident Narrative

ON JANUARY 02, 2023, WHILE CONDUCTING A ROUTINE YARD CHECK, A COLONIAL EMPLOYEE, OBSERVED THE LINE 02 SUMP PUMP SEAL SPRAYING PRODUCT, AS WELL AS STAINED GRAVEL IN THE SURROUNDING AREA. THE EMPLOYEE ISOLATED THE EQUIPMENT BY CLOSING BOTH DISCHARGE VALVES ON THE LINE 02 SUMP PIPING AND INITIATED CONTAINMENT OF THE RELEASED PRODUCT. ADDITIONAL PERSONNEL AND CONTRACTORS WERE MOBILIZED TO AID IN CONTAINMENT AND REPAIR. IT IS BELIEVED THAT THE FAILURE OF A SUMP CHECK VALVE CAUSED PRESSURE TO BACK UP ON THE SUMP DISCHARGE LINE RESULTING IN THE SEAL FAILURE ON THE SUMP PUMP. UPDATE: INVESTIGATION DETERMINED THE KEROSENE DIVIDER FAILED TO OPEN AND CAUSED A MANIFOLD RELIEF EVENT. WHEN THE MANIFOLD RELIEF ACTUATED, PRESSURE BACKED UP ON THE SUMP DISCHARGE LINES AND A CHECK VALVE ON THE LINE 2 SUMP. WHEN THE CHECK VALVE WAS DISMANTLED, EXTENSIVE VISIBLE DAMAGE WAS OBSERVED INCLUDING THAT THE VALVE CLAPPER HAD FALLEN OFF.

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.

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