NUSTAR TERMINALS OPERATIONS PARTNERSHIP L. P.
hazardous_liquid Incident — — February 16, 2011
Incident Information
| Incident Date | February 16, 2011 |
| Operator | NUSTAR TERMINALS OPERATIONS PARTNERSHIP L. P. |
| Commodity | REFINED AND/OR PETROLEUM PRODUCT (NON-HVL) WHICH IS A LIQUID |
| Pipeline Type | hazardous_liquid |
Location
| State | |
| Coordinates | 40.60647, -74.20906 |
Cause
| Cause | CORROSION FAILURE |
| Subcause | INTERNAL CORROSION |
Casualties
| Fatalities | 0 |
| Injuries | 0 |
Costs
| Property Damage | $40,000 |
| Emergency Response | $60,000 |
| Other Costs | $0 |
Location Map
Incident Narrative
"THE LEAK OCCURRED ON A LOW SUCTION LINE CONNECTED TO BREAKOUT TANK 21405. THIS PIPE SEGMENT HAD BEEN ISOLATED DUE TO MAINTENANCE WORK BEING CONDUCTED ON THE TANK. AT THE TIME THE LEAK OCCURRED, MELTING SNOW/STORMWATER WAS BEING DISCHARGED OUT OF THE TANK DIKE INTO SOUTH BRANCH CREEK THROUGH A PERMITTED STORMWATER OUTFALL. LESS THAN 1 GALLON REACHED THE CREEK BEFORE STORMWATER DISCHARGE WAS HALTED, CREATING A SHEEN ON THE CREEK. EMERGENCY RESPONSE PERSONNEL UTILIZED ABSORBENT BOOM TO RECOVER THE PRODUCT ON THE WATER. THE REMAINING PRODUCT LOST WAS CONTAINED IN THE TANK FARM SECONDARY CONTAINMENT AND WAS RECOVERED. METALLURGICAL ANALYSIS CONCLUDED THAT INTERNAL CORROSION OCCURRED ON THE ELBOW TO PRODUCE A THROUGH-WALL HOLE. THE CORROSION MORPHOLOGY IS CONSISTENT WITH GALVANIC CORROSION CAUSED BY WATER SITTING ON THE BOTTOM INSIDE THE ELBOW."
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.