Leak at Tesoro’s Kenai Pipe Line Facility

Tesoro Kenai Pipeline Line Facility reported a crude oil-water spill near the facility’s waste water tank Dec. 18. The Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation’s Division of Spill Prevention and Response said in a Dec. 27 situation report that the facility operator was conducting a nightly walk through of the facility Dec. 18 when blackened snow was discovered near the facility’s waste water tank T2400. Tesoro reported the spill to DEC that day.

Tesoro has estimated that 165 gallons of a crude oil-water mixture was released, with the oil-water mixture ratio not known. Some 55 gallons were released to the secondary containment area and 110 gallons were released outside of the secondary containment area.

DEC said the cause of the spill is unknown at this time and is being investigated.

Tesoro shut down all pipelines running to and from the wastewater tank. All fluids from the leaking pipeline, as well as other lines in the immediate area, have been evacuated.

Tesoro activated a response contractor and environmental consultant to conduct immediate cleanup.

DEC said that as of Dec. 27 the response contractor had removed pooled oily water, impacted snow and contaminated soils from the area.

On Dec. 22, 3.5 feet of oily water was discovered inside a nearby valve box that is buried 7.5 feet below ground surface. The valve box is being monitored daily and the oily water mixture pumped out as groundwater accumulates in the box.

The area at risk is the tank secondary containment area and the soil surrounding the secondary area, the division said. Cook Inlet is some 1,000 feet from the incident location and the crude oil-water mixture did not reach the inlet.

The division said response contractors are continuing cleanup operations and an additional site visit is planned Dec. 28 to monitor cleanup activities.

An investigation is being conducted to identify the cause of the spill.

- Petroleum News