COLONIAL PIPELINE CO

Incident Narrative

ON JANUARY 8, 2019 AT APPROXIMATELY 21:45, THE A-OPERATOR WAS PERFORMING A STATION CHECK AT BELTON JCT. AND NOTICED A 2-FOOT DIAMETER AREA OF STAINED GRAVEL NEAR THE LINE 01 SUMP. HE ALSO COULD SMELL THE PRESENCE OF GASOLINE. HE PROCEEDED TO DIG A BELL HOLE AT THE SUMP AND PLACED AN ABSORBENT PAD IN THE HOLE, MONITORED THE SITUATION THROUGH THE EARLY MORNING HOURS, AND NOTIFIED THE LEAD OPERATOR DURING SHIFT CHANGE THAT MORNING. SUBSEQUENT EXCAVATION IN THE AREA DETERMINED THE SOURCE OF THE RELEASE TO BE A CRACK IN A FLANGED CHECK VALVE LOCATED ON A 3-INCH LINE RUNNING FROM THE OIL WATER SEPARATOR (OWS) TO THE SUMP. ALL APPROPRIATE INTERNAL NOTIFICATIONS WERE MADE AND NO EXTERNAL NOTIFICATIONS WERE REQUIRED. AN INCIDENT ANALYSIS WAS PERFORMED AND THE PRIMARY CAUSE WAS DETERMINED TO BE MATERIAL/EQUIPMENT FAILURE CAUSED BY TORSIONAL STRESS ON THE PIPING AND CHECK VALVE. 16 TONS OF SOIL WAS RECOVERED CONTAINING A CALCULATED 7 GALLONS OF PRODUCT. INCLUDING THE INITIAL 9 GALLONS RECOVERED USING SORBENTS, THE TOTAL RELEASE VOLUME IS CALCULATED TO BE 16 GALLONS.