List of pipeline accidents in the United States 1975 to 1999

1975 to 1979

• 1975 A Mid-Valley Pipeline crude oil pipeline at Lima, Ohio ruptured after a valve was accidentally closed against a pumping pipeline on January 17. The spraying crude oil ignited, killing a Terminal Operator.^[1]
• 1975 On January 23, a propane chiller at a MAPCO facility exploded violently during maintenance work on it, near Iowa City, Iowa. 2 workers were killed and 3 others injured by the failure.^[2]
• 1975 A gas transmission pipeline exploded and gas burned in Mediapolis, Iowa on January 27. There were no injuries reported.^[3]
• 1975 In March, a leak was discovered in a 14-inch petroleum products pipeline in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. Plantation Pipeline began efforts to recover the spilled petroleum. From that time through June 1983, approximately 2,022 barrels of spilled petroleum products were recovered from standpipes at the leak site. Remediation efforts stopped in October 1984. Later tests raised questions on the possibility of not all of the spill products were recovered.^[4]
• 1975 A 12-inch crude oil pipeline ruptured near Harwood, Missouri, on March 26. Heavy rain slowed the cleanup.^[5]
• 1975 A natural gas liquids (NGL) pipeline ruptured due to previous mechanical damage, at Devers, Texas. 4 people were killed in a following vapor cloud fire. The pipeline had been damaged when a valve was installed on the pipeline. (May 12, 1975)^[6]
• 1975 An explosion in June 1975 at a home in East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, was caused by natural gas leaking into the home from an open main in the middle of the street. One person was killed. In 1973, workers hired by the gas company had falsified records showing the main had been closed.^[7]
• 1975 On June 11, a leaking pipeline for the Alyeska Pipeline Service Company was found to have spilled about 60,000 gallons of crude oil at a construction camp in Alaska. That pipeline had been noticed leaking before, but, previous repair efforts had failed.^[8]
• 1975 An LPG pipeline ruptured near Romulus, Michigan, due to previous mechanical damage to the pipeline, and over pressurization from operator error, caused by closing a valve against a pumping pipeline, at a storage facility. Nine people were injured in the following vapor cloud fire. Flames 500 feet (150 m) high engulfed a 600-foot (180 m)-diameter area, destroyed four houses and damaged three others, burned 12 vehicles, and consumed 2,389 barrels (379.8 m³) of propane. (August 2, 1975)^[9][10]
• 1975 An ammonia pipeline ruptured in Texas City, Texas on September 3. 47 people needed medical treatment for ammonia exposure.^[11]
• 1975 On September 7, a gas gathering pipeline failed due to internal and external corrosion near Kilgore, Texas. Unodorized natural gas liquids from leak were ignited by an automobile, killing 5 people.^[12]
• 1975 On September 19, flooding along the Amite River in Louisiana caused a 12 inch propane pipeline to break, releasing about 743,000 gallons of propane.^[13]
• 1975 On October 13, employees at a gas processing plant at Goldsmith, Texas heard leak gas, and investigated. Before the leak could be found, a 12-inch pipeline there exploded, killing 3 of the crew, injuring 2 others, and causing extensive plant damage.^[14]
• 1975 On December 18, a failed pressure relief device caused cracks in storage tanks supporting the Trans-Alaskan Pipeline System, leaking about 600,000 gallons of crude oil in Prudhoe Bay, Alaska.^[15]
• 1976 On January 7, a repair crew working on natural gas gathering compressor station at Cedardale, Oklahoma, opened the wrong valve in an attempt to increase gas flow. Natural gas & Natural Gas Liquids flow out of an open 12-inch pipeline, and were ignited by an open flame heater. 5 of the crew were killed, and 2 seriously burned.^[16]
• 1976 On January 10, a gas leak at the Pathfinder Hotel in Fremont, Nebraska, exploded, killing 23 people. A compression coupling on a gas line had pulled apart, causing gas to leak into the Hotel's basement.^[17]
