WEST TEXAS GULF PIPELINE CO

hazardous_liquid Incident — — April 2, 2017

Incident Information

Incident DateApril 2, 2017
OperatorWEST TEXAS GULF PIPELINE CO
CommodityCRUDE OIL
Pipeline Typehazardous_liquid

Location

State
Coordinates32.15327, -97.37426

Cause

CauseINCORRECT OPERATION
SubcauseVALVE LEFT OR PLACED IN WRONG POSITION, BUT NOT RESULTING IN A TANK, VESSEL, OR SUMP/SEPARATOR OVERFLOW OR FACILITY OVERPRESSURE

Casualties

Fatalities0
Injuries0

Costs

Property Damage$10,000
Emergency Response$35,000
Other Costs$0

Location Map

Incident Narrative

SHORTLY FOLLOWING STARTUP OF PUMP UNIT #3 ON 4/2/2017, THE CONTROL CENTER RECEIVED A HIGH SUMP ALARM CAUSING A STATION SHUTDOWN. THE CONTROL CENTER NOTIFIED FIELD PERSONNEL TO INVESTIGATE AND UPON ARRIVAL FIELD PERSONNEL CONFIRMED THAT APPROXIMATELY 4 BARRELS OF CRUDE HAD BEEN RELEASED. FURTHER INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT THE BYPASS VALVE ON PUMP UNIT #3 WAS IN THE OPEN POSITION WHICH ALLOWED OIL TO GO DIRECTLY TO THE SUMP WHEN THE UNIT WAS STARTED VIA A DRAIN LINE WHICH RUNS UNDER THE CONCRETE SLAB OF THE PUMP BUILDING. THE SOURCE OF THE RELEASE WAS DETERMINED TO BE THE DRAIN LINE AND DUE TO THE LOCATION OF THE LINE IT WAS DRAINED, ISOLATED AND A NEW DRAIN LINE WAS INSTALLED. ALL FREE PRODUCT WAS RECOVERED AND THE CONTAMINATED SOIL WAS REMEDIATED ON SITE.

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.

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