COLONIAL PIPELINE CO

Incident Narrative

ON DECEMBER 4, 2019, A COLONIAL OPERATOR OBSERVED WHAT APPEARED TO BE A POTENTIAL RELEASE COMING FROM BETWEEN THE CONCRETE RING WALL, AND THE CHIME OF TANK 1465. THE CHIME IS A FLAT STEEL PERIMETER FLOOR PLATE, WHICH IS A PORTION OF THE TANK FLOOR EXTENDING OUTSIDE OF THE TANK'S SHELL AND RESTING ON THE CONCRETE RINGWALL FOUNDATION. AT 17:10 CST, FURTHER INVESTIGATIVE EFFORTS RESULTED IN THE DISCOVERY OF A SLOW GASOLINE RELEASE ORIGINATING FROM UNDER THE TANK. THE RELEASED PRODUCT WAS CONTAINED WITHIN THE TANK DIKE. CONTAINMENT BOOM WAS PLACED WITHIN TEN FEET OF THE TANK ON THE NORTHWEST SIDE TO CONTAIN AND STOP FURTHER SPREAD OF THE PRODUCT. ON DECEMBER 4, 2019, 18:04 CST, A TELEPHONIC NRC REPORT (NRC#1265544) WAS MADE WITH AN ESTIMATED QUANTITY OF 1 BARREL (BBL.) RELEASED. THE NRC REPORT WAS MADE DUE TO THE DETERMINATION THAT ESTIMATED COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH THE RELEASE WOULD EXCEED $50,000. ON DECEMBER 6, 2019, 16:12 CST, A TELEPHONIC 48-HOUR NRC UPDATE (NRC#1265714) WAS PROVIDED WITH THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION: THE TANK WAS EMPTIED OF PRODUCT ON DECEMBER 4, 2019, 21:58 CST AND TAKEN OUT OF SERVICE (OOS), THEREBY, ELIMINATING THE LEAK SOURCE. THERE WAS NO CHANGE REPORTED WITH REGARD TO THE ESTIMATED RELEASE QUANTITY OF 1 BBL. AN INCIDENT ANALYSIS (IA) WAS CONDUCTED TO DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE. THE ACTIONS TAKEN AS PART OF THE IA ARE OUTLINED BELOW (SEE INCIDENT ANALYSIS TIMELINE). COLONIAL PERSONNEL EVALUATED APPROPRIATE AND SAFE INSPECTION METHODOLOGIES FOR BOTH THE TANK FLOOR AND TANK INTERIOR. THE TANK REMAINS OOS AT THIS TIME WITH NO CURRENT PLANS TO RETURN TO SERVICE. THE LAST OOS (API) INSPECTION POST-REPAIRS WAS COMPLETED ON JULY 1, 2001. THE TANK WAS TO BE TAKEN OOS IN NOVEMBER 2020 TO MEET THE API 653 OOS INSPECTION DUE DATE OF JULY 1, 2021. THE LAST IN-SERVICE INSPECTION WAS COMPLETED MARCH 31, 2016 AND WAS SCHEDULED TO BE COMPLETED IN 2020. INCIDENT ANALYSIS TIMELINE DECEMBER 2019: DECEMBER 9 - DEGASSING OF TANK 1465 WAS INITIATED. DECEMBER 11 - TANK CLEANING OPERATIONS BEGAN. DECEMBER 19 - THE TANK CHIME WAS SEALED, FOLLOWED BY PREPARATIONS AND PLANNING FOR THE INSTALLATION OF A PORT TO CONDUCT HELIUM TESTING. FEBRUARY 2020: FEB 6 - EFFORTS TO CONDUCT THE HELIUM TEST WERE SUSPENDED DUE TO LOWER EXPLOSIVE LIMITS (LEL) LEVEL READINGS, WHICH IDENTIFIED UNSAFE PARAMETERS (EXCESSIVELY HIGH). COLONIAL PERSONNEL REGROUPED AND BEGAN DISCUSSIONS AND PLANNING FOR ALTERNATIVE METHODS TO DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF FAILURE. MARCH 2020: MARCH 10 - COLD CUT METHODS WERE USED TO CUT A DOOR SHEET IN THE TANK. MARCH 11 - THE EXTERNAL FLOATING ROOF (EFR) WAS REMOVED. MAY 2020: MAY 19 - PLANNING AND PREPARATIONS FOR THE INSTALLATION OF MONITORING WELLS BEGAN. MAY 31 - JUNE 1 - CONTRACT PERSONNEL CONDUCTED SOIL SAMPLING TO DETERMINE THE BEST METHODOLOGY TO BEGIN SOIL VAPOR EXTRACTION (SVE) AND MONITORING OF ATMOSPHERIC CONDITIONS. JUNE 2020: JUNE 3 - SVE SAMPLING WAS COMPLETED. JULY 2020: JULY 1 - CONTRACT PERSONNEL BLASTED THE TANK PLATE WELDS REVEALING AN EIGHTEEN-INCH CRACK NEAR A WELD BETWEEN PANELS 38 AND 45, NEAR A LANDING PAD OF THE EFR. THIS DISCOVERY CONCLUDED INVESTIGATIVE ACTIONS AS IT WAS DETERMINED TO BE THE PRIMARY SOURCE OF THE RELEASE. JULY 16, 2020 - FLOOR REMOVAL BEGAN AND WAS COMPLETED ON OCTOBER 20, 2020. DISRUPTIONS IN FLOOR REMOVAL DUE TO HURRICANE LAURA AND DELTA. NOVEMBER 2020: ENVIRONMENTAL REMEDIATION BEGAN NOVEMBER 9, 2020 AND WAS COMPLETED DECEMBER 23, 2020. DECEMBER 2020: ENVIRONMENTAL REMEDIATION WAS CONCLUDED ON DECEMBER 23, 2020. ANALYTICAL DATA COLLECTED WAS SUBMITTED FOR ANALYSIS. JANUARY 2021: THE REPORT AS ASSOCIATED TO ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYTICAL DATA WAS RECEIVED ON JANUARY 11, 2021 AND PROCESSED FOR APPROVAL ON JANUARY 12, 2021. THE ANALYSIS INDICATED THE QUANTITY OF PRODUCT RELEASED AND RECOVERED WAS 533 GALLONS (12.7 BBLS), WITH, 3407 CUBIC YARDS SOIL REMEDIATED. AS PREVIOUSLY STATED ABOVE THERE ARE NO CURRENT PLANS TO RETURN TANK 1