TARGA RESOURCES OPERATING LP

Incident Narrative

ON THE AFTERNOON OF MONDAY 01/11/2010, A TARGA PIPELINE OPERATOR IN THE PIPELINE CONTROL ROOM OBSERVED THAT A 6"" NORMAL BUTANE LINE WAS NOT MAINTAINING OPERATIONAL PRESSURE. HE THEN CONTACTED THE PLANT MANAGER AND THE DECISION WAS MADE TO CONTACT THE AIR PATROL AND HAVE THEM FLY THE LINE AND CHECK FOR POSSIBLE LEAKS. AT 1430, THE AIR PATROL PILOT CONTACTED THE PLANT MANAGER AND INDICATED HE HAD LOCATED A LEAK ON TARGA'S NORMAL BUTANE LINE. HE INDICATED THE PRESENCE OF A VAPOR CLOUD. PIPELINE PERSONNEL WERE IMMEDIATELY DISPATCHED TO CLOSE THE BLOCK VALVES ON BOTH SIDES OF THE INCIDENT/SITE. AT 1445 BOTH BLOCK VALVES WERE REPORTED TO BE SHUT IN. AT 1500 THE NRC WAS CONTACTED, (INCIDENT #928272). AT 1520 THE LA. HAZ-MAT. WAS CONTACTED,(INCIDENT # 10-00214). AT 1610 THE LA. STATE PIPELINE SAFETY DIVISION IN BATON ROUGE WAS CONTACTED. THE LA DEQ AND US COAST GUARD WERE ALSO NOTIFIED OF THE INCIDENT. AT APPROXIMATELY 1600 HRS. PERSONNEL ARRIVED AT THE LEAK SITE BY BOAT. PERSONNEL FOUND THAT THE LEAK WAS UNDER GROUND IN A MARSH AREA, ADJACENT TO THE AREA THAT THE PIPE COMES ABOVE GROUND ONTO PIPE STANCHIONS. IT APPEARED THAT THE MAJORITY OF THE PRODUCT HAD BEEN RELEASED AS A VAPOR TO THE ATMOSPHERE. A LARGE AREA SURROUNDING THE LEAK WAS FROZEN. THE REMAINING PRODUCT IN THE DAMAGED SECTION OF THE PIPELINE WAS DEPRESSURED BY 1900 ON MONDAY 01/11/10.(25 BBLS VENTED TO FLARE) WEATHER CONDITIONS AT THE TIME PIPELINE PERSONNEL ARRIVED ON THE SCENE: TEMPERATURE 52