EXPLORER PIPELINE CO

hazardous_liquid Incident —

Incident Information

Report Date
OperatorEXPLORER PIPELINE CO
Commodity—
Pipeline Typehazardous_liquid

Location

State
Coordinates30.84378, -95.49514

Cause

CauseEQUIPMENT FAILURE
Subcause—

Casualties

Fatalities0
Injuries0

Costs

Property Damage
Lost Commodity
Public/Private Damage
Emergency Response
Environmental Remediation
Other Costs

Location Map

Incident Narrative

ON OCTOBER 3, 2013 AN EXPLORER PIPELINE EMPLOYEE OBSERVED SOME FREE PRODUCT AT THE HUNTSVILLE PUMP STATION AND WAS ABLE TO QUICKLY DETERMINE THAT THE SOURCE WAS A CHECK VALVE ASSOCIATED WITH THE SOUTH CHECK VALVE EAR ON THE STATION DISCHARGE LOOP. THE PUMP STATION WAS IMMEDIATELY SHUTDOWN AND ISOLATED FROM THE PIPELINE. THE NATIONAL RESPONSE CENTER WAS NOTIFIED AS IT WAS ESTIMATED THAT THE COSTS COULD EXCEEDED $50,000. HOWEVER, FINAL COSTS WILL NOT MEET OR EXCEED $50,000. AN INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT THE SOURCE OF THE LEAK WAS A CHECK VALVE SHAFT SEAL. THE SEALS HAVE BEEN SUBMITTED FOR A FAILURE ANALYSIS. THE JANUARY 7, 2014 FAILURE ANALYSIS FROM THE THIRD-PARTY REVEALED THE GLANDS ON THE CHECK VALVE WERE EXTRUDED AND WORN. THE RELEASE WAS TOTALLY CONTAINED TO THE PROPERTY AS WELL AS ALL FREE PHASE PRODUCT WAS RECOVERED WITH A VACUUM TRUCK. ANY IMPACTED SOIL WAS TESTED AND PROPERLY MANAGED.

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.

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