SINCLAIR TRANSPORTATION COMPANY

Incident Narrative

ON 7/11/2021 AT 10:10, THE CARROLLTON AREA OPERATOR (CAO) CAME OUT TO CARROLLTON STATION TO RESTART THE LINE GOING TO MONTROSE. THE LINE HAD SHUT DOWN THE NIGHT BEFORE DUE TO LOSS OF POWER AT CARROLLTON STATION. UPON ARRIVAL HE FOUND THAT THE BOOSTER SEAL LEAK ALARM HAD BEEN ACTIVATED. THIS WAS BECAUSE A BOOSTER PUMP SEAL HAD FAILED. THE PUMP WAS EQUIPPED WITH A PIPED CAPTURE SYSTEM, WHICH ROUTED THE PREMIUM UNLEADED GASOLINE TO A 1,000-GALLON SUMP LOCATED NEAR THE PUMP. THE SUMP CONSEQUENTLY OVERFILLED. THIS CAUSED PREMIUM GASOLINE TO BE RELEASED TO THE GRAVEL AREA AROUND THE BOOSTER PUMPS. AT 10:16, THE CAO INITIATED EMERGENCY RESPONSE ACTIVITIES TO CONTROL THE SOURCE OF THE SPILL BY CLOSING THE VALVE TO TANK 3204. ADDITIONAL SINCLAIR PERSONNEL WERE CALLED OUT TO ASSIST IN THE EMERGENCY RESPONSE EFFORT. ABSORBENTS PADS AND BOOMS WERE DEPLOYED TO RECOVER THE SPILLED PRODUCT. DUE TO RECENT RAINS THE GROUND WAS SATURATED WITH RAIN WATER WHICH HELPED KEEP THE GASOLINE FROM SOAKING IN. THE BOOSTER PUMPS ARE LOCATED WITHIN AN AREA OF SECONDARY CONTAINMENT. RUNOFF IS CONTROLLED AT TWO LOCATIONS BEFORE EXITING THE PROPERTY. PRECAUTIONARY ABSORBENT BOOMS WERE PLACED ON BOTH SIDES OF THE RUNOFF CONTROL VALVES AT BOTH SECONDARY CONTAINMENT DIKES. NO STAINING OR FLOATING GASOLINE WAS OBSERVED ON ANY OF THE DITCH WATER OR ABSORBENT MATERIALS. BOTH VALVES WERE CLOSED AT THE TIME OF THE INCIDENT. FAILURE OF BOTH THE BOOSTER PUMP SEALS AND THE PUMP BEARINGS WERE FOUND TO BE CONTRIBUTING CAUSES TO THE INCIDENT, AND BOTH WERE REPLACED. INADEQUATE CONTROLLER TRAINING WAS ALSO A FACTOR. THE CONTROLLER WAS FAMILIAR WITH SEAL LEAKS AS THEY OCCUR ON MAINLINE CENTRIFUGAL PUMPS, WHERE SUCTION AND DISCHARGE VALVES CLOSE TO ISOLATE FLOW FROM THE ASSOCIATED PIPING. THE POTENTIAL FOR UNRESTRICTED FLOW TO THE SUMP IN THIS CASE WAS UNKNOWN TO THE CONTROLLER. TEAM TRAINING WAS PROVIDED TO ALL CONTROLLERS ON 7/20/21 BY A SINCLAIR MAINTENANCE MECHANIC. THE TEAM TRAINING INVOLVED BOOSTER PUMP PIPING CONFIGURATIONS AND SEAL LEAK DETECTION DEVICES. IT WAS ALSO DISCOVERED THAT A SUMP LEVEL INDICATION DEVICE (VAREC) HAD BEEN LEFT IN A POSITION SUCH THAT THE CONTROL ROOM DID NOT RECEIVE HI AND HI HI SUMP ALARMS. PRIOR TO RETURNING THE BOOSTER PUMP TO SERVICE VAREC ALARM FUNCTIONALITY WAS CHECKED BOTH LOCALLY AND IN THE CONTROL CENTER.