BELLE FOURCHE PIPELINE CO
hazardous_liquid Incident — — September 29, 2012
Incident Information
| Incident Date | September 29, 2012 |
| Operator | BELLE FOURCHE PIPELINE CO |
| Commodity | CRUDE OIL |
| Pipeline Type | hazardous_liquid |
Location
| State | |
| Coordinates | 42.22275, -104.69406 |
Cause
| Cause | INCORRECT OPERATION |
| Subcause | OTHER INCORRECT OPERATION |
Casualties
| Fatalities | 0 |
| Injuries | 0 |
Costs
| Property Damage | $150,000 |
| Emergency Response | $500 |
| Other Costs | $0 |
Location Map
Incident Narrative
TANK 5 HAD BEEN OUT OF SERVICE AND CLEANED TO ALLOW PERFORMANCE OF AN INTERNAL API 653 INSPECTION. AFTER REPAIRS WERE COMPLETED AND THE INTERNAL COATING WAS COMPLETED THE TANK WAS PLACED BACK INTO SERVICE. DURING ROUTINE DAILY FACILITY INSPECTIONS ON THE MORNING OF SEPTEMBER 29TH PRODUCT WAS OBSERVED ESCAPING THROUGH THE TANK RING AT A CATHODIC PROTECTION ACCESS POINT. FACILITY OPERATIONS BEGAN IMMEDIATELY PUMPING PRODUCT OUT OF TANK AND BUILT SMALL TEMPORARY BERMS ADJACENT TO THE TANK TO CONTAIN THE PRODUCT THAT WAS ESCAPING. INVESTIGATION SHOWS THAT A SMALL AMOUNT OF WELDING ON THE FLOOR REPAIRS WAS NOT COMPLETED BY REPAIR COMPANY AND WAS MISSED DURING VACUUM BOX TESTING. PRODUCT WAS ESCAPING FROM THIS POINT AND MIGRATING OUTWARDS TO TANK RING AND THROUGH THE OPENINGS. TO ADDRESS CONTAMINATION UNDER THE FLOOR THE FLOOR PANELS WERE TAKEN UP AND CONTAMINATED SOIL AND GRAVEL UNDER THE TANK WERE REMOVED FOR DISPOSAL.
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.