BUCKEYE PARTNERS, LP

Incident Narrative

AT 10:20 AM ON MARCH 4, 2014 AN OPERATOR AT BUCKEYE'S LIMA STATION IN LIMA, OHIO OBSERVED GASOLINE BEING RELEASED FROM A THREADED CONNECTION ON THE QUALITY CONTROL SAMPLE SYSTEM FOR THE 401 PIPELINE. THE SAMPLE SYSTEM AND THE 401 PIPELINE WERE IMMEDIATELY SHUT DOWN AND THE SAMPLE SYSTEM WAS ISOLATED. THE IMPACTED SNOW, GRAVEL AND SOIL WAS REMOVED DOWN TO THE FROZEN SOIL AND IT DIDN'T APPEAR THAT ANY GASOLINE WENT ANY DEEPER INTO THE SOIL. THE CAUSE OF THE RELEASE WAS DETERMINED TO BE DUE TO A CROSS THREADED CONNECTION ON THE NIPPLE ON THE SAMPLE PUMP DISCHARGE. REPAIRS WERE MADE AND THE SYSTEM WAS RETURNED TO SERVICE. AT THIS TIME, IT APPEARED THAT LESS THAN 3 GALLONS OF GASOLINE WAS RELEASED AND THE TOTAL COSTS WEREN'T EXPECTED TO REACH $50,000; THEREFORE IT WAS TREATED AS A NON-REPORTABLE RELEASE. AT APPROXIMATELY 7:00 AM ON MARCH 11, 2014 AN OPERATOR OBSERVED PRODUCT ON TOP OF THE STANDING WATER IN THE MANIFOLD AREA AT LIMA STATION. PRODUCT WAS ALSO OBSERVED NEAR ONE OF THE SUPPORTS FOR THE QUALITY SKID BUILDING. EMERGENCY RESPONSE PROCEDURES WERE INITIATED AND THE PIPELINES IN THE AREA WERE SHUT DOWN AND MONITORED. ALL APPROPRIATE NOTIFICATIONS WERE MADE. IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE PIPELINES WERE NOT THE SOURCE OF THE PRODUCT AND THEY WERE RESTARTED. PRESSURE TESTING OF THE VARIOUS TANK LINES IN THE AREA WAS INITIATED WITH NO ISSUES DETECTED. A LABORATORY ANALYSIS DETERMINED THE PRODUCT TO BE DIESEL FUEL, SO THE TANK LINES IN DIESEL SERVICE WERE ALL TESTED WITH NO ISSUES. ALL THE FACILITY PIPING WAS RETURNED TO SERVICE. UPON FURTHER INVESTIGATION, IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE DIESEL WAS RELEASED FROM THE SAMPLE SYSTEM DURING A PREVIOUS DIESEL MOVEMENT PRIOR TO THE GASOLINE RELEASE ON MARCH 4, 2014 AND TRAVELLED DOWN UNDER THE FROZEN SOIL ALONG THE CONCRETE PIERS SUPPORTING THE SAMPLE SKID. THE REMEDIATION ACTIVITIES ON MARCH 4, 2014 INCLUDED CLEANING AROUND THE CONCRETE PIERS BUT NOT THEIR REMOVAL. ALL OF THE GASOLINE WAS CLEANED UP, BUT THE DIESEL UNDER THE FROZEN GROUND WASN'T DETECTED. THE UNDETECTED DIESEL TRAVELLED UNDERGROUND TOWARDS THE FENCE. WHEN THE GROUND STARTED THAWING FROM MARCH 6 TO MARCH 11, 2014, THE GROUND WATER MOVED THE DIESEL THAT WAS UNDER THE FROZEN SOIL TO THE SURFACE, WHERE IT WAS DETECTED BY OPERATIONS PERSONNEL. THE AREA IS BEING MONITORED AND REMEDIATION IS ONGOING. SUPPLEMENTAL REPORT FILED TO UPDATE COSTS. NO FURTHER REMEDIATION IS REQUIRED. THE INTERNAL INCIDENT INVESTIGATION COULD NOT DETERMINE THE DIRECT CAUSE OF THE DAMAGE TO THE THREAD ON THE PIPE NIPPLE. SUPPLEMENTAL/FINAL REPORT FILED TO ADD INSTALLATION YEAR FOR ITEM C.4.