PLAINS PIPELINE, L.P.

hazardous_liquid Incident —

Incident Information

Report Date
OperatorPLAINS PIPELINE, L.P.
Commodity—
Pipeline Typehazardous_liquid

Location

State
Coordinates31.89631, -102.56548

Cause

CauseCORROSION FAILURE
Subcause—

Casualties

Fatalities0
Injuries0

Costs

Property Damage
Lost Commodity
Public/Private Damage
Emergency Response
Environmental Remediation
Other Costs

Location Map

Incident Narrative

AT APPROXIMATELY 6:00 AM ON NOVEMBER 7, 2011, A CONTRACTOR WORKING FOR PLAINS OBSERVED PRODUCT ON THE GROUND AT THE ODESSA STATION. THE TANK MAINTENANCE SUPERVISOR WAS NOTIFIED AND THE VALVES ASSOCIATED WITH THE PIPELINE THAT CONNECTS TO THE DISCHARGE METER CASE WERE CLOSED TO ISOLATE THE RELEASE. REMEDIATION EFFORTS BEGAN IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING THE NOTIFICATION TO THE MAINTENANCE SUPERVISOR. BASED ON THE CHEMICAL ANALYSIS REPORT, THE FAILURE WAS DUE TO INTERNAL CORROSION FROM STAGNANT FLUID AROUND THE DRAIN OF THE DISCHARGE METER CASE ALLOWING BACTERIA TO COALESCE AND FORM A BACTERIAL COLONY, RESULTING IN SULFATE REDUCING BACTERIAL CORROSION. BACTERIAL CORROSION WAS FOUND AT THE BOTTOM OF THE DISCHARGE METER CASE. THE METER CASE WAS REPLACED AND WILL BE DRAINED MONTHLY TO MINIMIZE THE POSSIBILITY OF RECURRENCE.

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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