COLONIAL PIPELINE CO

Incident Narrative

ON 1/12/16 AT APPROXIMATELY 14:15 CST, COLONIAL'S ALPHARETTA CONTROL CENTER WAS NOTIFIED BY LINE FLYER OF A POSSIBLE LEAK ON LINE 1 OR 2 NEAR MP 292 IN ST. HELENA PARISH, LA (DOWNSTREAM OF FELIXVILLE STATION). CONTROLLERS INITIATED AN ORDERLY SHUTDOWN OF BOTH LINES AND REMOTE ISOLATION OF SEGMENT STARTING AT 14:16. FIELD OBSERVERS CONFIRMED THE LEAK AT 16:21. INCIDENT COMMAND WAS ESTABLISHED, ORSOS AND OTHER RESOURCES MOBILIZED, AND ADDITIONAL EMERGENCY NOTIFICATIONS COMMENCED, INCLUDING THE NRC (COST THRESHOLD) AT 16:57 AND THE LA STATE POLICE AT 17:06 (VOLUME THRESHOLD). AFTER CLOSING THE UPSTREAM BLOCK VALVE ON LINE 1 (AMITE RIVER) AND SECURING THE SITE, A WORK PLAN WAS DEVELOPED TO START INVESTIGATIVE EXCAVATIONS THE FOLLOWING MORNING (LOW LIGHT, FATIGUE, AIR MONITORING DATA PRESENTED UNSAFE CONDITIONS). EXCAVATION BEGAN AT APPROXIMATELY 09:00 ON 1/13/16 AND THE LEAK SOURCE WAS DISCOVERED AT APPROXIMATELY 10:57. A SMALL CRACK WAS PRESENT IN THE PIPE WALL WITHIN A DENT ON THE BOTTOM SIDE OF THE PIPE (04:59), WHICH WAS APPARENTLY CAUSED BY A LARGE PINE KNOT IN DIRECT CONTACT WITH THE PIPE AT THE DENT/CRACK LOCATION. SEVERAL OTHER SMALL CRACKS WERE ALSO VISIBLE NEAR THE CRACK WHERE THE LEAK WAS OCCURRING. A CATCH PAN WAS PLACED BENEATH THE CRACK TO CAPTURE AND RECOVER LEAKING PRODUCT VIA VACUUM TRUCK FROM THE PAN. REPAIR WAS BY A TYPE B SLEEVE, AND SUCCESSFUL NDT TESTING WAS COMPLETED AT APPROXIMATELY 8:06 ON 1/14/16. THE LINE SEGMENT WAS REFILLED AND LINE 1 WAS RESTARTED AT 9:10. BASED ON HYDRAULIC ANALYSIS OF THE SPILL DETAILS, THE LEAK IS ESTIMATED TO HAVE STARTED AT APPROXIMATELY 00:27 ON 1/8/16. ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT AND REMEDIATION HAVE CONTINUED SINCE DISCOVERY OF THE RELEASE. EXCAVATION TO REMOVE CONTAMINATED SOILS AND INSTALLATION OF GROUNDWATER MONITORING WELLS OCCURRED BETWEEN MAY 31-OCTOBER 5, 2016, AT VARIOUS DISTANCES FROM THE RELEASE LOCATION. BASED ON ANALYSIS FROM SOIL AND GROUNDWATER DATA COLLECTED, COLONIAL ESTIMATED A RELEASE VOLUME OF 2,853.5 BARRELS (119,847 GALLONS) ON OCTOBER 24, 2016. APPROXIMATELY 2,313 BARRELS (97,150 GALLONS) OF THIS VOLUME WAS DISCOVERED TO HAVE REACHED THE GROUNDWATER. WHILE THIS IS AN INCREASE OVER THE INITIAL VOLUME REPORTED, EXISTING MONITORING WELL DATA RESULTS INDICATE THE PRODUCT IS NOT MIGRATING BEYOND THE AREA CURRENTLY BEING ASSESSED AND REMEDIATED. UPDATE APRIL 2020:DURING THE TIME PERIOD THAT THIS RELEASE OCCURRED, COLONIAL HAD EXPERIENCED SEVERAL OTHER RELEASES THAT HAD THE SAME FAILURE MODE. THE IA THAT FOLLOWED THIS INCIDENT WAS CONSOLIDATED WITH THE OTHER RECENT FATIGUE CRACK IN DENT FAILURES, AND WAS ADDRESSED AS ONE COMPREHENSIVE, SYSTEM-WIDE ASSESSMENT OF THE FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF FATIGUE CRACKS IN DENTS. THIS APPROACH WAS TAKEN BY COLONIAL TO ENSURE THAT THE LESSONS LEARNED FROM ALL OF THE INCIDENTS COULD BE FACTORED INTO THE CORRECTIVE ACTION PLAN AND DRIVE IMPROVEMENTS SYSTEM-WIDE. THE IA INCLUDED METALLURGICAL ANALYSES OF THREE OF THE DENT FAILURES, ALL CONFIRMING THAT PRESSURE CYCLING OF THE DENT RESULTED IN THROUGH WALL FATIGUE CRACKS. THE PRESENCE OF THE DENT CONCENTRATED STRESSES ON THE PIPELINE, CREATING A FATIGUE CRACK TO FORM AND GROW THROUGH-WALL OVER TIME DUE TO PRESSURE CYCLING. WORK IS CONTINUING ON THE ENVIRONMENTAL CHARACTERIZATION AND REMEDIATION PROGRAM. THE REMEDIATION SYSTEM INSTALLED TO ADDRESS IMPACTED SOIL AND GROUNDWATER CONTINUES TO OPERATE. DETAILS ON SYSTEM OPERATION AND RECOVERED VOLUMES ARE REPORTED TO THE LDEQ ON A QUARTERLY BASIS.