EXXONMOBIL PIPELINE CO
hazardous_liquid Incident — — May 1, 2019
Incident Information
| Incident Date | May 1, 2019 |
| Operator | EXXONMOBIL PIPELINE CO |
| Commodity | HVL OR OTHER FLAMMABLE OR TOXIC FLUID WHICH IS A GAS AT AMBI |
| Pipeline Type | hazardous_liquid |
Location
| State | |
| Coordinates | 29.69454, -95.05550 |
Cause
| Cause | EQUIPMENT FAILURE |
| Subcause | OTHER EQUIPMENT FAILURE |
Casualties
| Fatalities | 0 |
| Injuries | 0 |
Costs
| Property Damage | $50 |
| Emergency Response | $0 |
| Other Costs | $300 |
Location Map
Incident Narrative
"EXXONMOBIL PIPELINE COMPANY (EMPCO) WAS NOTIFIED AT 5:46PM OF A POTENTIAL LEAK AT THE HIGHWAY 225 SURVEILLANCE SITE BY A THIRD PARTY. EMPCO FIELD OPERATIONS ARRIVED AT 5:59PM AND CONFIRMED DISCOVERY OF A VALVE PACKING RELEASE OF CHEMICAL GRADE PROPYLENE. THE PIPELINE SEGMENT WAS ALREADY ISOLATED AND SHUTDOWN DUE TO PLANNED RECOMMISSIONING WORK FROM OTHER PIPELINE MAINTENANCE. FIELD PERSONNEL ADDRESSED THE ISSUE BY REPACKING THE VALVE AND STOPPING THE LEAK AT APPROXIMATELY 7:10PM. AT THE TIME OF DISCOVERY, THE INITIAL RELEASE VOLUME ESTIMATE WAS NOT DETERMINED TO MEET REPORTABLE THRESHOLDS. AT APPROXIMATELY 8:39PM, ENGINEERING CALCULATIONS PRODUCED AN ESTIMATED TOTAL OF 1,010 LBS FOR THE CHEMICAL GRADE PROPYLENE RELEASE, WHICH CONTAINED A COMBINATION OF 939 LBS (5.12 BBLS) OF PROPYLENE AND 71 LBS (.38 BBLS) OF PROPANE. THE RELEASE WAS REPORTED TO TEXAS SPILL REPORTING HOTLINE, REACHING TEXAS RAILROAD COMMISSION AND TEXAS COMMISSION OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY, AT 8:44 P.M. AND THEN THE NATIONAL RESPONSE CENTER AT 8:53 P.M."
About This Pipeline Incident
Pipeline incident data is reported to the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA). All significant incidents involving fatalities, injuries, or property damage over $50,000 must be reported.