COLONIAL PIPELINE CO

Incident Narrative

ON 2-27-2015 AT APPROXIMATELY 10:00 LOCAL TIME, A COLONIAL CONTRACTOR NOTED A SMALL AMOUNT OF GASOLINE FLOATING ON AN AREA OF STANDING RAINWATER IN THE TANK FARM 3 MANIFOLD AREA AROUND GASOLINE BOOSTER PUMP #4. INTERNAL NOTIFICATIONS WERE IMMEDIATELY MADE AND EFFORTS TO CONTAIN AND RECOVER THE PRODUCT AND IDENTIFY THE SOURCE BEGAN. AS A PRECAUTION, THE #4 BOOSTER PUMP WAS LOCKED OUT AND ISOLATED. SHORTLY AFTER 12:00, AN EXCAVATION CREW ARRIVED ON SITE AND STARTED A SERIES OF EXPLORATORY DIGS AND ESTABLISHED MONITORING WELLS TO DETERMINE IF AN ACTIVE LEAK WAS PRESENT. AROUND 17:30 EXCAVATION ACTIVITY WAS HALTED AND OVERNIGHT MONITORING WAS PUT INTO PLACE. ON 2-28-2015 AT 07:00, EXCAVATION CONTINUED. A SMALL AMOUNT OF PRODUCT WAS FOUND IN A PREVIOUS EXCAVATION AND RECOVERED BY VACUUM TRUCK. A COURTESY CALL WAS MADE TO THE LEPC AT 12:16. AT 12:49 A REPORT WAS FILED WITH THE NRC WHEN ESTIMATES INDICATED THAT COSTS WOULD EXCEED THE $50,000 THRESHOLD. AT 14:00 THE LEAK SOURCE WAS POSITIVELY IDENTIFIED TO BE A THREADED CONNECTION ON THE GASOLINE BOOSTER PUMP #4 DRAIN LINE. AT 16:30 THE PUMP AND ASSOCIATED PIPING WERE DRAINED AND REPAIRS WERE MADE. FINAL CLEANUP WAS COMPLETED BY 18:00. LDEQ WAS NOTIFIED VIA ELECTRONIC REPORTING AT 18:38 BASED ON THE VOLUME OF THE RELEASE MEETING THE REPORTING THRESHOLD. INCIDENT ANALYSIS WAS CONDUCTED IN MARCH AND TWO CORRECTIVE ACTIONS WERE APPROVED FOR THE TANK FARM 3 MANIFOLD AREA TO REPLACE THE PUMP DRAIN LINE THREADED CONNECTIONS WITH SCHEDULE 80 PIPE (OR HIGHER) AND TO PROVIDE IMPROVED SUPPORT FOR DRAIN LINES AROUND THE PUMPS.