COLONIAL PIPELINE CO

Incident Narrative

ON JANUARY 18TH, 2012 AT 0800 A FACILITY OPERATOR DETECTED A STRONG ODOR AND DURING A VISUAL INVESTIGATION DISCOVERED SEVERAL AREAS OF FREE STANDING PRODUCT (FUEL OIL) IN THE DIKE OF TANK 561 AND A SHEEN ON A PORTION OF THE STATION RETENTION POND. BASED ON THE LOCATION OF THE FREE PRODUCT IN THE TANK DIKE THE SOURCE APPEARED TO BE IN THE VICINITY OF THE TANK 561 TANK VALVE. RESPONSE EFFORTS WERE INITIATED IMMEDIATELY TO RECOVER THE PUDDLED PRODUCT FROM THE TANK DIKE WITH ABSORBENTS AND A VACUUM TRUCK. THE SHEEN ON THE POND WAS ADDRESSED WITH ABSORBENTS. NO IMPACTS WERE DETECTED DOWNSTREAM OF THE POND. THE VALVE AND A PORTION OF THE TANK FILL LINE WAS EXCAVATED BUT IT COULD NOT IMMEDIATELY BE DETERMINED IF THE SOURCE OF THE RELEASE WAS THE TANK BOTTOM OR THE TANK FILL LINE. THE TANK AND TANK LINE WERE EMPTIED AND EXCAVATION OF THE TANK LINE CONTINUED. ONE SMALL CORROSION HOLE WAS DISCOVERED ON THE BOTTOM OF THE TANK LINE THE AFTERNOON OF THE 1-18-12. EXCAVATION OF THE TANK LINE, PRODUCT RECOVERY FROM THE EXCAVATION, AND ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT ACTIVITIES CONTINUED THOUGH THE NEXT WEEK. A COURTESY CALL WAS MADE TO SCDHEC ON JANUARY 18TH AT 1500. AN NRC REPORT WAS FILED ON JANUARY 20, 2012 AT 1100, NRC REPORT NUMBER 1000824, WHEN THE COST ESTIMATE OF THE EVENT EXCEEDED $50,000. THE SCDHEC EMERGENCY RESPONSE SECTION WAS NOTIFIED VIA TELEPHONE ON 1/20/2012 AT 11:15. A COURTESY CALL WAS ALSO MADE TO PHMSA REGIONAL OFFICES FOLLOWING THE NRC NOTIFICATION. ON THE MORNING OF JANUARY 26TH, ADDITIONAL CORROSION PITTING AND HOLES WERE FOUND ON THE TANK LINE. ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT ACTIVITIES DELINEATED THE EXTENT OF FREE PRODUCT ON THE GROUNDWATER TABLE DURING THE WEEK OF JANUARY 22ND. THE EXTENT OF FREE PRODUCT APPEARS TO BE CONFINED TO THE VICINITY OF TANK 561 AND THE TANK FILL LINE. PRODUCT RECOVERY TRENCHES WERE INSTALLED IN THIS AREA AND RECOVERY EFFORTS FROM THE TRENCHES INITIATED ON JANUARY 28TH. ON 2/3/12, THE VOLUME RELEASED WAS ESTIMATED TO BE APPROXIMATELY 12,000 GALLONS. AN UPDATED NRC INCIDENT REPORT # 1002057 WAS SUBMITTED AT 11:07, SINCE THE ESTIMATED VOLUME RELEASED WAS DEEMED TO BE A SIGNIFICANT CHANGE FROM THE ORIGINAL NRC NOTIFICATION. IMPACTED SOIL EXCAVATED FROM THE TANK LINES AND PRODUCT RECOVERY TRENCHES WERE STOCKPILED FOR DISPOSAL AT AN APPROVED FACILITY. PRODUCT RECOVERY OPERATIONS CONTINUED FROM THE RECOVERY TRENCHES. REPAIR AND ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT ACTIVITIES CONTINUED. THE RELEASE VOLUME IS ESTIMATED TO BE 13,600 GALLONS BASED UPON CALCULATIONS BY CONSULTANTS AND PRODUCT RECOVERY SYSTEM TRENDS. APPROXIMATELY 9425 GALLONS OF FREE PRODUCT HAS BEEN RECOVERED AND AN ESTIMATED 5206 TONS OF IMPACTED SOIL HAS BEEN EXCAVATED AND SENT TO AN APPROVED DISPOSAL FACILITY. A PRODUCT RECOVERY SYSTEM IS OPERATING AT THE SITE.