COLONIAL PIPELINE CO

Incident Narrative

AT APPROXIMATELY 23:00 PM CST ON WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2012, AN ELECTRICAL CONTRACTOR WORKING AT HOUSTON STATION REPORTED AN ODOR OF GASOLINE TO THE B OPERATOR ON DUTY. THE B OPERATOR INVESTIGATED THE REPORT AND OBSERVED GASOLINE ON THE GROUND AND STANDING IN 12 INCH DIAMETER ACCESS WELLS IN THE AREA OF THE GASOLINE SHIPPER MANIFOLD. THE B OPERATOR AT HOUSTON NOTIFIED THE LEAD TECHNICIAN WHO WAS ON SITE FOR ELECTRICAL PROJECT WORK. THE LEAD TECHNICIAN NOTIFIED THE OPERATIONS MANAGER AT APPROX. 11:40 PM, WHO IN TURN NOTIFIED THE GULF COAST DISTRICT DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS AT APPROX. 11:44 PM. THE SECTION OF PIPING WAS ISOLATED AND PRESSURE WAS REMOVED FROM THE LINE LINE SEGMENT. THE LINE WAS NOT IN OPERATION AT THE TIME OF THE RELEASE. DURING THE INCIDENT ANALYSIS IT WAS ESTIMATED THAT THE LEAK STARTED AT APPROXIMATELY 21:30. SORBENT PADS WERE USED TO CONTAIN THE PRODUCT IN THE AREA UNTIL RESPONSE PERSONNEL AND EQUIPMENT ARRIVED AT THE SITE AND RECOVERED PRODUCT FROM THE AREA BY COLLECTING SORBENT PADS AND USING A VACUUM TRUCK TO REMOVE GASOLINE FROM ACCESS WELLS. ADDITIONAL COLONIAL PERSONNEL AND CONTRACTORS BEGAN ARRIVING ON SCENE AT APPROX. 1:15 AM, AND THE FIRST VACUUM TRUCK ARRIVED ON SITE AT APPROX. 2:30 AM. HYDROEXCAVATION COMBINED WITH VACUUM BOXES WAS EMPLOYED TO RECOVER CONTAMINATED SOIL AND EXCAVATE THE AREA TO DETERMINE THE SOURCE OF THE RELEASE. HYDROEXCAVATION BEGAN AT APPROX. 2:00 PM ON THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 2012, AND AT APPROX. 3:15 PM, THE SOURCE WAS IDENTIFIED AS A CRACK IN A WELD AT THE TOP OF A FIELD-FABRICATED TEE, WHERE THE 40 INCH HEADER PIPE AND THE 36 INCH PIPE TO ONE OF THE SHIPPER VALVES MEET. PIPING WAS DRAINED UPON IDENTIFICATION OF THE SOURCE. A TEE WAS FABRICATED ON SITE USING SLEEVE MATERIAL AND WELDED IN PLACE. THE LINE WAS SUBSEQUENTLY RETURNED TO FULL SERVICE AS OF 10:52 AM CST ON TUESDAY, 12/4/2012. TELEPHONIC NOTIFICATION WAS MADE TO THE TEXAS COMMISSION ON ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY (TCEQ) WITHIN 24 HOURS OF THE INITIAL DISCOVERY DUE TO THE SPILL VOLUME EXCEEDING 5 BBLS WITHIN A 24-PERIOD. AN NRC REPORT WAS FILED ON SATURDAY, 12/1/2012, DUE TO THE EXPECTATION THAT THE DOLLAR AMOUNT OF THE RESPONSE WOULD EXCEED THE $50,000 REPORTING THRESHOLD. SPILL VOLUMES IN THIS FINAL REPORT INCLUDES THE FREE PRODUCT RECOVERED OF APPROXIMATELY 441 GALLONS, AND AN ESTIMATE OF APPROX. 19 GALLONS ABSORBED IN SOIL, FOR A TOTAL OF 460 GALLONS.