COLONIAL PIPELINE CO

Incident Narrative

"ON 7/27/2012 AT APPROXIMATELY 6:37 A.M. CST WHILE STARTING AN ORIGINATION AT HEBERT STATION ON LINE 01 A HIGH SUMP ALARM FOR THE METERING/INJECTION SUMP WAS RECEIVED. OPERATIONS RESPONDED PROMPTLY TO THE ALARM, AND THE LINE SHUT DOWN WAS INITIATED AT 06:41A.M. DURING THE PROCESS OF SHUTTING DOWN, THE FLOW INTO THE SUMP FROM THE DRAIN LINE OVERCAME THE DISCHARGE FLOW OF THE SUMP PUMP FOR APPROX. 1.5 MINUTES. THE GASOLINE OVERFLOW IMPACTED AN AREA OF ABOUT 12 TO 15 FEET AROUND THE SUMP. SUBSEQUENT INVESTIGATION FOUND THAT GASOLINE FLOWED THROUGH AN OPEN 3 INCH DRAIN VALVE BETWEEN THE 1250 HP INJECITON BOOSTER AND THE BOOSTER SUCTION VALVE. THE DRAIN VALVE WAS INTENTIONALLY LEFT IN THE OPEN POSITION FOLLOWING MAINTENANCE ACTIVITIES THE EVENING BEFORE, AS A SEAL REPAIR PROJECT WAS STILL IN PROGRESS AND SCHEDULED TO CONTINUE THE NEXT DAY. THE SUCTION VALVE WAS FOUND TO HAVE NOT BEEN FULLY SEATED, ALLOWING PRODUCT TO FLOW THROUGH THE SUCTION VALVE, THROUGH THE OPEN DRAIN VALVE AND THE ASSOCIATED DRAIN PIPING INTO THE SUMP. THE HEBERT OPERATOR NOTIFIED THE OPERATIONS MANAGER AT 06:59 A.M. DISTRICT PROJECT LEADER WHO WAS SERVING AS ACTING DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS WAS NOTIFIED AT 7:36 A.M. PROJECTS PERSONNEL, A CONTRACT CREW AND TECHNICIANS ARRIVED AT APPROX. 7:00 A.M. TO REPORT FOR THEIR NORMAL DUTIES AND WERE REASSIGNED TO RESPOND TO THE INCIDENT. THE VOLUME OF GASOLINE WAS RECOVERED WAS APPROX. 33 GALLONS, WITH AN ADDITIONAL 2 GALLONS EITHER EVAPORATING OR BEING TRAPPED IN THE SOIL."