NUSTAR PIPELINE OPERATING PARTNERSHIP L.P.
hazardous_liquid Incident — — December 9, 2011
Incident Information
| Incident Date | December 9, 2011 |
| Operator | NUSTAR PIPELINE OPERATING PARTNERSHIP L.P. |
| Commodity | HVL OR OTHER FLAMMABLE OR TOXIC FLUID WHICH IS A GAS AT AMBI |
| Pipeline Type | hazardous_liquid |
Location
| State | |
| Coordinates | 30.79696, -91.91989 |
Cause
| Cause | MATERIAL FAILURE OF PIPE OR WELD |
| Subcause | DESIGN-, CONSTRUCTION-, INSTALLATION-, OR FABRICATION-RELATED |
Casualties
| Fatalities | 0 |
| Injuries | 0 |
Costs
| Property Damage | $97,000 |
| Emergency Response | $10,000 |
| Other Costs | $0 |
Location Map
Incident Narrative
A PASSERBY IN A VEHICLE NOTICED AN AMMONIA ODOR AND STOPPED TO CALL NUSTAR CONTROL CENTER AT APPROXIMATELY 07:24 ON 12/9/2011. AT 08:02 LOCAL OPERATOR ARRIVED ON-SITE AND NOTICED MINOR AMMONIA ODORS AND NO VISUAL SIGNS AF AMMONIA. AT 10:40 SUPERVISOR SHOWS UP AND NOTICES SOME SIGNS OF AMMONIA COMING FROM THE GROUND. AT THIS TIME THE LINE WAS BLOCKED IN BY OPERATIONS IN A MANNER TO SAFELY LOWER THE OPERATING PRESSURE FROM 1000 PSI TO 170 PSI. THE LEAKING WAS NOTED AS STOPPED AT 11:29 BY OPERATIONS PERSONNEL. BASED ON EPA REPORTABLE QUANTITY OF 100 LBS. FOR AMMONIA, NRC WAS NOTIFIED. A DOUBLE STOPPLE WAS INSTALLED AND THE LINE WAS REPLACED. THE CUT OUT STOPPLE WAS SENT OFF FOR METALLURGICAL ANALYSIS. CONTAMINATED SOILS WERE PLACED IN ROLL OFFS FOR FUTURE DISPOSAL AT A LANDFILL. *UPDATE - PER METALLURGICAL ANALYSIS - THE LEAK WAS CAUSED BY A FATIGUE CRACK THAT DEVELOPED IN THE LONGITUDINAL SEAM WELD OF THE STOPPLE FITTING. THE CRACK INITIATED AT AN AREA OF INADEQUATE WELD PENETRATION, A FABRICATION DEFECT CREATED WHEN THE FITTING WAS INSTALLED ON THE PIPELINE.
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.