MAGELLAN PIPELINE COMPANY, LP

Incident Narrative

A NIPPLE THAT LED TO A PRESSURE GAUGE UPSTREAM OF THE MAIN LINE BLOCK VALVE ON THE INCOMING MAINLINE CRACKED AT ITS THREADS, CAUSING THE RELEASE. THE RELEASE WAS DISCOVERED BY MAGELLAN'S MILFORD TERMINAL OPERATOR AND A DEPUTY FROM THE DICKINSON COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE AFTER BOTH RECEIVED CALLS ABOUT AN ODOR IN THE VICINITY OF THE TERMINAL FROM THE PUBLIC. THE INCOMING MAINLINE WAS SHUT DOWN AS A PRECAUTION WHILE THE MAGELLAN OPERATOR AND DEPUTY INSPECTED THE TERMINAL. NOT FINDING ANYTHING ON THE FIRST PASS, THE LINE WAS STARTED AND RAN FOR APPROXIMATELY FOUR MINUTES BEFORE BEING SHUT DOWN AGAIN, WHEN THE DEPUTY AND MAGELLAN OPERATOR DISCOVERED PRODUCT IN AN UNNAMED CREEK DOWNSTREAM OF THE STATION. (SCADA INFORMATION REVEALED THAT THE LINE RAN FROM 22:00 THROUGH 22:04.) THE EXACT LOCATION OF THE RELEASE WAS DISCOVERED AT APPROXIMATELY 22:15 HOURS. THE NIPPLE WHERE THE RELEASE OCCURRED WAS BURIED UNDER 3 FEET TO 3.5 FEET OF ACCUMULATED WINTER SNOW COVER AND THE RELEASED PRODUCT HAD DISSOLVED A SMALL HOLE IN THE TOP OF THE SNOW MASS THROUGH WHICH DIESEL FUEL MIST WAS SPRAYING. THE OPERATOR CLOSED THE NEEDLE VALVE BELOW THE LEAKING FITTING AND SHUT OFF THE RELEASE AT APPROXIMATELY 23:00 HOURS. MAGELLAN'S OSRO CONTRACTOR WAS CALLED AND CONTAINMENT BOOMS WERE PROMPTLY INSTALLED IN SEVERAL LOCATIONS ACROSS THE UNNAMED CREEK AND A DRAINAGE DITCH ADJACENT TO THE MILFORD TERMINAL. THE NIPPLE WAS REPLACED AND THE SNOW-PRODUCT MIX IN THE TERMINAL WAS PLACED IN STEEL TANKS FROM WHICH THE PRODUCT WAS RECOVERED. ADDITIONAL PRODUCT WAS RECOVERED FROM THE CREEK AND DITCH IN ACCORD WITH GUIDELINES AND INSTRUCTIONS FROM THE IOWA DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES.