WEST SHORE PIPELINE CO
hazardous_liquid Incident — — May 18, 2015
Incident Information
| Incident Date | May 18, 2015 |
| Operator | WEST SHORE PIPELINE CO |
| Commodity | REFINED AND/OR PETROLEUM PRODUCT (NON-HVL) WHICH IS A LIQUID |
| Pipeline Type | hazardous_liquid |
Location
| State | |
| Coordinates | 43.18925, -88.04975 |
Cause
| Cause | EQUIPMENT FAILURE |
| Subcause | PUMP OR PUMP-RELATED EQUIPMENT |
Casualties
| Fatalities | 0 |
| Injuries | 0 |
Costs
| Property Damage | $350,000 |
| Emergency Response | $3,500 |
| Other Costs | $0 |
Location Map
Incident Narrative
IN RESPONSE TO AN OPERATIONAL ISSUE, LOCAL OPERATIONS PERSONNEL WERE NOTIFIED BY THE PIPELINE CONTROLER TO CHECK AND RESET THE STATION. DURING THE STATION CHECK, PRODUCT WAS FOUND IN A CONDUIT DITCH. THE INITIAL RELEASE WAS THOUGHT TO BE A BREACH IN THE DRAIN SYSTEM WHICH WAS THEN ISOLATED. AT THAT TIME, THIS DID NOT MEET NRC REPORTING CRITERIA. UPON FURTHER INVESTIGATION, LOCAL OPERATIONS PERSONNEL OBSERVED SOME PRODUCT NEAR A VERTICAL BOOSTER PUMP. THIS DEEP WELL BOOSTER PUMP WAS DETERMINED TO BE LEAKING UNDERGROUND AND AS A RESULT OF THE NEW INFORMATION A 2 BBL. RELEASE OF DIESEL FUEL WAS REPORTED TO THE NRC. THE BOOSTER PUMP WAS ISOLATED AND THE RELEASE WAS CONTAINED TO THE FACILITY PROPERTY. 15 YARDS OF SOIL WERE REMOVED FROM THE SITE. TO CONTINUE OPERATION, NEW PUMPS WERE INSTALLED IN A DIFFERENT LOCATION INSIDE THE STATION TO REPLACE THE PUMP THAT FAILED. THE VERTICAL PUMP CAN FAILED AT THE CORNER WELD AT THE BOTTOM OF THE CAN. THE ROOT CAUSE IS ATTRIBUTED TO VIBRATION AND AGE OF THE PUMP. IT IS ESTIMATED THAT THE PUMP WAS PUT IN SERVICE IN THE 1960S.
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.