JAYHAWK PIPELINE LLC

hazardous_liquid Incident — — December 30, 2011

Incident Information

Incident DateDecember 30, 2011
OperatorJAYHAWK PIPELINE LLC
CommodityCRUDE OIL
Pipeline Typehazardous_liquid

Location

State
Coordinates39.10878, -99.17953

Cause

CauseMATERIAL FAILURE OF PIPE OR WELD
SubcauseDESIGN-, CONSTRUCTION-, INSTALLATION-, OR FABRICATION-RELATED

Casualties

Fatalities0
Injuries0

Costs

Property Damage$3,000
Emergency Response$5,000
Other Costs$0

Location Map

Incident Narrative

THIRD PARTY CALLED INTO CONTROL CENTER SAYING THERE WAS OIL ON OUR PIPELINE ROW AND GAVE THE CONTROL ROOM THE LOCATION AND OTHER PERTINENT INFORMATION SUCH AS CALL BACK NUMBER AND SIZE OF IMPACTED AREA. CONTROLLER SHUT DOWN THE INJECTION POINTS AT HILL CITY AND THE MOREL BOOSTER LOCATED APPROX 8 MILES SOUTH OF HILL CITY.CONTROLLER THEN DISPATCHED AREA STATION OPERATOR (APPROX 40 MILES AWAY) TO SITE TO INVESTIGATE AND NOTIFIED AREA MAINTENANCE FOREMAN WHO IN TURN DISPATCHED HIS NEAREST PERSONNEL (APPROX 30 MILES AWAY) TO THE SITE. UPON ARRIVAL APPROX. 50 MINUTES AFTER NOTIFICATION AREA STATION OPERATOR CONFIRMED SPILL WAS DIRECTLY OVER THE HILL CITY TO BEMIS 8"" PIPELINE AT THIS TIME ADDITIONAL PERSONNEL WERE ARRIVING ON SITE AND THEY BEGAN DEFENSIVE MEASURES TO KEEP OIL FROM SPREADING. AREA FOREMAN HAD DISPATCHED ADDITIONAL PERSONNEL AND CONTRACTORS WITH SPILL RESPONSE TRAILERS AND EXCAVATION EQUIPMENT WHEN HE WAS INFORMED OF LOCATION OF PRESUMED SPILL AND ITS PROXIMITY TO THE RIVER. STATION OPERATOR CLOSED NEAREST (1 1/2 MILES) UPSTREAM BLOCK VALVE AND DOWNSTREAM BLOCK VALVE AT BEMIS STATION (3/4 MILE). AS PERSONNEL AND VACUUM TRUCKS ARRIVED, OIL AND MUD ON THE SURFACE WAS PICKED UP. EXCAVATION OF PIPELINE BEGAN AND LEAK WAS FOUND TO BE COMING FROM WHERE THE 8"" OD HIGH CARBON PIPE HAD BEEN TRANSITIONED TO 8.625"" OD ERW LINE PIPE WHEN NEW RIVER CROSSING WAS INSTALLED BY HDD REPLACING AN OLD OVERHEAD SPAN EARLIER IN 2011. TRANSITION WAS MADE USING A MACHINED PIECE MADE FROM .500 WALL PIPE. 8"" OD PIPE HAD HAIRLINE CRACK IN THE HEAT EFFECTED ZONE ALONG THE BOTTOM 1/3 OF PIPE. LINE WAS DRAINED AND NEW PIPE AND TRANSITION WAS INSTALLED. CLEAN UP CONTINUED NON-STOP THROUGHOUT THE NIGHT AND INTO NEXT DAY. IMPACTED SOILS FROM THE SURFACE WERE EXCAVATED AND MOVED TO REMEDIATION SITE STARTED NEARBY. BASED ON SIZE OF SURFACE AREA IMPACTED SPILL WAS ORIGINALLY ESTIMATED AT 30 TO 40 BBLS WITH RECOVERY OF 10 BBLS. AS WE BEGAN MORE EXCAVATION IN THE LEAK SITE HOLE, (SOIL IS ALMOST PURE SAND), ITSELF HOPING TO GET THE OK FROM KDHE TO BACKFILL THE SITE WE FOUND THAT AT 7 FEET GROUNDWATER BEGAN FLOWING INTO EXCAVATION AND MORE OIL WITH IT. TRUCKS WERE BROUGHT IN TO PICK UP ALL OIL AND IMPACTED WATER. THE SAND HAD ALLOWED THE OIL TO EASILY REACH THE SHALLOW GROUNDWATER AND WHILE IT DID KEEP IT FROM GOING ANY DEEPER IT ALLOWED IT TO SPREAD IMPACTING A LAYER OF SOIL 10"" TO 18"" THICK AT THE ELEVATION OF THE GROUNDWATER. EXCAVATION HAS BEEN ONGOING NEARLY EVERY DAY SINCE THE SPILL TO ASSURE ALL OF THIS LAYER OF IMPACTED SOIL IS REMOVED AND ANY FREE OIL ON TOP OF SHALLOW GROUNDWATER IS RECOVERED. TO DATE AREAS EAST, SOUTH, NORTH OF SPILL SITE HAVE BEEN CLEARED AND KDHE HAS ALLOWED US TO BEGIN BACKFILLING THESE AREAS. AREAS TO THE WEST ARE STILL BEING EXCAVATED BUT BASED ON REPORTS FROM THE SITE EXCAVATION IS EXPECTED TO BE DONE EARLY NEXT WEEK. WITH ALL THIS INFO WE NOW ESTIMATE THAT APPROX. 150 BBLS WERE SPILLED AND APPROX. 100 BBLS HAVE BEEN RECOVERED. THE SECTION OF PIPE CONTAINING THE CRACK IS BEING SENT IN FOR FAILURE ANALYSIS TO HELP US DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF THIS FAILURE. 04/13/12 SUPPLEMENTAL REPORT TO UPDATE COST OF REMOVAL AND REMEDIATION OF IMPACTED SOILS 10/04/12 FINAL REPORT TO UPDATE COSTS AND TO SHOW THAT METURLURGICAL ANALYSIS WAS COMPLETED WITH RESULTS SHOWING THAT CRACK ALONG HAZ OF THE 8IN. PIPE WAS CAUSED BY STRESS OF THE WELD AT THE BOTTOM BUTTON. CRACK WAS PROBABLY DUE TO PIPE NOT BEING SUFFICIENTLY PREHEATED PRIOR TO REPAIR TO WELD BEING MADE AS WAS SUSPECTED. 04/01/13 SUPPLEMENTAL TO ANSWER PHMSA REQUESTS TO (1.) VERIFY LAT/LONG - VERIFIED AS CORRECT, (2.) FILL IN PIPE SPEC., AND TO (3.) ADD AMOUNT OF SOIL REMEDIATED. TOTAL EXCAVATION INVOLVED AN ESTIMATED 11000 CU.YDS. THOUGH THE VAST MAJORITY OF THIS WAS OVERBURDEN AS IMPACTED SOILS WERE IN A THIN LAYER MOSTLY 1-3 INCHES THICK RIGHT ABOVE THE SHALLOW GROUND WATER AT THE SITE. (4.) EXPLAIN WHY NRC WAS NOT CALLED. EXPLANATION ON ATTACHED FILE AS OUT OF ROOM HERE:

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.

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