COLONIAL PIPELINE CO

Incident Narrative

ON OCTOBER 31, 2016, AT APPROXIMATELY 14:47 CDT, PERSONNEL OF THE OPERATIONS CONTROL CENTER OBSERVED A LOSS OF PRESSURE FROM COLONIAL'S 36-INCH DIAMETER GASOLINE PIPELINE (LINE 1) AND BEGAN SHUTDOWN PROCEDURES BASED ON A SUSPECTED LEAK. A SUBSEQUENT CALL FROM FIELD PERSONNEL CONFIRMED A PRODUCT RELEASE FROM LINE 1 NEAR RIVER ROAD IN HELENA, AL THAT RESULTED IN A FIRE. COLONIAL IMMEDIATELY INITIATED ITS EMERGENCY RESPONSE PLAN, INCLUDING MOBILIZATION OF RESPONSE PERSONNEL (COLONIAL AND CONTRACTOR) AND NOTIFICATION OF FEDERAL, STATE, AND LOCAL EMERGENCY RESPONSE RESOURCES, INCLUDING THE NATIONAL RESPONSE CENTER. THE CONTROL CENTER INITIATED AN IMMEDIATE SHUTDOWN OF LINE 1 AND LINE 2 (AN ADJACENT 36-INCH DIAMETER PIPELINE) AND ISOLATION OF THE AFFECTED SECTION OF LINE 1 THROUGH ESTABLISHED PROCEDURES. OPERATIONS CONTROL PERSONNEL SHUTDOWN PRODUCT FLOW IN LINES 1 AND 2 AT 15:00 CDT, WHICH ISOLATED A SECTION OF LINE 1 THAT INCLUDED THE ACCIDENT LOCATION. COLONIAL FIELD OPERATIONS CREWS WERE DISPATCHED FROM THE COLONIAL PELHAM JUNCTION STATION AT 15:50 CDT TO MANUALLY CLOSE THE PIPELINE PRODUCT FLOW CONTROL VALVES (REFERRED TO AS BLOCK VALVES) ON EITHER SIDE OF THE RELEASE SITE. LINE 1 ISOLATION ACTIVITIES WERE FULLY COMPLETED AT 19:10 CDT. THE FIRE RESULTED IN THE DEATH OF TWO EXCAVATION CONTRACTOR WORKERS AND INJURIES TO FOUR EXCAVATION CONTRACTOR WORKERS AT THE SITE, AND ALSO DAMAGED NEARBY EQUIPMENT AND VEGETATION. UPON SUPPRESSION OF THE FIRE, REMEDIATION OF THE SITE WAS INITIATED. THE DAMAGED SEGMENT OF THE LINE 1 PIPE WAS REMOVED AND REPLACED, AND OPERATION OF LINE 1 RESUMED ON NOVEMBER 6, 2016, AT 17:45 CDT. THE RELEASE OCCURRED DURING SCHEDULED MAINTENANCE ASSOCIATED WITH THE REPAIR OF LINE 1 DUE TO A PRIOR INCIDENT (CR-91). THE MAINTENANCE WAS BEING CONDUCTED ON LINE 1 BY EMPLOYEES OF AN EXCAVATION CONTRACTOR (2ND PARTY DAMAGE). THE EXCAVATION CONTRACTOR USED A TRACK-HOE EXCAVATOR TO EXCAVATE SOIL LOCATED DIRECTLY OVER THE BURIED LINE 1 PIPE. A CONTRACTOR WORK CREW WAS CONDUCTING MECHANICAL EXCAVATION WHEN THE BUCKET TEETH OF THE EXCAVATOR STRUCK A THREAD-O-RING (TOR) THAT WAS PREVIOUSLY INSTALLED ON THE BURIED PIPE, CAUSING THAT TOR TO BEND AND TEAR FROM THE LINE 1 PIPE. THE TEARING OF THE TOR FROM THE PIPE WALL CREATED AN APPROXIMATE 3-INCH DIAMETER CIRCULAR OPENING IN THE BURIED PIPE WALL, WHICH RESULTED IN THE RELEASE OF GASOLINE FROM LINE 1. A METALLURGICAL EXAMINATION OF THE PIPE AND THE TOR SUPPORTS THE CONCLUSION THAT THE DAMAGE WAS CAUSED BY THE EXCAVATOR BUCKET TEETH APPLYING SUBSTANTIAL FORCE TO THE TOR. A CONTRIBUTING ROOT CAUSE WAS THAT THE 2ND PARTY EXCAVATION CONTRACTOR PERFORMING THE MAINTENANCE WORK DID NOT FOLLOW COLONIAL'S EXCAVATION PROCEDURE, WHICH REQUIRES THAT HAND EXCAVATION (AND NOT MECHANICAL EXCAVATION) OCCUR IN CLOSE PROXIMITY TO THE PIPELINE WHERE THE LOCATION OF THE BURIED PIPE HAS NOT BEEN SUCCESSFULLY LOCATED THROUGH AT LEAST TWO APPROVED METHODS, SUCH AS PROBING. WITH SPECIFIC REFERENCE TO COLONIAL'S RESPONSES TO QUESTIONS 14 AND 15 IN PART G3 ON THIS FORM 7000.1 ACCIDENT REPORT, THE PIPELINE WAS PROPERLY MARKED (STAKES, FLAGGING, PAINT, ETC.) PRIOR TO THE EXCAVATION ACTIVITIES, HOWEVER AS STATED ABOVE, THE EXCAVATION CONTRACTOR DID NOT FOLLOW COLONIAL'S EXCAVATION PROCEDURES. TO DATE, REMEDIATION ACTIVITIES HAVE RESULTED IN THE RECOVERY OF APPROXIMATELY 0.21 GALLONS (0.005 BARRELS; ROUNDED UP TO 0.01 ON FORM 7000.1 UNDER PART D., ITEM 5B) OF PETROLEUM PRODUCT FROM MONITORING AND RECOVERY WELLS INSTALLED NEAR THE LEAK SITE AND 619 BARRELS (25,991 GALLONS) RECOVERED IN EXCAVATED SOIL. APPROXIMATELY 63,629 TONS OF SOIL WERE EXCAVATED FROM THE AREA IN THE VICINITY OF THE LEAK SITE AND DISPOSED. REMEDIATION ACTIVITIES CONTINUE. ANY SIGNIFICANT CHANGES WILL BE REPORTED IN A SUPPLEMENTAL REPORT.