Colonial Pipeline officials discovered a leak in the pipeline in Helena, Alabama, where an estimated 252,000 gallons were spilled. As such, some markets served by Colonial Pipeline may experience, or continue to experience, intermittent service interruptions.
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The report does not identify the cause of the leak. It wasn’t initially possible to pinpoint the leak, partly because highly flammable benzene and gasoline vapors prevented firefighters and inspectors from approaching the site for days. The pipeline section that failed, built in 1963, runs from MS to Atlanta.
Officials with Colonial Pipeline said they expect operations to resume Wednesday on its main artery carrying gas to much of the Southeast.
The pipe that failed is one of two Colonial lines connecting dozens of refineries in Texas and Louisiana with cities from Atlanta to NY. The line is responsible for bringing gasoline, diesel and jet fuel from Texas and Louisiana refineries to a number of Gulf Coast and southeastern states. “Now is the time to pull together as a state and to conserve fuel when it’s possible”. The company also agreed to spend $30 million to upgrade environmental protections on its pipeline system. Most of the pipeline was built in either the 1960s or 1970s, according to federal records.
The company paid $381,000 in penalties for violating safety rules during the same period.
People with the pipeline said it would construct a temporary one which will bypass the damaged section.
As a result of the pipeline leak in Alabama, McCrory said North Carolina is now receiving about a third of its normal fuel supply.
In Georgia, Tuesday’s average price for regular gas rose about 5 cents from Monday, to an average $2.36 statewide – up almost 27 cents over the past week.
According to AAA, once the line is restarted, it may take a few days for supply to return to normal in the southeastern states hit hardest by the partial closure of the pipeline, including Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia.
“Since the shut down, which is entering its second week, gasoline deliveries have all but halted and inventories at local gasoline racks have quickly been depleting as panicked motorists fill their tanks, leading to gas price spikes, supply outages and headaches in six primary states: Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia, though prices in neighboring states and regions may also rise as gasoline supply is diverted”, said Patrick DeHaan, another senior petroleum analyst for GasBuddy.com. SC gas prices have jumped 18.5 cents to $2.09 a gallon, while drivers in North Carolina are paying about 16.2 cents more.
A disaster drill was held coincidentally previous year near the scene of the spill, he said, and that helped the company plan and execute a response that included about 700 people so far.
The agency said it will continue to monitor water quality in Peel Creek and the Cahaba River. The leak, which spilled 6,000 barrels of gasoline into a detention pond, was detected September 9.
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“We averted a disaster this time”, said David Butler, an environmentalist with Cahaba Riverkeeper who has been monitoring the spill response at the site.
