COLONIAL PIPELINE CO

Incident Narrative

WHILE INVESTIGATING PRODUCT FLOWING INTO THE SUMP, A TECHNICIAN DISCOVERED THE DRAIN VALVE HAND WHEEL DOWNSTREAM OF LINE 22 VFD UNITS WAS TURNING FREELY. WHILE TRYING TO VERIFY THE DRAIN VALVE WAS IN THE CLOSED POSITION, THE HAND WHEEL SPUN FREELY AND THE INNER EXTENSION RAISED APPROXIMATELY 8 INCHES ALLOWING LINE PRESSURE FROM LINE 22 TO FLOW THROUGH THE BALL VALVE. THE SIGHT GLASSES FAILED ON LINES 4 AND 22 RELEASING PRODUCT. TECHNICIANS IMMEDIATELY CALLED THE GREENSBORO CONTROL ROOM TO SHUTDOWN LINES 4 AND 22. LESS THAN 2 MINUTES FROM THE FAILURE, ALL THE IMPACTED LINES WERE SHUT DOWN AND THE SOURCE WAS CONTROLLED. NOTIFICATIONS WERE MADE AND CLEAN UP AND REPAIR ACTIVITIES WERE INITIATED. TECHNICIANS REPAIRED/REPLACED SIGHT GLASSES FOR LINES 3, 4, AND 22. TECHNICIANS DUG UP DRAIN VALVE, TOOK IT APART, AND IDENTIFIED STEM NUT HAD FAILED. THE STEM NUT WAS REPLACED AND DRAIN VALVE REASSEMBLED. LINE 4 WAS RETURNED TO SERVICE AT 1216 PLT. LINE 22 WAS RETURNED TO SERVICE AT 1630 PLT. THE SPRAY FROM EACH SIGHT GLASS IMPACTED GRAVELED AREAS INSIDE THE MANIFOLD AND EXTENDED JUST OUTSIDE THE MANIFOLD ONTO A GRASSED AREA. THE SPRAYED AREAS MEASURED APPROXIMATELY 30' X 50' EACH. APPROXIMATELY 80 GALLONS OF PRODUCT WERE RECOVERED FROM SHALLOW SUMP HOLES DUG IN THE MANIFOLD AREA. APPROXIMATELY 72 TONS OF IMPACTED SOIL WERE REMOVED FROM THE GRAVELED AND GRASSED AREAS. THE RELEASED PRODUCT DID NOT IMPACT SURFACE WATER OR GROUNDWATER. AN ESTIMATED 2 GALLONS OF PRODUCT WAS CONTAINED IN THE EXCAVATED CONTAMINATED SOIL. AN ESTIMATED 55 GALLONS OF PRODUCT WAS LOST TO EVAPORATION. THE TOTAL ESTIMATED VOLUME RELEASED WAS 137 GALLONS OR 3.3 BARRELS. THE TOTAL VOLUME RECOVERED WAS 82 GALLONS OR APPROXIMATELY 2 BARRELS. NOTIFICATIONS WERE MADE TO THE LOCAL FIRE DEPARTMENT AND TO NCDENR BASED ON THE ESTIMATED VOLUME RELEASED. NO ADDITIONAL REMEDIATION OR CLEAN-UP IS ANTICIPATED.