• 1976 A MAPCO LPG/NGL pipeline ruptured near Whitharral, Texas, leading to vapor cloud fire that killed one, severely burning 4 others who later died, destroyed two homes, and burned an area about 400 yards wide. A Low Frequency Electric Resistance Weld (LF-ERW) seam failure is suspected for the failure. From January 1968 to the date of the Whitharral accident, 14 longitudinal pipe seam failures had occurred on that pipeline system, which resulted in 6 other fatalities, and the loss of over 60,000 barrels (9,500 m³) of LPG.(February 25, 1976)^[18][19][20]
• 1976 An improperly assembled compression coupling failed on a gas distribution line in Phoenix, Arizona on February 8, causing a house explosion that killed 2 people.^[21]
• 1976 On March 2, an 18 inch Gulf Oil pipeline failure spilled about 21,000 gallons of crude oil into the Wisner Wildlife Area in Louisiana. There were no initial reports of wildlife being affected.^[22]
• 1976 On March 16, a 6 inch ARCO pipeline failed near Tilden Township, Pennsylvania, spilling gasoline into a stream.^[23]
• 1976 On March 27, a two-story building in Phenix City, Alabama, exploded and burned from a gas leak. The explosion and fire killed the six persons in the building. The NTSB found that gas at 20-psig pressure had leaked from a cracked, 3-inch cast iron gas main.^[24]
• 1976 A front loader hit a Standard Oil of California (now Chevron Corporation) 8-inch petroleum products pipeline in Los Angeles, California, during a road widening project along Venice Boulevard. 9 people were killed, a plastic factory was destroyed, and other serious property damage occurred. (June 16, 1976)^[25][26]
• On August 8, a house exploded from gas migrating through the soil, from a broken 4 inch gas main, in Allentown, Pennsylvania. 26 minutes later, gas then exploded in another house, causing a brick wall & part of the street to collapse. 2 firefighters were killed, 14 people injured, and 4 buildings destroyed.^[27]
• 1976 A road grader hit a 20-inch gas transmission pipeline near Calhoun, Louisiana. Six people were killed in the ensuing fire, 6 families were left homeless, and a mobile home and 2 houses were destroyed. (August 9, 1976)^[28][29]
• 1976 On August 13, a flash fire in the basement of a house in Bangor, Maine, occurred while a gas company crew was checking for the cause of low gas pressure at the home. The fire killed one gas company employee, burned two other employees, and caused minor damage to the house. One of the crew was using a match to light the basement of the home, and another crew member was smoking when the fire started.^[30]
• 1976 On August 29, an explosion and fire destroyed a house at Kenosha, Wisconsin. Two persons were killed, four persons were injured, and two adjacent houses were damaged. The destroyed house was not served by natural gas. However, natural gas, which was escaping at 58 psig pressure from a punctured 2-inch plastic main located 39 feet (12 m) away, had entered the house through a 6-inch sewer lateral that had been bored through to install the gas line.^[31][32]
• 1976 On September 10, sewer work and heavy equipment caused soil subsidence on a 6 inch cast iron gas pipe in Blue Island, Illinois, resulting in the pipe breaking in 4 places. Gas then migrated into a building, that later exploded, killing 1 person, and, injuring 10 others.^[33]
• 1976 On November 28, an 8 inch Sunoco pipeline began leaking in Toledo, Ohio, spilling about 1,000 barrels of gasoline, forcing a major road closure. There were no injuries.^[34]
• 1976 An explosion and fire at a gas pipeline compressor station in Orange Grove, Texas killed one plant worker, and injured another on December 6.^[35]
• 1977 On January 2, a gas pipeline ruptured and burned near Nursery, Texas. Some power poles were destroyed, but there were no injuries.^[36]
• 1977 On January 5, in Fairview, New Jersey, a circumferential break on a 6 inch cast iron gas pipe. The released gas then migrated under frozen soil & a sidewalk, into an area under the floor of a building. The gas later was ignited by an unknown source, causing an explosion that killed 1 person, injured 13 others, and destroyed 3 buildings.^[37]
• 1977 In Baltimore, Maryland on January 13, a 4 inch cast iron gas line suffered a circumferential break. The gas migrated under frozen soil and pavement into nearby rowhouses, and was likely ignited by an oil burned motor. One person was killed.^[38]
