CITGO PIPELINE CO
hazardous_liquid Incident — — September 18, 2012
Incident Information
| Incident Date | September 18, 2012 |
| Operator | CITGO PIPELINE CO |
| Commodity | CRUDE OIL |
| Pipeline Type | hazardous_liquid |
Location
| State | |
| Coordinates | 30.14515, -94.40510 |
Cause
| Cause | OTHER OUTSIDE FORCE DAMAGE |
| Subcause | DAMAGE BY CAR, TRUCK, OR OTHER MOTORIZED VEHICLE/EQUIPMENT NOT ENGAGED IN EXCAVATION |
Casualties
| Fatalities | 0 |
| Injuries | 0 |
Costs
| Property Damage | $7,000 |
| Emergency Response | $30,000 |
| Other Costs | $500 |
Location Map
Incident Narrative
PIPING WITHIN THE TANK FARM WAS CONNECTED BY MECHANICAL COUPLING. THE PRESSURE EXTERTED ONTO THE PIPING WITHIN THE COUPLING WAS NOT EXCESSIVE AND WAS WITHIN NORMAL OPERATING RANGE. UPON INVESTIGATION OF THE RELEASE SITE, TRACTOR TIRE GROOVES WERE OBSERVED WITHIN THE GROUND VERY NEAR THE PIPING/COUPLING. UPON FURTHER INVESTIGATION, MARKINGS THAT RESEMBLE TRACTOR TIRE RUBBINGS ON THE PIPING WERE OBSERVED. THE GRASS WITHIN THE TANK FARM HAD BEEN CUT BY TRACTOR 2 DAYS BEFORE THE RELEASE BUT THERE IS NO DEFINITIVE PROOF THAT THE TRACTOR MADE CONTACT WITH THE PIPE DURING THE RECENT CUTTING OR WHETHER IT HAD BEEN DONE AT AN EARLIER DATE. CONTACT WITH THE PIPING AT THE COUPLING LIKELY RESULTED IN A WEAKENING OF THE COUPLING SEAL THUS ALLOWING RELEASE OF CRUDE OIL WHEN NORMAL PRESSURE WAS EXERTED ON THE PIPING.
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.