WESTERN REFINING LOGISTICS, LP

hazardous_liquid Incident —

Incident Information

Report Date
OperatorWESTERN REFINING LOGISTICS, LP
Commodity—
Pipeline Typehazardous_liquid

Location

State
Coordinates36.48710, -108.13060

Cause

CauseINCORRECT OPERATION
Subcause—

Casualties

Fatalities0
Injuries0

Costs

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

Location Map

Incident Narrative

A 13 GALLON (1 GALLON RECOVERED, 12 GALLONS CLEANED UP) CRUDE OIL RELEASE OCCURRED ON TUE, APR 7 AFTER A MAINLINE PUMP MAINTENANCE (P812). WHEN THE PUMP WAS PUT BACK INTO SERVICE, A 1 INCH BALL VALVE USED TO DRAIN PUMP SUCTION PIPING INTO A SUMP WAS NOT FULLY CLOSED AND CRUDE OIL WAS ENTERING THE DRAIN SYSTEM. CONNECTED TO THE SAME DRAIN PIPING IS A NEARBY METER PROVING LOOP CATCH BASIN WHICH ALSO HAS A 1 INCH BALL VALVE USED TO DRAIN CRUDE OIL TO THE SAME SUMP. THE CATCH BASIN DRAIN VALVE WAS LEFT IN THE OPEN POSITION AND CRUDE OIL BACK-FED THROUGH THE DRAIN PIPING INTO THEN OUT OF THE CATCH BASIN, THIS IS WHERE THE RELEASE OCCURRED. UNDER NORMAL CIRCUMSTANCES, CRUDE OIL WOULD DRAIN TO THE SUMP; HOWEVER, THE SYSTEM WAS SLOW TO DRAIN BECAUSE OF A OBSTRUCTIONS, E.G. PARAFFIN, DEBRIS FROM PUMP DRAINS, ETC.

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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