COLONIAL PIPELINE CO
hazardous_liquid Incident — — December 14, 2012
Incident Information
| Incident Date | December 14, 2012 |
| Operator | COLONIAL PIPELINE CO |
| Commodity | REFINED AND/OR PETROLEUM PRODUCT (NON-HVL) WHICH IS A LIQUID |
| Pipeline Type | hazardous_liquid |
Location
| State | |
| Coordinates | 37.66279, -78.23750 |
Cause
| Cause | CORROSION FAILURE |
| Subcause | INTERNAL CORROSION |
Casualties
| Fatalities | 0 |
| Injuries | 0 |
Costs
| Property Damage | $3,500 |
| Emergency Response | $6,000 |
| Other Costs | $0 |
Location Map
Incident Narrative
"ON DEC 14 2012 AROUND 1600 TECHNICIANS WERE VALIDATING PROVER SEALS TO ENSURE INTEGRITY OF PROVER LINES. UPON CONTINUED INVESTIGATION OF PROVER FAILURES, THEY SMELLED FUEL OIL AS THEY WALKED BACK AND FORTH BETWEEN DRAIN VALVES. AFTER DIGGING AROUND DRAIN VALVE NEAREST TO PROVER THEY FOUND A SHALLOW POOL OF FUEL OIL. TECHNICIAN CONTINUED TO DIG UP DRAIN LINES TRYING TO FIND SOURCE OF FUEL SPILL. THIS DIGGING CONTINUED INTO THE NEXT DAY. CONTRACTOR CREWS WERE BROUGHT IN TO ASSIST IN DIGGNG UP OF AREA AROUND MANIFOLD DRAIN LINES. AFTER SIX HOURS OF DIGGING THEY FOUND SOURCE OF LEAK AND REMOVED APPROXIMATELY 15 FT OF 6 INCH PIPE THAT WAS FLANGED AT BOTH ENDS. THIS SECTION OF PIPE WAS RESTING ON A CEMENT PIER BURIED UNDERNEATH THE SOIL AND WAS PART OF AN OLD EVACUATION SYSTEM THAT IS NO LONGER IN SERVICE. THE PIPE WAS REMOVED AND BLIND FLANGES WERE INSTALLED TO PREVENT FURTHER LEAKAGE FROM THE DRAIN LINES."
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.