COLONIAL PIPELINE CO

Incident Narrative

ON THURSDAY, AUGUST 31, 2017, AT APPROXIMATELY 16:00 CST, A TECHNICIAN WORKING IN STATION 2 AT BATON ROUGE JUNCTION NOTICED AN AREA OF STAINED GRAVEL BETWEEN THE LINE 2 UNIT 1 SUCTION AND DISCHARGE VALVES. THE TECHNICIAN DUG A HOLE IN THE STAINED AREA BUT DID NOT FIND ANY FREE PRODUCT. HE PLACED AN ABSORBENT PAD IN THE HOLE AND INFORMED THE ON-SHIFT OPERATOR B TO MONITOR THE AREA THROUGHOUT SHIFT AND TO DOCUMENT SAME INSTRUCTIONS ON SHIFT CHANGE CHECKLISTS UNTIL RESOLVED. THE NEXT AFTERNOON, WHILE PERFORMING AN AFTERNOON CHECK OF THE AREA, AN OPERATOR NOTICED A SMALL AMOUNT OF PRODUCT ON THE PAD AND NOTIFIED THE TECHNICIAN. THE TECHNICIAN IMMEDIATELY RESPONDED. PRODUCT ABSORBED BY THE PAD APPEARED TO BE A MIXTURE OF NEW AND LATENT MATERIAL. THE TECHNICIAN EXPANDED THE EXCAVATION AND DUG ADDITIONAL HOLES IN THE AREA. NO ADDITIONAL PRODUCT WAS FOUND. THE TECHNICIAN PLACED PADS IN EACH HOLE AND GAVE THE OPERATOR THE SAME MONITORING INSTRUCTIONS AS PREVIOUS. HE ALSO NOTIFIED THE ASSOCIATE OPERATIONS MANAGER AND OPERATIONS MANAGER. THE OM INFORMED THE ENVIRONMENTAL SPECIALIST AND THE GCD DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS. PLANS WERE MADE TO PERFORM FULL EXPLORATORY EXCAVATION THE FOLLOWING DAY (SEPTEMBER 2ND). THE ASSIGNED TEAM AND CONTRACTORS WERE ALSO INFORMED TO BE PREPARED TO RESPOND DURING THE NIGHT IF CONDITIONS NECESSITATED. OPERATORS MONITORED THE AREA OVERNIGHT AND OBSERVED NO ADDITIONAL PRODUCT. ON SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, THE UNIT CHECK VALVE AND ADJACENT DRAIN PIPING WAS FULLY EXCAVATED. EXPOSED PIPE AND COMPONENTS WERE CHECKED FOR LEAKS. MINOR SWEATS WERE OBSERVED ON A 3-INCH DRAIN VALVE AND ON ONE OF THE UNIT CHECK VALVE PACKING GLAND HOUSINGS. NO OTHER LEAKS WERE OBSERVED. UNIT 1 (NOT RUNNING AT THE TIME) WAS IMMEDIATELY ISOLATED AND THE DRAIN VALVE AND CHECK VALVE WERE CLEANED AND OBSERVED. ALTHOUGH THE SWEATS DID NOT IMMEDIATELY RETURN, PLANS WERE MADE TO CONTINUE TO MONITOR OVERNIGHT AND TO REMOVE THE DRAIN VALVE AND REPLACE CHECK VALVE SOFT GOODS, SCHEDULED FOR THE FOLLOWING MORNING. WHEN THE CREW ARRIVED ON SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, THEY DISCOVERED ADDITIONAL MINOR SWEATS ON THE OPPOSITE SIDE (SAME CHECK VALVE) PACKING GLAND HOUSING AND ON THE CHECK VALVE COVER PLATE. THE STATION WAS DRAINED-UP AND REPAIR ACTIVITIES INITIATED AT APPROXIMATELY 10:49. THE DRAIN VALVE WAS REMOVED AND BLIND FLANGES WERE INSTALLED ON DRAIN LINE PIPING. THE CHECK VALVE SOFT GOODS WERE REPLACED. FINAL REPAIRS WERE COMPLETED ON SEPTEMBER 3RD AT APPROXIMATELY 17:15. FINAL REPORT: ALL SPILLED PRODUCT WAS CONTAINED IN THE IMMEDIATE AREA AND COLLECTED BY ABSORBENT PADS. CONTAMINATED SOIL WAS REMOVED AS PART OF OVERALL REMEDIATION ACTIVITIES THAT ARE NOW COMPLETE. NO EXTERNAL NOTIFICATIONS WERE REQUIRED.