DCP MIDSTREAM

Incident Narrative

DCP CONTRACT LINE LOCATOR GUADALUPE VALDES PROVIDED POSITIVE RESPONSE TO THE THIRD PARTY EXCAVATOR ON 10/31/18 (TICKET # 1880394139) INDICATING THAT THE PIPELINE HAD BEEN MARKED AND FLAGGED, PROVIDED SPECIFIC INSTRUCTIONS IN THE POSITIVE RESPONSE STATING THAT DCP MUST BE ON SITE WITHIN 30 FEET OF THE NGL PIPELINE, MR. VALDEZ PROVIDED HIS CONTACT MOBILE CELL NUMBER IN THE POSITIVE RESPONSE TO THE THIRD PARTY EXCAVATOR, AND ADDED THAT IF THERE WERE ANY QUESTIONS TO CALL HIM AT THAT NUMBER. THE POSITIVE RESPONSE WAS EMAILED TO THE THIRD PARTY EXCAVATOR. THE THIRD PARTY EXCAVATOR DID NOT CONTACT MR. VALDEZ WHEN THEY WERE EXCAVATING / WORKING WITHIN 30 FEET OF THE PIPELINE AND THE FLAGS. THE LINE WAS MARKED WITH FLAGS AND PERMANENT MARKERS, THE FLAGS AND PERMANENT MARKERS FOR THIS PIPELINE WERE VISIBLE. THE THIRD PARTY EXCAVATOR IGNORED THESE MARKINGS AND CONTINUED EXCAVATION ACTIVITIES, AND STRUCK THE DCP MIDSTREAM PIPELINE. REQUESTED SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION FOLLOWS. REGARDING IGNITION OF THE ESCAPING NATURAL GAS LIQUIDS, THE CHAIN TRENCHER MACHINE OPERATED BY THE THIRD PARTY EXCAVATOR COMPANY WAS IN OPERATION AND CAME INTO CONTACT WITH THE DCP MIDSTREAM PIPELINE. CONTRARY TO THE ONE CALL POSITIVE RESPONSE INSTRUCTIONS, THE THIRD PARTY EXCAVATOR DID NOT CONTACT DCP PERSONNEL WHEN THE EXCAVATOR WAS OPERATING MACHINERY WITHIN THIRTY FEET OF THE DCP PIPELINE, SO NO DCP PERSONNEL WERE PRESENT WHEN THE CHAIN TRENCHER MACHINE CONTACTED THE DCP PIPELINE, COMPROMISED THE PIPE WALL AND IGNITION OF THE ESCAPING NATURAL GAS LIQUIDS OCCURRED. THE IGNITION SOURCE WOULD APPEAR TO BE EITHER A SPARK FROM THE EXCAVATION CHAIN TRENCHER MACHINE MECHANICALLY BEING IN CONTACT WITH THE METAL DCP PIPELINE, OR THE ENGINE FROM THE EXCAVATOR CHAIN TRENCHER MACHINE COMING INTO CONTACT WITH ESCAPING NATURAL GAS LIQUIDS. INJURIES WERE TO THE TWO THIRD PARTY EXCAVATOR COMPANY MACHINE OPERATORS, THE ONLY PERSONS PRESENT AT THIS LOCATION WHEN THE EXCAVATOR COMPANY'S MACHINERY STRUCK THE DCP MIDSTREAM PIPELINE. THE FIRE FROM THE ESCAPING NATURAL GAS LIQUIDS, ESCAPING THROUGH A CUT IN/PUNCTURE OF THE PIPELINE, COULD NOT BE SAFELY STOPPED BY FIRE PROFESSIONALS SO IT WAS ALLOWED TO CONTINUE UNTIL THE HYDROCARBON LIQUIDS SOURCE WAS SPENT AND THE FIRE SELF-EXTINGUISHED. THE ESTIMATED VOLUME OF NATURAL GAS LIQUIDS PRODUCT RELEASED WAS ADJUSTED (INCREASED) AFTER THE INITIAL REPORT BECAUSE THE LOST VOLUME FROM THE 11/10/18 INCIDENT WAS LATER ASSESSED USING A DIFFERENT APPROACH COMPARED TO THE INITIAL ESTIMATE, SPECIFICALLY USING A MORE REFINED CALCULATION RELYING ON ACTUAL MEASURED SYSTEM LOSS AND GAIN METRICS FOR THE PIPELINE IN RELATION TO THE TIME PERIOD AROUND THE INCIDENT (VS. AN INITIAL ESTIMATE RELYING ON ENGINEERING CALCULATIONS USING RELEVANT PIPELINE PARAMETERS, I.E., LINE FILL BETWEEN MAIN LINE VALVES). THE RAILROAD COMMISSION OF TEXAS, OVERSIGHT AND SAFETY DIVISION, PIPELINE SAFETY PROGRAM, INSPECTED THE INCIDENT SITE AND INVESTIGATED THE 11/10/18 INCIDENT. IN AN APRIL 9, 2019, PIPELINE SAFETY EVALUATION LETTER TO DCP MIDSTREAM, THE RRC PIPELINE SAFETY PROGRAM CONCLUDED THAT DCP EMERGENCY PROCEDURES, ONE-CALL PROCEDURES, LINE MARKING PROCEDURES, AND OPERATOR QUALIFICATIONS FOR THE LINE MARKING TASK WERE ACCEPTABLE, THAT THE DCP PIPELINE HAD BEEN MARKED WITH FLAGS, THAT THE POSITIVE RESPONSE TO THE EXCAVATOR COMPANY ON THE ONE CALL TICKET (TX. 811 TICKET NO. 1880394139) INDICATED TEMPORARY LINE MARKERS WERE IN PLACE AND ALSO INCLUDED AFFIRMATIVE INSTRUCTIONS THAT IF AND WHEN EXCAVATION ACTIVITIES ARE WITHIN 30 FEET OF THE DCP PIPELINE THEN DCP BE CONTACTED SO THAT A DCP REPRESENTATIVE CAN AND SHOULD BE PRESENT, AND THAT THERE WAS NO EVIDENCE OF THE THIRD PARTY EXCAVATOR COMPANY CONTACTING DCP WHEN THEY WERE TRENCHING WITHIN 30 FEET OF THE DCP PIPELINE ON NOV. 10, 2018. THE RAILROAD COMMISSION DETERMINED THAT WITH RESPECT TO THE 11/10/18 INCIDENT AND DCP MIDSTREAM'S ACTIVITIES, IT FOUND NO ALLEGED VIOLATIONS BY DCP MIDSTREAM.