COLONIAL PIPELINE CO

Incident Narrative

THE PORT ARTHUR, TEXAS AREA RECEIVED 14 INCHES OF RAINFALL FROM JUNE 18-21, 2018, CAUSING AREA WIDE FLOODING CONDITIONS. ON JUNE 20, 2018, THE PORT ARTHUR PRODUCTS JUNCTION (PAPS) FACILITY PERSONNEL WHILE CONDUCTING A ROUTINE INSPECTION OBSERVED POOLING RAINWATER AND PRODUCT (DIESEL FUEL) ON THE FLOATING ROOF OF TANK 1467. THE POOLING RAINWATER APPEARED TO HAVE CAUSED THE ROOF TO BUCKLE, THUS, ALLOWING PRODUCT TO MIX WITH THE RAINWATER. THE TANK IS AN EXTERNAL FLOATING ROOF DESIGN EQUIPPED WITH SPILL CHECK DEVICES ON THE DUAL ROOF DRAINS. FURTHER INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT THE TANK SPILL CHECK DEVICES HAD CLOSED WHICH IMPOUNDED THE WATER. INITIAL RESPONSE ACTIVITIES INCLUDED REMOVING PRODUCT FROM THE TANK AT A CONTROLLED PACE. WHILE THE TANK WAS BEING EVACUATED, PRECAUTIONARY SPILL RESPONSE CONTINGENCIES WERE PUT INTO PLACE TO ACT SHOULD A LOSS OF CONTAINMENT OCCUR AS A RESULT OF THE INITIAL RESPONSE ACTIVITIES. SUCH CONTINGENCIES CONSISTED OF DEPLOYING CONTAINMENT BOOM BETWEEN THE TANK AND TANK DIKE WALL, MOBILIZATION OF A VACUUM TRUCK AND ON-SITE SPILL RESPONSE PERSONNEL. AT APPROXIMATELY 1000 CDT OPERATORS BEGAN TO LOWER THE VOLUME LEVEL OF TANK 1467, WHICH WAS MONITORED CONTINUOUSLY, TO INCLUDE THE AREA AROUND THE TANK. AT APPROXIMATELY 1645 CDT, DURING THE PROCESS OF LANDING THE FLOATING ROOF A RELEASE OF PRODUCT WAS DISCOVERED ORIGINATING FROM UNDERNEATH THE TANK. THE RELEASED PRODUCT WAS CONTAINED AND PRIMARILY CAPTURED WITHIN THE PREPLACED BOOMS. INSPECTION OF THE TANK ON JUNE 25, 2018 REVEALED THE CAUSE OF THE RELEASE WAS DUE TO MULTIPLE LEGS PUNCTURING THE FLOOR. A REVIEW OF OPERATIONAL ALARM DATA INDICATED THAT THE SPILL CHECK DEVICES FAILED TO SEND AN ALARM TO THE CONTROL ROOM. COMPREHENSIVE INCIDENT ANALYSIS IS IN PROGRESS. REPAIR AND RECOVERY EFFORTS WERE ESTIMATED TO MEET OR EXCEED $50,000 WITH THE ESTIMATE BEING DERIVED FROM PROPERTY DAMAGES AND SPILL RESPONSE COSTS. A TELEPHONIC NOTIFICATION WAS MADE TO THE NATIONAL RESPONSE CENTER (NRC) AT 1750 CDT (NRC REPORT NO: 1215923). THE NRC NOTIFICATION WAS FOLLOWED BY NOTIFICATION TO THE STATE EMERGENCY RESPONSE CENTER (SERC). LASTLY, COURTESY NOTIFICATIONS WERE MADE TO PHMSA AND THE TCEQ. THE PROPERTY DAMAGES CALCULATED EXCLUDE REPAIR COSTS OF TANK 1467 GIVEN THE TANK HAS BEEN PLACED OUT OF SERVICE. ON JUNE 22, 2018, A 48 HOUR NOTIFICATION UPDATE WAS MADE TO THE NRC TO COMMUNICATE NO CHANGES OF INITIAL REPORTING (NRC REPORT NO: 1216135). AS OF JUNE 25, 2018, ALL FREE PRODUCT WAS RECOVERED, WITH DISPOSAL AND TREATMENT BEING MANAGED IN ACCORDANCE WITH STATE REGULATIONS. REPRESENTATIVE SOIL SAMPLES WERE COLLECTED ON JUNE 28, 2018 AROUND THE TANK FOR ANALYSIS. THE SAMPLE RESULTS YIELDED NO REQUIREMENT FOR SOIL REMEDIATION IN ACCORDANCE WITH STATE REGULATIONS. ON SEPTEMBER 20, 2018, REMOVAL OF THE TANK FLOOR WAS COMPLETED. ON SEPTEMBER 25, 2018, THE AREA ENVIRONMENTAL SPECIALIST FACILITATED SOIL SAMPLING FOR THE AREA OF FLOOR REMOVAL. ON OCTOBER 18, 2018, THE SAMPLING INDICATED A REQUIREMENT FOR SOIL REMEDIATION TO A DEPTH OF SIX INCHES. A RESPONSE ACTION COMPLETION SUMMARY WILL BE SUBMITTED TO THE STATE BY DECEMBER 20, 2018, WITH ANY FURTHER REMEDIATION EFFORTS PENDING THE STATE'S REVIEW OF THE SPILL REPORT. AN INCIDENT ANALYSIS WAS COMPLETED TO INCLUDE LESSONS LEARNED AND CORRECTIVE ACTIONS SUMMARIZED AS FOLLOWS: REVISION OF AN INTERNALLY USED SITE FORM AS ASSOCIATED TO FLOOD WATCH/WARNING CONDITIONS AND ACTIONS. A REVIEW OF MAINTENANCE ACTIVITIES OR MODIFICATIONS AS ASSOCIATED TO SPILL CHECK DEVICES AND ALARM ACTIVATION. THIS CONCLUDES PHMSA REPORTING ACTIVITIES FOR THIS INCIDENT. 10/30/2024 - UPDATED BY PHMSA PER OPERATOR APPROVAL.