COLONIAL PIPELINE CO

Incident Narrative

ON 11/20/2017, AT 10:30 LOCAL TIME, A SENIOR OPERATOR PERFORMING A STATION YARD CHECK NOTICED KEROSENE ODORS. UPON FURTHER INVESTIGATION THE OPERATOR DISCOVERED FREE PRODUCT ON STANDING WATER IN AN OPEN EXCAVATION. THE OPERATOR IMMEDIATELY NOTIFIED THE CONTROL CENTER AND VERIFIED THAT THE SUSPECTED PIPE SECTION WAS ISOLATED FROM THE MAIN LINE. ALL INTERNAL NOTIFICATIONS WERE MADE BY 10:51. AT 11:05 A TECHNICIAN ARRIVED AT THE FACILITY WHO LATER DISCOVERED A LOOSE END OF TUBING BURIED IN THE MUD WITHIN THE EXCAVATION. THE TUBING WAS IMMEDIATELY CAPPED. AT 12:45 THE TUBING, ALONG WITH A CHECK VALVE AND A 1/2"" HAND OPERATED VALVE, WERE PERMANENTLY DISCONNECTED FROM THE PRESSURIZED PIPING SECTION. BY 16:15 ALL FREE-STANDING WATER AND PRODUCT HAD BEEN RECOVERED FROM THE EXCAVATION. SITE REMEDIATION WAS COMPLETED THE FOLLOWING DAY. THE TUBING ASSOCIATED WITH THE RELEASE HAD BEEN DISCONNECTED FROM A CONTROL VALVE WHICH WAS REMOVED ON 11/01/2017. HOWEVER, THE OTHER END OF THE TUBING REMAINED CONNECTED TO PRESSURIZED PIPING DOWNSTREAM OF WHERE THE CONTROL VALVE HAD BEEN REMOVED WHICH CAUSED THE TUBING TO REMAIN UNDER PRESSURE UP TO THE CHECK VALVE. BASED ON HYDRAULIC ANALYSIS, THE LEAK IS BELIEVED TO HAVE MOST LIKELY BEEN INITIATED AS A RESULT OF A PRESSURE SPIKE ON 11/09/17 AT 01:41 AT THE CLOSE OF AN ORIGIN/INJECTION OPERATION TO THE MAIN LINE. THE LEAK IS BELIEVED TO HAVE ONLY BEEN ACTIVE WHILE INJECTING. THE NEXT ORIGIN/INJECTION OPERATION OCCURRED ON 11/14/17 AND LASTED TWO HOURS, DURING WHICH TIME A REPORTABLE VOLUME WOULD HAVE BEEN RELEASED. NOTIFICATIONS TO THE LOUISIANA STATE POLICE (SPOC) AND ST. LANDRY AND POINT COUPEE PARISH LEPCS WERE MADE ON 11/20/2017. FINAL REPORT - INTERNAL INCIDENT ANALYSIS (IA) CONCLUDED THE FOLLOWING: AND FACILITATED CLOSURE OF THIS INCIDENT: FULL REMOVAL OF TUBING FROM THE AREA AND PLUGGING OF THE ISOLATION VALVE.