COLONIAL PIPELINE CO

Incident Narrative

ON 8/4/2015 AT 06:45 AN EMPLOYEE IDENTIFIED AN AREA OF STAINED GRAVEL BETWEEN THE SUCTION AND DISCHARGE VALVES FOR LINE 2 UNIT 1. HE CONTACTED THE LEAD TECHNICIAN WHO SENT A TEAM TO ASSIST WITH EXCAVATING TO IDENTIFY THE LEAK SOURCE. AT 09:10 THEY DISCOVERED A LEAK FROM A PIPING ELBOW IN THE DRAIN SYSTEM FOR THE SUCTION SIDE OF THE UNIT. THE UNIT WAS SHUT DOWN BY THE CONTROL CENTER AT 09:13 AND ISOLATED WHICH STOPPED THE LEAK. INTERNAL NOTIFICATIONS WERE MADE AND BY 09:47 THE LOOP WAS ISOLATED, DRAINED, AND TEMPORARY REPAIRS BEGAN. THE ELBOW WAS REMOVED FROM THE DRAIN LINE AND BLIND FLANGES WERE INSTALLED. INITIAL CLEANUP AND EXCAVATION OF CONTAMINATED SOIL WAS COMPLETED BY 16:44. A PRELIMINARY VISUAL INSPECTION OF THE PIPING ELBOW FOUND A CRACK ON THE UNDERSIDE OF THE TOP FLANGE WHERE THE GIRTH WELD MAY NOT HAVE FULLY PENETRATED THE PIPE MATERIAL. AN INCIDENT INVESTIGATION WILL BE CONDUCTED AND THE FINDINGS INCORPORATED IN THE FINAL ACCIDENT REPORT. NOTIFICATIONS OF THE RELEASE WERE MADE TO THE LOCAL OFFICE OF EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS FOR ST LANDRY PARISH AND THE LOUISIANA SPOC. NO ADDITIONAL NOTIFICATIONS WERE MADE SINCE NO OTHER REPORTING CRITERIA WERE MET. SUBSEQUENT INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT THE PIPING ELBOW WAS WELDED INCORRECTLY DURING INITIAL INSTALLATION (INSUFFICIENT WELD PENETRATION). A DRAIN SYSTEM VALVE ATTACHED TO THAT SECTION OF PIPING HAD BEEN REPLACED THE WEEK PRIOR AND THAT WORK MAY HAVE DISTURBED THE ELBOW ENOUGH TO CAUSE THE WELD TO FAIL OVER THE COURSE OF THE NEXT WEEK. A CORRECTIVE ACTION IS BEING EVALUATED TO INSPECT OTHER SECTIONS OF THE DRAIN SYSTEM FOR SIMILAR ISSUES. SUPPLEMENTAL FINAL INCLUDES PIPE DATA RELATED TO YIELD STRENGTH AND PIPE SPECIFICATION NOT PREVIOUSLY REPORTED.