ENERGY TRANSFER COMPANY
hazardous_liquid Incident — — August 18, 2023
Incident Information
| Incident Date | August 18, 2023 |
| Operator | ENERGY TRANSFER COMPANY |
| Commodity | HVL OR OTHER FLAMMABLE OR TOXIC FLUID WHICH IS A GAS AT AMBI |
| Pipeline Type | hazardous_liquid |
Location
| State | |
| Coordinates | 27.66989, -97.71410 |
Cause
| Cause | EXCAVATION DAMAGE |
| Subcause | EXCAVATION DAMAGE BY THIRD PARTY |
Casualties
| Fatalities | 0 |
| Injuries | 0 |
Costs
| Property Damage | $132,000 |
| Emergency Response | $9,360 |
| Other Costs | $0 |
Location Map
Incident Narrative
"ON AUGUST 18, 2023, AT APPROXIMATELY 16:29, ENERGY TRANSFER (ET) GAS CONTROL NOTICED A SUDDEN DROP IN PIPELINE PRESSURE ON THE TX-107 VIOLA PIPELINE. GAS CONTROL AND OPERATIONS DECIDED TO INITIATE AN AREA SHUTDOWN AS FIELD PERSONNEL WERE TRAVELING TO THE SITE IN ORDER TO VISUALLY CONFIRM THE LEAK. BOTH UPSTREAM AND DOWNSTREAM VALVES WERE REMOTELY CLOSED AT 17:03. AT 17:36, ET PERSONNEL ARRIVED ON SITE AND CONFIRMED THAT THE PIPELINE HAD BEEN PUNCTURED BY A CONTRACTED FARMER. TX-107 VIOLA IS AN 8-INCH NATURAL GAS LIQUID (NGL) PIPELINE IN A RURAL AREA LOCATED IN NUECES COUNTY IN DRISCOLL, TX. THE FAILED SECTION OF PIPE WAS CUT OUT, REPLACED AND LINE WAS RETURNED TO SERVICE AS OF AUGUST 20, 2023, AT 09:12. THE INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT THE 3RD PARTY CONTRACTOR WAS PLOWING THE FIELD ACROSS THE RIGHT-OF-WAY AND HIT THE PIPELINE WITH A CULTIVATION PLOW. CONTRACTOR FAILED TO MAKE A ONE CALL NOTIFICATION PRIOR TO EXCAVATING. THIS PIPELINE IS UNDER THE JURISDICTION OF THE TEXAS RAILROAD COMMISSION (TX RRC). ON AUGUST 18, 2023, THIS INCIDENT WAS TELEPHONICALLY REPORTED TO THE NATIONAL RESPONSE CENTER (NRC #1376623) AT 17:58. TX RRC WAS NOTIFIED SHORTLY AFTER. A 48-HOUR NRC UPDATE (NRC #1376739) WAS MADE ON JUNE 20, 2023 AT 13:38. TO PREVENT REOCCURRENCE, ET WILL CONTINUE TO RAISE AWARENESS ON THE IMPORTANCE OF MAKING A ONE-CALL NOTIFICATION PRIOR TO EXCAVATION."
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.