• 1977 On January 18, an 18 inch steel gas main failed and leaked into an electrical and telephone conduit in New Bedford, Massachusetts. Three explosion followed, destroying 5 buildings, and breaking windows nearby. Improper pipeline construction techniques were the cause of the failure. There were no injuries.^[39]
• 1977 A gas pipeline exploded and burned in Stockton, California on February 4. Another gas pipeline fire had occurred nearby 4 days earlier. There were no injuries.^[40]
• 1977 On May 20, fire broke out at a MAPCO pipeline pumping stations and Terminal in Ogden, Iowa, threatening 4 propane storage tanks for a time. There were no injuries.^[41]
• 1977 In June, a Williams Partners pipeline terminal near Lawrence, Kansas spilled about 33,600 gallons of gasoline. the next spring, a rancher nearby was still having gasoline entering a creek on his property.^[42]
• 1977 An explosion on July 8 at Trans-Alaska Pipeline System Pump Station No. 8 kills one worker, injures 5 others, and destroys the pump station. Over $2 million in damage was done. A US House of Representatives Committee later announced the cause was workers not following the proper procedures, causing crude oil to flow into a pump under repair at the time.^{[43][44][45][46]}
• 1977 On July 19, the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System pipeline was shut down for the 4th time in a month, when it was hit in a valve by a front loader. More than 40,000 US gallons (150,000 L) of crude oil was spilled.^[47]
• 1977 A 12-inch propane pipeline ruptured near Ruff Creek, in Greene County, Pennsylvania, from stress corrosion cracking, on July 20.. The resulting propane vapor cloud ignited when a truck driven into the cloud stalled, then created a spark when it was restarted. Subsidence of underground coal mines in the area may have hastened the failure.^[48][49]
• 1977 A cast iron gas main broke in Cherokee, Alabama on July 30. Gas migrated into a home through a recently back filled sewer line trench, and exploded 5 days later.^[50]
• 1977 In August, a car drove through leaking liquid from a petroleum pipeline in Lakewood, California. The pooled liquid appeared to be mud, but it exploded and burned, injuring a woman in the car.^[51]
• 1977 On August 9, natural gas under 20 psi pressure entered a 6 ounce per square inch gas distribution system in El Paso, Texas, over pressuring 750 gas customer customers. Numerous small fires resulted from this. The cause was an error during gas pipeline replacement.^[52]
• 1977 On August 15, crude oil spilled at Trans-Alaska Pipeline System Pump Station No. 9. There was no fire, but a fire or explosion at that station could have shut down that pipeline, since Pump Station No. 8 was out of service from the previous month's accident there. This was the seventh accident on this pipeline since the start up of the Alaska pipeline on June 20, 1977. The NTSB released three recommendations on September 9, 1977, to correct certain design and operating deficiencies in the pump rooms of each station of the Alyeska system.^[53][54]
• 1977 A gas transmission pipeline exploded, forcing hundreds to evacuate in Columbus, Indiana on August 26. There was no fire or injuries.^[55]
• 1977 On September 5, 2 brothers in a moving truck drove into a vapor cloud from a leak at a gas compressor plant in New Cuyama, California, igniting the cloud. One was killed immediately, and the other died 11 days later.^[51]
• 1977 On September 10, a pipeline rupture spilled 69,000 US gallons (260,000 L) of gasoline into a creek in Toledo, Ohio. Corrosion of the pipeline caused the failure.^[56][57]
• 1977 A gas line inside a building in San Francisco, California leaked and exploded, injuring 7 and heavily damaging that building. Gas repair crews were working on the line at the time.^[58]
• 1977 On October 12, a bulldozer ruptured a propane pipeline near Albany, Georgia, causing nearby train traffic to be halted. The bulldozer engine was left running, nearly igniting the vapors.^[59]
• 1977 On October 30, a bulldozer hit a gas pipeline in Shreveport, Louisiana. The gas ignited, causing a 100 foot tall flame, injuring 4 people.^[60]
• 1977 A backhoe being used to install a pipeline hit an adjacent 6-inch propane pipeline on November 21 in Hutchinson, Kansas. Fire broke out, but there were no injuries.^[61]
• 1977 Construction workers punctured a 12-inch gas pipeline in Atlanta, Georgia, with an I-beam on December 1. No fire or explosion followed, but thousands of people were evacuated from nearby buildings.^[62]
