Olympic Pipeline crews have reportedly found the leak affecting the fuel supply at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.
According to BP, the company that operates the pipeline, testing done on November 24 confirmed a leak in its 20-inch fuel pipeline near Everett.
There are two pipelines on the Olympic system in that location: a 16-inch-diameter pipeline and a 20-inch-diameter pipeline.
BP confirmed that testing conducted yesterday found no indications of a leak in the 16-inch segment, allowing it to be safely restarted early Tuesday morning.
BP said crews are now developing a repair plan for the 20-inch segment, adding that plans for a partial restart are being developed and an “updated restart timeline” will be provided when available.
It’s still unknown what caused the leak in the 20-inch pipeline.
The pipeline shutdown has led to flights passing through SEA Airport being rerouted and rescheduled, causing inconvenience for travelers, especially those flying internationally.
SEE ALSO: Airlines at SEA continue to navigate through Olympic Pipeline shutdown
The Olympic Pipeline is a 400-mile pipeline system running from Whatcom County, Washington, to Portland, Oregon, that, according to BP, transports refined petroleum products such as gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel to sites in Seattle, SeaTac, Tacoma, and Vancouver, Washington, and Portland, Oregon.
KIRO 7 first reported the leak on Monday, November 17. At the time, officials said that the Olympic Pipeline had suffered a “problem” along its pipeline system near Everett.
There are two pipelines on the Olympic system in that location: a 16-inch-diameter pipeline and a 20-inch-diameter pipeline.
The leak was initially discovered during routine maintenance on the 16-inch pipeline between Everett and Snohomish.
A spokesperson for the Department of Ecology said then, “We have located the leak in one of two pipelines that deliver jet fuel to SeaTac. However, the second pipeline is operational, and is delivering jet fuel to the airport. We have no reports of supply shortages, or the need to truck in fuel.”
In their statement at the time, BP said, “Olympic continues to investigate a release on its system east of Everett, WA. Olympic successfully implemented a partial restart on Sunday, November 16.”
As stated, early morning on Nov. 16, crews performed a leak test. Everything seemed to be working, so they turned the pipeline back on, only to find it leaking again the following day (Monday, Nov. 17), which forced them to shut the pipeline down once more.
Both lines were shut down at that time to determine which pipeline was affected.
Since then, crews have dug up more than 100 feet of the pipeline looking for the leak, which was eventually found along the 20-inch pipeline on Monday, Nov. 24.
Bill Caram, executive director of the nonprofit watchdog Pipeline Safety Trust, reports there have been four “significant incidents” involving the Olympic Pipeline in less than three years.
SEE ALSO: BP and Olympic Pipeline fined nearly $4 million for gasoline spill near Conway
Last week, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell sent a letter to BP asking the company to brief the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee on the leak. In her letter, she claimed a blueberry farmer discovered the leak. She also posed a series of questions about the incident, including the cause of the leak.
On Nov. 21, Gov. Bob Ferguson issued an emergency proclamation to ease restrictions on tanker trucks and ensure that enough jet fuel was transported to SEA Airport, limiting any disruption to travelers.
The emergency declaration by Ferguson allowed truckers to work extended hours, hauling 10,000-gallon loads to the fuel farm at SEA. One trucker mentioned working nearly 15 hours the previous day and planned to continue making trips as long as necessary.
“Everybody’s just been running as much as they can legally, safely, and taking their 10 hours off and getting back to it,” said one trucker.
According to the AP, on Monday, Nov. 24, Oregon’s governor also declared a state of emergency to ensure that enough fuel arrived in the state while the Olympic Pipeline, which reportedly supplies more than 90% of the state’s fuel, remained shut down.
SEE ALSO: Truckers up to the task of hauling jet fuel from Blaine to Sea-Tac Airport
In a statement obtained by KIRO 7 on Tuesday, BP reports that the leak was first reported after the discovery of sheen in a drainage ditch in an agricultural field on Tuesday, November 11.
According to BP, the total amount of released product is still being assessed, but as of Monday evening, “no product was observed outside of the response area.”
BP also confirmed that responders have deployed boom and oil recovery equipment to contain and clean up the released product.
Here is the full statement from BP:
“Olympic Pipeline crews have identified the source of a release of refined products east of Everett, Washington. Testing conducted today confirmed a leak in the 20-inch pipeline. There were no indications of a leak in the 16-inch pipeline. Crews are developing a repair plan for the 20-inch segment. Plans for a partial restart are being developed and an updated restart timeline will be provided when available. The safety of personnel, the environment, and the community remain our highest priority.”
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