INTERSTATE STORAGE & PIPELINE C0

Incident Narrative

DURING A ROUTINE PIPELINE RIGHT-OF-WAY INSPECTION, A PETROLEUM ODOR WAS DETECTED BY A REPRESENTATIVE OF INTERSTATE STORAGE & PIPELINE CORPORATION (ISPC) AT 16:30 ON MARCH 8, 2017. PERSONNEL WERE MOBILIZED TO THE SITE AND IDENTIFIED A STORM SEWER DISCHARGE BASIN ON THE SOUTH SIDE OF THE ROADWAY THAT WAS THE SOURCE OF THE PETROLEUM ODOR. THE INSIDE OF THE CONCRETE STORM SEWER PIPE DISCHARGING TO THE BASIN BESIDE THE ROADWAY WAS INSPECTED AND FOUND TO CONTAIN A TRACE OF FUEL THAT WAS SIMILAR IN APPEARANCE AND ODOR TO THE JET A/A JET FUEL TRANSPORTED IN THE PIPELINE BENEATH THE SOUTH SHOULDER OF THE ROADWAY. FURTHER INSPECTION OF THE AREA SHOWED ADDITIONAL EVIDENCE OF FUEL IN THE DRAINAGE DITCH DOWN GRADIENT OF THE STORM DRAIN BASIN. IMMEDIATELY UPON DISCOVERY OF THE FUEL IN THE STORM SEWER PIPE, BASIN AND DRAINAGE DITCH, ISPC PLACED SORBENT BOOMS AND PADS WITHIN THE CATCH BASIN, OUTFALL AREAS AND DRAINAGE DITCH WHERE THE PETROLEUM WAS OBSERVED. ISPC PERSONNEL CLOSED BLOCK VALVES LOCATED ON BOTH THE UPSTREAM AND DOWNSTREAM SIDES OF THE PIPELINE TO ISOLATE THIS SECTION OF THE PIPELINE. THE STORMWATER DRAINAGE DITCH WAS INSPECTED TO DETERMINE THE EXTENT OF FUEL IMPACT AND SURFACE TRANSPORT POTENTIAL DOWNGRADIENT WITHIN THE DRAINAGE DITCH. THE INITIAL ASSESSMENT OF THE DRAINAGE DITCH SHOWED EVIDENCE OF FUEL IMPACT TO A DISTANCE OF APPROXIMATELY 330 FEET FROM THE ROAD SURFACE AND IMPACT TO THE SURFACE WAS LIMITED TO A NARROW AREA (6 FOOT MAXIMUM WIDTH) OF THE DITCH WHERE THE GRADIENT FLATTENED. IT WAS ALSO DETERMINED THAT THIS DRAINAGE DITCH LEADS TO A SMALL TRIBUTARY OF BARKERS BROOK THAT ORIGINATES TO THE EAST WITHIN A FARM FIELD. SORBENT BOOMS WERE PLACED AT STRATEGIC LOCATIONS WITHIN THE DRAINAGE DITCH, AND SORBENT PADS WERE PLACED ON PUDDLES WITHIN THE DRAINAGE DITCH TO ABSORB ANY FUEL AND/OR SHEENS. ON MARCH 8, 2017, IT WAS ALSO DISCOVERED THAT FUEL HAD BEEN LEAKING INTO THE DRAINAGE DITCH FROM THE EAST SIDE OF THE BANK OF THE DITCH APPROXIMATELY 35 FEET FROM THE BEGINNING OF THE DITCH. THIS DISCOVERY WAS BASED ON THE OBSERVATION OF PETROLEUM STAINED SOILS ON THE BANK OF THE DITCH, AND IT WAS SUSPECTED THAT THIS COULD BE DUE TO A FARM FIELD TILE DRAIN. ISPC PERSONNEL HAND DUG A TEST PIT IN THE AREA OF THE STAIN AND A TERRACOTTA TILE DRAIN WAS FOUND AT A DEPTH OF APPROXIMATELY 2 FEET BELOW GROUND AT THIS LOCATION. DURING THE EVENING OF MARCH 8, 2017 ISPC CONTRACTORS UTILIZED A BACKHOE TO EXCAVATE THROUGH THE ROADWAY SHOULDER TO EXPOSE THE PIPELINE IN THE VICINITY OF THE STORMWATER DRAIN PIPE. UPON EXPOSURE OF THE PIPELINE AND CONCRETE DRAIN PIPE STRUCTURE, IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE STORM DRAIN PIPE WAS INSTALLED AT AN ELEVATION WHERE THE PIPELINE WAS PENETRATING THE UPPER FEW INCHES OF THE CONCRETE STORM DRAIN PIPE. APPARENTLY, THE STORM DRAIN PIPE WAS RETROFITTED WITH AN OPENING IN THE TOP OF THE PIPE TO ALLOW THE JET FUEL PIPELINE TO PENETRATE THE CONCRETE PIPE, AND THIS INTERSECTION WAS SEALED WITH POURED CONCRETE. ON MARCH 9, 2017, IT WAS FOUND THAT THERE WAS AN AREA OF CORROSION IN THE PORTION OF THE PIPE CONNECTED TO THE CONCRETE THAT RESULTED IN A SMALL PINHOLE LEAK FROM THE PIPE AND THE LEAKED JET FUEL WAS DRIPPING INTO THE CONCRETE STORMWATER DRAIN PIPE. IMMEDIATELY AFTER THIS DISCOVERY, ISPC REMOVED THE COATING OFF THE PIPE, CLEANED AND INSPECTED THE EXPOSED PIPE AND INSTALLED A 24 INCH LONG PLIDCO REPAIR CLAMP (SMITH+SLEEVE) TO STOP THE LEAK. CONCURRENT WITH THE INSTALLATION OF THE REPAIR CLAMP TO STOP THE LEAK, ISPC CONTRACTORS EXCAVATED IMPACTED SOILS ADJACENT TO THE PIPELINE AND STORM DRAIN DISCHARGE BASIN STRUCTURE. IMPACTED SOILS WERE TRANSPORTED TO THE ISPC TERMINAL FOR STAGING ON AND COVERED WITH PLASTIC PENDING FUTURE DISPOSAL. THE PIPELINE UNDERWENT PRESSURE TESTING IN ACCORDANCE WITH 49 CFR 195 PRIOR TO RETURNING TO SERVICE.