• 1977 A compression coupling joint between a plastic and a steel gas line pulled apart in Lawrence, Kansas on December 15. The gas migrated into 2 buildings, and exploded, killing 2 people, and injuring 3 others.^[63][64]
• 1978 Earth movement was suspected in causing a gas transmission pipeline to rupture and burn near Stevenson, Washington on January 23. There were no injuries.^[65]
• 1978 On February 15, a gas pipeline being tested with compressed air exploded at a seam on the pipe in Cincinnati, Ohio on February 15, injuring 8.^[66]
• 1978 A portion of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System pipeline east of Fairbanks, Alaska was ruptured by an explosive device on February 15. Crude oil spilled in a 600-foot (180 m) diameter spot.^[67]
• 1978 On February 26, a 16 inch Cities Service Gas pipeline ruptured near Lecompton, Kansas, causing natural gas shortages in the area.^[68]
• 1978 An improperly plugged gas line leaked into service vault in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma at a shopping center, overcoming 5 gas company workers on April 28. Four of the repairmen died of asphyxiation. None of the repair crew had respirators at the job site.^[69]
• 1978 A gas company crew in Mansfield, Ohio accidentally tied a high pressure gas main into a low pressure gas main on May 17. Much higher gas flames in gas appliances caused damage in 16 homes, and about 2,000 gas meters were shut off during the incident.^[70]
• 1978 A MAPCO LPG pipeline in Donnellson, Iowa ruptured from past mechanical damage and improper lowering for road improvements. The vapor cloud ignited several minutes after the rupture. Three people were killed and 2 others severely burned. The pipe failed at a dented and gouged area not seen during the original construction, or lowering for road work a few months before. A hydrostatic test on this pipeline after the accident caused failures at 2 other dented & gouged section, and 15 ERW seam failures in 117 miles. (August 4, 1978)^[71][72][73]
• 1978 On August 7, in Lafayette, Louisiana, natural gas at 15 psig pressure escaped from a corrosion leak in an inactive 1-inch steel service line and migrated beneath a concrete slab and into a building where it ignited. The resulting explosion and fire injured six persons and destroyed the building and its contents.^[74]
• 1978 On August 14, a coal digging crew in Cairo, Missouri hit a MAPCO LPG pipeline with a backhoe. The gas ignited about 2 hours later, as digging crews were still working nearby. 1 worker was burned, along with the backhoe, a bulldozer, and a diesel fuel tank.^[75]
• 1978 On August 28, natural gas, which had escaped from a circumferential fracture in a socket heat-fusion coupling on a 2-in. polyethylene (PE) main, operating at 40-psig pressure, migrated beneath a one-story house in Grand Island, Nebraska, exploded, and then burned. One person was injured; the house was destroyed; and three adjacent houses were damaged.^[76]
• 1978 About 7,600 US gallons (29,000 L) of gasoline were spilled in Hampton, Pennsylvania on August 30. Workers boring for a sewer line had hit a fuel pipeline. Later, the 2 construction firms responsible were fined only $500 each.^[77][78]
• 1978 A pipeline feeding a Strategic Petroleum Reserve storage cavern ruptured in Hackberry, Louisiana on September 22, causing a large fire.^[79]
• 1978 A 30 inch United Texas Transmission gas pipeline in Brookside Village, Texas ruptured and exploded, killing five people, and injuring 43 others. Seven mobile homes were also destroyed. The blast was felt 35 miles away. (October 24, 1978)^[80][81]
• 1978 On October 30, a pickup truck with 2 women inside drove into an unseen gas cloud from a leaking gas gathering pipeline in Preston, Oklahoma, triggering explosions and a fire, killing the 2 women. 3 homes were also damaged. Flames from the fire reached 200 feet high.^[82]
• 1978 An Amoco crude oil pipeline leaked into the Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area west of Farmington, Utah on November 7. About 105,000 gallons of crude were spilled. The rupture was caused by pumping against a valve that had been closed for earlier pipeline maintenance.^[83][84]
