COLONIAL PIPELINE CO

Incident Narrative

"ON FEBRUARY 11, 2020, AT APPROXIMATELY 07:45 LOCAL TIME, AN OPERATOR CONDUCTING A STATION CHECK OBSERVED STAINED GRAVEL NEAR A LINE 2 PUMP UNIT 4 DISCHARGE VALVE. HE NOTIFIED THE LEAD TECHNICIAN WHO DISPATCHED A TECHNICIAN TO THE STATION FOR FURTHER INVESTIGATION. THE TECHNICIAN ARRIVED AT THE STATION AT 10:40 LOCAL AND COORDINATED WITH THE ENVIRONMENTAL TEAM TO FURTHER INVESTIGATE AND IDENTIFY THE SUSPECTED LEAK SOURCE. IN ADDITION, CONTRACT CREWS WERE ALSO MOBILIZED TO CONDUCT HYDRO EXCAVATION IN THE AREA SURROUNDING THE VALVE. THE TECHNICIAN CONTACTED THE CONTROL CENTER AT 11:04 LOCAL AND REQUESTED THAT UNIT 4 ON LINE 2 BE TAKEN OFF-LINE. THE RESPONSE CONTRACTORS ARRIVED AT 13:00 TO BE BRIEFED OF THE ON-SITE CONDITIONS AND COMMENCE HYDRO EXCAVATION. AT APPROXIMATELY 1400 HYDRO EXCAVATION OF SEVERAL POTENTIAL LEAK POINTS BEGAN AND CONTINUED THROUGHOUT THE DAY. ON FEBRUARY 11, 2020 AT 23:30 LOCAL TIME THE LEAK SOURCE WAS FOUND AND IDENTIFIED AS A FAILED THREADED NIPPLE CONNECTION ON THE LINE 2 UNIT 4 DISCHARGE VALVE ABOUT FOUR FEET BELOW GROUND. THE CONTROL CENTER WAS CONTACTED AND THE STATION WAS ISOLATED FROM THE MAINLINE. REPAIRS WERE COMPLETED BY 00:30 LOCAL TIME AND, AFTER LEAK TESTING, THE STATION WAS RETURNED TO NORMAL OPERATIONS. DETERMINATION WAS MADE ON FEBRUARY 11, 2020 AT 23:44 LOCAL TIME THAT THE $50K NRC REPORTING THRESHOLD MAY BE REACHED. THE NRC REPORT (NO. 1271028) WAS FILED BY THE CONTROL CENTER ON FEBRUARY 12, 2020 AT 00:35 LOCAL TIME."