PORTLAND PIPELINE CORP

Incident Narrative

APPROXIMATELY 5 GALLONS OF CRUDE OIL OVERFLOWED FROM THE PUMP SEAL SCAVENGER BOX OF AN OUTDOOR MAIN LINE PUMP UNIT. THE OIL WAS CONFINED TO THE CRUSHED STONE AND SNOW-COVERED GROUND IMMEDIATELY ADJACENT TO THE PUMP UNIT ON THE PUMP STATION PROPERTY. NO OIL ESCAPED COMPANY PROPERTY OR REACHED SURFACE WATERS. THE OIL WAS DISCOVERED DURING THE NEXT SCHEDULED INSPECTION, AND THE PUMP UNIT WAS IMMEDIATELY SHUT DOWN. ALL OIL WAS RECOVERED BY HAND AND VACUUM EXCAVATION OF THE OILED SNOW, CRUSHED STONE, AND SOIL; THE RECOVERED MATERIALS WERE RECYCLED. THE CAUSE OF THE SCAVENGER BOX OVERFLOW WAS THAT THE DRAIN LINE FROM THE SCAVENGER BOX HAD BECOME PARTIALLY PLUGGED WITH SANDY SEDIMENT FROM THE CRUDE OIL BEING PUMPED, AND IN THE SUBSEQUENT COLD WEATHER THE CRUDE OIL DRAINING THROUGH THE LINE CONGEALED AROUND THE SEDIMENT, BLOCKING THE DRAIN. AFTER THE INCIDENT, THE DRAIN LINE WAS DISASSEMBLED, THOROUGHLY CLEANED, AND REINSTALLED. THE PUMP WAS ALSO DISASSEMBLED AND THE SEALS WERE INSPECTED AND REPLACED WITH NEW PARTS TO REDUCE THE LEAKAGE THROUGH THE SEAL, THOUGH THE LEVEL OF WEAR WAS NOT UNUSUAL.