COLONIAL PIPELINE CO
hazardous_liquid Incident — — March 4, 2019
Incident Information
| Incident Date | March 4, 2019 |
| Operator | COLONIAL PIPELINE CO |
| Commodity | REFINED AND/OR PETROLEUM PRODUCT (NON-HVL) WHICH IS A LIQUID |
| Pipeline Type | hazardous_liquid |
Location
| State | |
| Coordinates | 34.55278, -82.48773 |
Cause
| Cause | INCORRECT OPERATION |
| Subcause | OTHER INCORRECT OPERATION |
Casualties
| Fatalities | 0 |
| Injuries | 0 |
Costs
| Property Damage | $500 |
| Emergency Response | $2,000 |
| Other Costs | $0 |
Location Map
Incident Narrative
"ON THE MORNING OF 3/4/2019, WHILE SKIMMING PRODUCT FROM THE STATION OIL WATER SEPARATOR (OWS) TO THE LINE 1 SUMP, AN OPERATOR DISCOVERED PRODUCT RELEASING OUT OF AN EXCAVATED 2 INCH PIPE NEAR THE OWS. THE OPERATOR IMMEDIATELY STOPPED SKIMMING AND NOTIFIED THE OM AT 06:36; LOCAL RESOURCES WERE MOBILIZED TO RESPOND. IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT THE RELEASE ORIGINATED FROM THE OPEN-ENDED 2 INCH PIPE THAT WAS PREVIOUSLY EXCAVATED AS PART OF A FACILITY DEAD LEG REMOVAL PROJECT. FURTHER EXCAVATION DETERMINED THAT THE OPEN-ENDED 2 INCH PIPE WAS CONNECTED BY A T TO THE 3INCH PIPE RUNNING FROM THE FACILITY OWS DISCHARGE TO THE LINE 1 SUMP. THE OPEN END OF THE 2 INCH PIPE WAS THREADED AND CAPPED UNTIL IT CAN BE PERMANENTLY REMOVED. THE RELEASE WAS IMMEDIATELY CLEANED UP USING SORBENT PADS, GATHERING 6 GALLONS OF PRODUCT. NO NOTIFICATIONS WERE REQUIRED. SKIMMING OPERATIONS OCCURRED MULTIPLE TIMES SINCE THE 2 INCH PIPE WAS EXCAVATED WITH NO INDICATION OF A LEAK. IT IS BELIEVED THAT THE PIPE MAY HAVE BEEN PACKED BY SOILS ETC. THAT KEPT THE PRODUCT FROM LEAKING PREVIOUSLY."
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.