NUSTAR PIPELINE OPERATING PARTNERSHIP L.P.
hazardous_liquid Incident — — March 10, 2016
Incident Information
| Incident Date | March 10, 2016 |
| Operator | NUSTAR PIPELINE OPERATING PARTNERSHIP L.P. |
| Commodity | HVL OR OTHER FLAMMABLE OR TOXIC FLUID WHICH IS A GAS AT AMBI |
| Pipeline Type | hazardous_liquid |
Location
| State | |
| Coordinates | 41.18714, -91.70938 |
Cause
| Cause | EQUIPMENT FAILURE |
| Subcause | NON-THREADED CONNECTION FAILURE |
Casualties
| Fatalities | 0 |
| Injuries | 0 |
Costs
| Property Damage | $4,500 |
| Emergency Response | $200 |
| Other Costs | $0 |
Location Map
Incident Narrative
AT 20:22 THURSDAY MARCH 10, 2016 THE CONTROL CENTER WAS NOTIFIED BY THE WASHINGTON COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT ABOUT AN AMMONIA ODOR NEAR VALVE 6-8 NEAR THE TOWN OF COPPOCK, IA. NUSTAR EMPLOYEE RESPONDED AND VERIFIED SMELL OF AMMONIA, BUT NO VISUAL SIGN. ON MARCH 11, 2016 NUSTAR MAINTENANCE CREW MOBILIZED TO THE SITE, UNCOVERED THE STOPPLE TEE, AND FOUND ONE SEGMENT PLUG O-RING LEAKING. THE LEAK WAS VERIFIED AT 10:43 BY CAPTURING A QUANTITY OF AMMONIA IN A PERIOD OF TIME AND WAS CALCULATED AT 376 POUNDS IN A 24 HOUR PERIOD WHICH EQUATES TO 73 GALLONS. THE NRC WAS NOTIFIED (REPORT # 1142567) AS WELL AS IA DNR (REPORT # 031116-MRH-1413). CORRESPONDENCE WITH PHMSA IS ONGOING. ALL FOUR SEGMENT PLUGS WERE BACK WELDED AND SEALED. THE SITE WAS VISITED BY IA DNR AND THE INSPECTOR WAS SATISFIED WITH OUR RESPONSE. **UPDATE** - ON 10/25/2016 THE CONTAMINATED SOILS WERE REMOVED FROM THE VALVE SITE AND FRESH DIRT WAS REPLACED. PER IDNR THE SOIL IS BEING LAND FARMED AT HOUGHTON STATION. TOTAL AMOUNT OF SOIL REMOVED WAS 72 CUBIC YARDS (8 LOADS) AND 81 CUBIC YARDS (9 LOADS) WERE BROUGHT IN.
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.