COLONIAL PIPELINE CO

Incident Narrative

ON FEBRUARY 6, 2012 AT APPROXIMATELY 11:00AM A PRODUCT SHEEN WAS FOUND ON POOLED WATER AROUND THE PA AND EM SPLITTER VALVES. THE OPERATIONS MANAGER WAS NOTIFIED AND HE SENT AN INITIAL NOTIFICATION AT 11:52 A.M. THE CONTRACT CREW WORKING AT THE FACILITY EXPOSED THE YOKE TUBE FLANGE, WHICH WAS APPROXIMATELY 6 INCHES BELOW GRADE. WHEN THE YOKE TUBE WAS EXPOSED, IT WAS WEEPING AT THE FLANGED CONNECTION. THE WEEP WAS CONTAINED AND THE FOLLOWING DAY A NEW YOKE TUBE O-RING WAS INSTALLED ALONG WITH NEW FLANGE STUDS AND NUTS. APPROXIMATELY 2.5 GALLONS OF PRODUCT WERE REMOVED DURING THE EXCAVATION AND CLEAN-UP. THE LEAK WAS NOT INITIALLY DETERMINED TO BE REPORTABLE BASED ON THE SMALL VOLUME AND OTHER CIRCUMSTANCES. ON FEBRUARY 22, 2012, ADDITIONAL PRODUCT WAS FOUND ON POOLED WATER AROUND THE EM SPLITTER VALVE. OVER THE NEXT 2 DAYS, THE CONTRACT CREW WORKING AT THE FACILITY COMPLETELY EXCAVATED THE EM AND THE PA SPLITTER VALVES AND RECOVERED AN ADDITIONAL 10 GALLONS OF PRODUCT. ALL BOLTED FLANGES ON THE VALVES AND IN THE IMMEDIATE AREA WERE INSPECTED AND THERE WERE NO SIGNS OF AN ACTIVE LEAK. THE EXCAVATION AREA WAS MONITORED FOR SEVERAL DAYS WITH NO SIGNS OF AN ACTIVE LEAK. ON FEBRUARY 27TH, ADDITIONAL EXCAVATIONS WERE CONDUCTED AROUND THE SURROUNDING DRAIN LINES AND IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE INITIAL SOURCE OF THE PRODUCT WAS FROM THE YOKE TUBE ON FEBRUARY 6TH. DURING THE EXCAVATIONS, A TOTAL OF 3 CUBIC YARDS OF CONTAMINATED SOIL WAS REMOVED. THE RELEASE DID NOT MEET STATE REPORTING REQUIREMENTS BUT MET PHSMA REPORTING REQUIREMENTS ON FEBRUARY 22ND. ON 10-5-12 NEW LEAK CONTAINMENT SYSTEMS WERE INSTALLED ON THE VALVES AND THE VALVES WERE BACKFILLED.