EXPRESS HOLDINGS (USA), LLC
hazardous_liquid Incident — — April 22, 2015
Incident Information
| Incident Date | April 22, 2015 |
| Operator | EXPRESS HOLDINGS (USA), LLC |
| Commodity | CRUDE OIL |
| Pipeline Type | hazardous_liquid |
Location
| State | |
| Coordinates | 42.86444, -106.40874 |
Cause
| Cause | EQUIPMENT FAILURE |
| Subcause | PUMP OR PUMP-RELATED EQUIPMENT |
Casualties
| Fatalities | 0 |
| Injuries | 0 |
Costs
| Property Damage | $7,850 |
| Emergency Response | $1,500 |
| Other Costs | $0 |
Location Map
Incident Narrative
ON 04/22/15 PLATTE PIPE LINE MAINLINE PUMP MP 4 AT THE CASPER TERMINAL EXPERIENCED A CATASTROPHIC SEAL FAILURE. AT THE TIME OF THE FAILURE, MP 4 SHUT DOWN IMMEDIATELY ON A SEAL FAILURE ALARM AND THE PUMP WAS ISOLATED. THE SEAL CHAMBER HAS A 1 INCH GRAVITY LINE WHICH DRAINS TO THE SUMP, HOWEVER, BECAUSE THE PRODUCT WAS A VERY HEAVY CRUDE OIL, IT DRAINED VERY SLOWLY AND THE CHAMBER FILLED AND SUBSEQUENTLY OVERFLOWED . AS A RESULT, THERE WAS APPROXIMATELY 10 GALLONS OF CRUDE OIL RELEASED TO THE GROUND NEAR THE PUMP BASE. UPON RECEIVING THE SEAL FAILURE ALARM, EXPRESS-PLATTE EMPLOYEES IMMEDIATELY INVESTIGATED THE PUMP AND DISCOVERED THE RELEASE. THEY TOOK IMMEDIATE ACTIONS TO CONTAIN THE OIL AND ENSURE IT DID NOT MIGRATE OUT OF THE PUMP AREA. THE RELEASE IMPACTED AN AREA OF APPROXIMATELY 90 SQUARE FEET AT THE PUMP LOCATION AND WAS CONTAINED COMPLETELY ON PLATTE PIPE LINE PROPERTY. NO SURFACE OR GROUND WATER WAS IMPACTED. ALL FREE OIL WAS RECOVERED AND THE CONTAMINATED SOIL WAS EXCAVATED AND WILL BE PROPERLY DISPOSED OF OFFSITE. THE SEAL WAS REMOVED FROM THE PUMP AND SENT TO THE MANUFACTURER FOR ANALYSIS TO DETERMINE THE ROOT CAUSE OF FAILURE. NO NOTIFICATION WAS MADE TO THE NRC SINCE THE RELEASE DID NOT MEET FEDERAL NOTIFICATION REQUIREMENTS
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.