• 1979 A ruptured 2-inch gas line leaking caused a home to explode in Spokane, Washington on January 6, killing the homeowner.^[85]
• 1979 On January 16, an explosion and fire destroyed five commercial buildings and damaged several other buildings in London, Kentucky. Two persons were injured. External corrosion was suspected as the cause. A prearranged pressure increase in the pipeline was also a factor.^[86][87]
• 1979 On March 2, at Alyeska Pipeline Service Company, Pump Station #6 located near the Yukon River in Alaska, the topping unit producing turbine fuel experienced a flame out of the flare stack which burns flammable tail gas from the unit. Automatic ignition apparatus did not function due to the extreme low temperature of -25F. A safety professional on staff was tasked with climbing the stack and re-igniting the flare manually. Once ignition was established, and before the safety professional could climb down from the top catwalk platform, station management ordered the combustion blower to be turned on and tail gas pressure to be increased from 3psi to 11psi. The action resulted in a surge through the knock out drum at the base of the stack, causing residual oil and naptha to be blown up the stack, covering the top catwalk and approximately the top 60 feet of the stack in burning petroleum. The safety professional was severely burned and fell through the stack main access ladder components and iron work 115 feet to the ground. The occurrence did not result in a fatality, however, fire damaged the stack and petroleum contaminated the surrounding base area.
• 1979 An 18-inch natural gas transmission pipeline failed underneath the Florida Turnpike in West Palm Beach, Florida, resulting in a 2 hour road closure.^[88]
• 1979 On April 18, a 24-inch natural gas transmission pipeline pulled out of a compression coupling during a line-lowering project under Iowa State Highway 181 in a rural area near Dallas, Iowa. Within seconds, the natural gas ignited and burned a 900-foot (270 m) by 400-foot (120 m) area. Two cars, a pickup truck, and a trailer housing construction equipment were destroyed. A backhoe was damaged and windows were broken in a nearby farmhouse. Five of the eight injured workers were hospitalized. The gas company's accident records indicated that this 24-inch pipeline had experienced 12 previous failures since it was constructed.^[89]
• 1979 On April 20, a series of explosions and a fire struck a Sunoco pipeline terminal in Toledo, Ohio. Some nearby residents fled their homes, and telephone service was disrupted.^[90][91]
• 1979 On May 11, 2 explosions and a following fire killed 7 people, injured 19 others, and destroyed 3 buildings in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Soil erosion under an 8-inch cast iron gas main caused the main to break and release gas.^[92]
• 1979 On May 13, a 36-inch Colonial Pipeline rupture released 336,000 US gallons (1,270,000 L) of fuel oil that damaged vegetation and killed fish near Spartanburg, South Carolina. Cracks made in the railroad shipping of the pipe before installation were the cause.^[93]
• 1979 On May 19, tank truck drivers waiting at an Amoco terminal heard a bang, then saw a 3 foot side stream of gasoline pour down a nearby hillside in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Train traffic on 2 nearby rail lines had to be stopped during the cleanup.^[94]
• 1979 A "spud" dropped by a pile driving barge in the Gulf of Mexico near Pilottown, Louisiana ruptured a 4-inch natural gas pipeline on June 5. The escaping gas ignited, and seriously burned the barge. 4 crew members went missing and were presumed dead.^[95]
• 1979 On June 10, the pilot of a helicopter reported sighting oil on the surface of the Atigun River near the route of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System's 48-inch crude oil pipeline. Repair crews found a 7-inch crack which passed through a longitudinal weld. Five days after the first leak, at 3:15 p.m. on June 15, the pilot of an Alyeska helicopter on a routine surveillance flight reported a leak north of pump station No. 12 near the Little Tonsina River. A crack near a wrinkle in the pipe was found there. The June 10 spill resulted in a release of approximately 1,500 barrels (240 m³) of crude oil; the June 15 leak resulted in a release of approximately 300 barrels (48 m³) of crude oil; these losses were estimated by Alyeska personnel at the leak site. The spills were too small to be verified by the Alyeska metering system.^[96]
