COLONIAL PIPELINE CO

Incident Narrative

ON 8/11/21, AT APPROXIMATELY 00:36, A HOUSTON (HTN) COLONIAL OPERATOR SMELLED PRODUCT CONDUCTING A YARD CHECK AND BEGAN INVESTIGATING THE SOURCE. THE OPERATOR NOTICED STAINED ROCKS SURROUNDING THE LINE 2 (L2) EVA SHIPPER VALVE. THIS LED THE OPERATOR TO OBSERVE ULTRA LOW SULFUR DIESEL (ULSD) IN 3 ACCESS WELLS NEXT TO THE VALVE. THE OPERATOR INFORMED THE ON-SHIFT A & B OPERATORS. HTN L2 WAS SHUTDOWN PENDING INVESTIGATION OF THE LEAK SOURCE AND NOTIFICATIONS WERE MADE TO APPROPRIATE PERSONNEL. OPERATIONS AT THIS VALVE REQUIRED FURTHER INVESTIGATION TO DETERMINE THE RESPONSIBLE PARTY. A POTENTIAL RESPONSIBLE PARTY SUBMITTED A NRC CALL (NRC INCIDENT REPORT # 1313343). THE SUMMARY OF THIS CALL INCLUDED JOINT INVESTIGATION ACTIONS UNDERWAY TO DETERMINE THE LEAK SOURCE AND RESPONSIBLE PARTY. 8/12/21, COLONIAL CONFIRMED OWNERSHIP OF THE LEAK SOURCE (RESPONSIBLE PARTY). COLONIAL FOUND THE LEAK TO BE A RESULT OF A VALVE BODY GUIDE PLUG MALFUNCTION. AT APPROXIMATELY 11:00 CST, COLONIAL DISCOVERED THE SPILL RESPONSE COSTS MAY EXCEED $50,000 AND MADE A NOTIFICATION TO THE NRC (NRC INCIDENT REPORT #1313487). ADDITIONALLY, PHMSA AID WAS CONTACTED TO CLARIFY INCIDENT REPORT # 1313343 DISCUSSED ABOVE WAS THE SAME LEAK. OTHER NOTIFICATIONS WERE MADE AS REQUIRED. APPROXIMATELY 100 GALLONS OF ULSD WAS RELEASED AND CONTAINED ONSITE. ON 8/14/2021, COLONIAL CONDUCTED A 48 HOUR UPDATED NOTIFICATION TO NRC INCIDENT # 1313487. THIS NOTIFICATION REPORTED NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGES OTHER THAN THE VALVE REPAIR WAS COMPLETED ON 8/13/21. AN IA WILL BE CONDUCTED FOR THIS INCIDENT.