CITGO PRODUCTS PIPELINE CO
hazardous_liquid Incident — — March 11, 2016
Incident Information
| Incident Date | March 11, 2016 |
| Operator | CITGO PRODUCTS PIPELINE CO |
| Commodity | HVL OR OTHER FLAMMABLE OR TOXIC FLUID WHICH IS A GAS AT AMBI |
| Pipeline Type | hazardous_liquid |
Location
| State | |
| Coordinates | 29.97787, -94.81115 |
Cause
| Cause | EQUIPMENT FAILURE |
| Subcause | THREADED CONNECTION/COUPLING FAILURE |
Casualties
| Fatalities | 0 |
| Injuries | 0 |
Costs
| Property Damage | $28,716 |
| Emergency Response | $0 |
| Other Costs | $0 |
Location Map
Incident Narrative
WHILE PERFORMING A CLOSE INTERVAL SURVEY ON THE PIPELINE, COMPANY PERSONNEL DISCOVERED MINOR BUBBLES COMING TO THE SURFACE ABOVE OUR LAKEMONT PIPELINE. THE PIPELINE WAS UNDERWATER AT THE TIME DUE TO HEAVY RAINFALL IN AREAS NORTH OF THE PIPELINE LOCATION. INVESTIGATION TO DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF THE BUBBLES WAS DELAYED FOR SEVERAL WEEKS IN ORDER THAT THE WATER FROM THE ADJACENT RIVER BOTTOM COULD RECEDE. AREA EMPLOYEES KNEW THAT THERE WAS A FITTING ON THE PIPELINE AT THIS LOCATION AND SUSPECTED THAT IT MIGHT BE LEAKING ONCE THE WATER RECEDED, THE LOCATION WAS EXCAVATED. UPON EXCAVATION AND INSPECTION, A 2-INCH THREAD -O-RING FITTING WELDED TO THE PIPELINE WAS FOUND TO HAVE A VERY SMALL PINHOLE LEAK WHERE THE THREADED CAP HAD BEEN WELDED TO THE FITTING. A TEMPORARY REPAIR WAS MADE ON 4/7/16 THAT DISCONTINUED ANY ADDITIONAL LEAKAGE. PERMANENT REPAIRS HAVE BEEN MADE TO FITTING.
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.