• 1979 Another crack in a wrinkled section of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System pipeline hit Pump Station 12 on June 15 on the south end of that pipeline in southern Alaska. About 1,000 barrels of crude oil were spilled.^[97][98]
• 1979 On June 16, operator error at Colonial Pipeline caused a prior to installation rail shipping induced crack of 36-inch pipeline to rupture in Greenville County, South Carolina. 395,000 gallons of fuel oil were spilled, causing vegetation, fish, & wildlife kills.^[93][99]
• 1979 A leaking pipeline released gasoline in Granger, Indiana, causing the evacuation of 400 people on July 3.^[100]
• 1979 An anchor handling boat, PETE TIDE II, damaged an unmarked gas pipeline with a grappling hook offshore from New Orleans, Louisiana. Two of the crew were missing and presumed dead in the fire that followed. (July 15, 1979)^[101]
• 1979 On July 25, an explosion and fire destroyed a duplex apartment house in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Two persons were killed, and two persons were hospitalized for burns; adjacent houses were damaged. Earlier in the day, a crew from Mountain Bell Telephone Company (Mountain Bell) had been using a backhoe at the intersection of Bridge Boulevard and Atrisco Road to locate a telephone cable. The backhoe snagged a gas service line but the fact that it was pulled from a 1-inch coupling under the house was not discovered at that time.^[102]
• 1979 A 34-inch Lakehead (now Enbridge) pipeline ruptured near Bemidji, Minnesota, leaking 10,700 barrels (1,700 m³) of crude oil on August 20. The pipeline company initially recovers 60 percent of the spilled oil. Later in 1988, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency required Lakehead to extract more oil using new technology; removal continued on, with studies still underway in the area.^{[103][104][105][106]}
• 1979 On August 20, a bulldozer operating near Orange, Texas, was being used to clean a farm drainage ditch. The corner of the blade cut into a propane line, which crossed beneath the ditch. Propane at 350 psig escaped and was ignited within seconds. The resulting fire killed one person, injured another, and caused considerable property damage.^[107][108]
• 1979 A crude oil pipeline ruptured and spilled oil into a creek new Walnut Grove, Missouri on August 25. 2 miles (3.2 km) of the creek were contaminated, and 32,000 fish killed.^[109]
• 1979 On September 4, the M/V WHITEFACE struck a high-pressure gas pipeline in Lake Verret, Louisiana. A resulting explosion killed a crewman aboard the vessel.^[110]
• 1979 On October 6, an explosion caused by liquefied natural gas (LNG) vapors destroyed a transformer building at the reception facility of the Columbia LNG Corporation, Cove Point, Maryland. Odorless liquefied natural gas leaked through an inadequately tightened LNG pump seal, vaporized, passed through approximately 210 feet (64 m) of underground electrical conduit and entered the substation building. One person was killed, and one person was seriously injured. Damage to the facility was estimated at about $3 million. The fire hydrants and deluge water spray system were inoperable after the explosion because the water main that supplied the system was broken at a flange above ground inside the substation.^[111]
• 1979 On October 24, an explosion and fire destroyed the county clerk's office building and the adjoining courthouse building, gutted a connecting building which was under construction, and damaged the adjacent houses in Stanardsville, Virginia. Thirteen persons were injured and property was damaged extensively. The following NTSB investigation revealed that natural gas had leaked from a break in a 1 1/4-inch coated steel service line, which had been snagged by a backhoe which was being used to dig a footing for an addition to the county clerk's office building.^[112]
• 1979 On October 30, a natural gas explosion and fire demolished a townhouse in Washington, D.C., and damaged nearby buildings and cars. No one was inside the townhouse at the time, but three persons in a stopped car were injured when debris from the explosion shattered a car window. After the accident, an inspection of the gas service line that served the townhouse revealed that it had been struck by excavating equipment.^[113]
