PLANTATION PIPE LINE CO
hazardous_liquid Incident — — July 22, 2016
Incident Information
| Incident Date | July 22, 2016 |
| Operator | PLANTATION PIPE LINE CO |
| Commodity | REFINED AND/OR PETROLEUM PRODUCT (NON-HVL) WHICH IS A LIQUID |
| Pipeline Type | hazardous_liquid |
Location
| State | |
| Coordinates | 33.28974, -86.83386 |
Cause
| Cause | EQUIPMENT FAILURE |
| Subcause | MALFUNCTION OF CONTROL/RELIEF EQUIPMENT |
Casualties
| Fatalities | 0 |
| Injuries | 0 |
Costs
| Property Damage | $50 |
| Emergency Response | $0 |
| Other Costs | $0 |
Location Map
Incident Narrative
AROUND 5 A.M. IN THE MORNING, A SIGNIFICANT RAIN EVENT OCCURRED IN THE HELENA AREA. DURING THE RAIN EVENT WATER RUNOFF ENTERED THE STATION PUMP ROOM WHERE FLOOR DRAINS ARE DESIGNED TO FLOW TO THE PRODUCT SEPARATOR. AS WATER RUNOFF CONTINUED TO FLOW INTO THE PUMP ROOM AND MIGRATED INTO THE PRODUCT SEPARATOR, THE EXCESS WATER BEGAN FILLING THE PRODUCT SUMP TANK BECAUSE IT HAD OVERTAKEN THE PCW LIFT STATION WHICH AUTOMATICALLY PUMPS WATER TO THE PCW TANK. AS WATER CONTINUED TO FILL THE PRODUCT SUMP TANK, THE HIGH LEVEL SWITCH FAILED TO ALERT THE CONTROL ROOM AND THE LOCAL OPERATOR OF THE PENDING OVERFLOW. AFTER THE RAIN EVENT ENDED, THE OPERATOR BEGAN HIS FINAL WALK THROUGH OF THE FACILITY AND DISCOVERED THE RELEASE OF PRODUCT FROM THE PRODUCT SUMP TANK. THE HI LEVEL SUMP ALARM FAILED DUE TO CORRODED ELECTRICAL CONNECTIONS.
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.