COLONIAL PIPELINE CO

Incident Narrative

AT APPROXIMATELY 00:05 EASTERN TIME ON 9/20/16, THE LINE 01 CONTROLLER RECEIVED A HIGH SUMP ALARM FOR ATLANTA JUNCTION. THE ATLANTA JUNCTION OPERATOR INVESTIGATED AND FOUND THE SUMP WITH APPROXIMATELY 1 FOOT OF PRODUCT IN IT. HOWEVER, THE STEM SEAL INTEGRITY TUBING FROM THE LINE 01 UNIT 4 CHECK VALVE WAS MISTING FROM THE SEAL LEAK DETECTION CONTAINMENT JAR THAT WAS ABOVE GROUND. THE ATLANTA JUNCTION OPERATOR CALLED THE LINE 01 CONTROLLER BACK AT 00:15 AND REQUESTED LINE 01AND LINE 02 BE SHUT DOWN DUE TO THE CROSSOVER OPERATION. LINE 01 AND LINE 02 WAS SHUT DOWN AND THE LINE 01 BOOSTER STATION WAS ISOLATED THEREBY STOPPING THE LEAK. THE ATLANTA JUNCTION OPERATOR THEN IMMEDIATELY NOTIFIED THE LEAD OPERATOR, OPERATIONS MANAGER, ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNICIAN AND DISTRICT DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS. APPROXIMATELY ONE HOUR LATER, AFTER TECHNICIANS ARRIVED ON SITE, THE STEM SEAL TUBING WAS PIPED TO THE SUMP AS A TEMPORARY REPAIR. THE UNIT CHECK VALVE WAS EXCAVATED TO ASSURE THERE WAS NOT A LEAK FROM THE CHECK VALVE WHICH WAS LEAKING EXTERNALLY TO THE ENVIRONMENT. UPON LINE 01 RESTART, THERE WAS A STEADY FLOW FROM THE TEMPORARY TUBING INTO THE SUMP INDICATING A FAILURE OF THE UNIT 4 CHECK VALVE SHAFT SEAL. LINE 01 WAS SHUTDOWN LATER ON 9/20/16 TO REPAIR THE LINE 01 UNIT 4 CHECK VALVE SEAL. THE ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNICIAN ALONG WITH CONTRACTORS REMOVED ALL IMPACTED SOIL FROM AREA. IT IS ESTIMATED THAT 37.5 YARDS OF CONTAMINATED SOIL WAS IMPACTED AND REMOVED. THIS SOIL WILL BE REMEDIATED ON SITE AT THE ATLANTA JUNCTION LAND FARM. INITIAL ESTIMATED RELEASE VOLUME IS 25.1 GALLONS. 2.5 GALLONS OF FREE GASOLINE WAS RECOVERED FROM A NEARBY ACCESS WELL AND USING A CONSERVATIVE SOIL CONCENTRATION LEVEL, AN ESTIMATED 22.6 GALLONS WAS CONTAINED IN THE SOIL. THERE WERE NO POTENTIAL IMPACTS TO GROUNDWATER, THEREFORE NO AGENCY NOTIFICATIONS ARE REQUIRED AT THIS TIME OTHER THAN TO PHMSA IN THE REQUIRED TIMELINE. THIS REPORT IS BEING UPDATED TO INCLUDE FINAL COST AND SOIL ANALYTICAL RESULTS. THIS SOIL IS BEING REMEDIATED ONSITE AT ATLANTA JUNCTION LAND FARM. THE GRO CONCENTRATION CAME BACK SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER THAN ORIGINALLY ESTIMATED AND THE CUBIC YARD IMPACTED WERE ALSO LESS THAN ORIGINALLY ESTIMATED, THUS SPILL VOLUME REFLECTS THIS NEW AND ACCURATE INFORMATION. THERE WAS 30 TONS OF SOIL IMPACTED THAT CONTAINED 0.02 GALLONS OF PRODUCT. 2.5 GALLONS OF FREE PRODUCT WAS RECOVERED IN AN ACCESS WELL THE NIGHT OF THE RELEASE AND 1 GALLON OF FREE PRODUCT RECOVERED FROM A TEMPORARY ACCESS WELL INSTALLED AT THE SITE OF THE RELEASE IN THE DAYS FOLLOWING THE RELEASE. THE TOTAL VOLUME SPILL WAS 3.5 GALLONS. THE COST WAS UPDATED WITH ACTUAL COSTS OF CONTRACTOR RESPONDING TO REMOVE SOIL AND ASSIST TECHNICIANS WITH REPAIRS.