• 1979 A natural gas transmission pipeline exploded in West Monroe, Louisiana on November 11, causing 3 subdivisions to be evacuated, and creating a crater 70 feet wide and 20 feet deep. There were no injuries. A gas pipeline explosion had taken place nearby 8 years before.^[114][115]
• 1979 A 12 inch Amoco pipeline broke on December 11 near Waverly, Missouri, spilling about 8,400 gallons of crude oil. Temperature changes were blamed for the joint failure on the pipeline.^[116]
• 1979 On December 16, military police at Marine Corps Base Quantico discovered fuel oil leaking into the Potomac River, near Chopawamsic Island. A leaking Plantation Pipeline 12 inch pipeline was the source, spilling between 5,000 and 10,000 gallons of fuel oil.^[117]

1980s

• 1980 On January 2, crude oil leaked from a fractured 22-inch pipeline at a levee crossing at Berwick, Louisiana. At 9:54 a.m., the crude oil ignited. One person was killed, one person was injured, and six homes were either destroyed or damaged. The pipeline's monitoring system failed to detect a loss of over 1,800 barrels (290 m³) of oil. A defective sleeve weld cause the pipeline to fail.^[118]
• 1980 On January 30, an 8 inch refined petroleum products pipeline, owned by The Pipelines of Puerto Rico, Inc., was struck and ruptured by a bulldozer, during maintenance work on a nearby waterline, in the Sector Cana of Bayamon, Puerto Rico, about 10 miles (16 km) southwest of San Juan. Gasoline from the rupture sprayed downhill, and ran off into a small creek. About 1 1/2 hours later, the gasoline vapors were ignited by an undetermined source and exploded; the subsequent fire killed one person and extensively damaged 25 houses and other property.^[119]
• 1980 On February 21, an explosion and fire destroyed four stores in a shopping complex and severely damaged an adjoining restaurant in Cordele, Georgia. Of the eight persons who were injured, three died later as a result of their injuries. Property damage was extensive. The NTSB investigation of the accident has revealed that natural gas leaked from a 1-inch steel service line, which had been pulled from a 1-inch compression coupling from a backhoe working in the area, and migrated under a concrete slab floor and into a jewelry store where it was ignited by an unknown source.^[120]
• 1980 A Colonial Pipeline Dispatcher ignored established procedures for dealing with a pressure surge, causing a double rupture of a 32-inch steel petroleum products pipeline on March 6. One break, where the pipe had been thinned by corrosion in a casing under a road, caused the release of 8,000 barrels (1,300 m³) of aviation-grade kerosene adjacent to route 234 near Manassas, Virginia. Before being fully contained, the kerosene had flowed into Bull Run River, and had entered the Occoquan Reservoir, a source of drinking water for several northern Virginia communities. The other break, where a crack in the pipe wall initiated during rail shipment of the pipe from the steel mill finally propagated to failure, caused the release of 2,190 barrels (348 m³) of No. 2 fuel oil near Locust Grove, a rural area in Orange County, near Fredericksburg, Virginia. Before being fully contained, the fuel oil had flowed into the Rapidan River and then into the Rappahannock River, a source of drinking water for the City of Fredericksburg.^[121][122]
• 1980 Sabotage during a labor strike was suspected in a gasoline pipeline explosion in Marcus Hook, Pennsylvania on March 7. The following fire burned for about 17 hours.^[123][124]
• 1980 On April 16, gasoline at a Williams Companies pipeline terminal in Roseville, Minnesota, sprayed from the fractured cast-iron base of a station booster pump at 72 psig pressure, vaporized, and exploded after it was ignited by the spark of an electric switch in the mainline pump control room 50 feet (15 m) downwind of the booster pump. One man was killed, 3 others injured, and extensive damage was done to the terminal. About 3,500 barrels (560 m³) of petroleum products burned and property damage was estimated at $3 million.^[125][126]
• 1980 On May 27, near Cartwright, Louisiana, an anhydrous ammonia pipeline was struck by a bulldozer, which was being used to prepare a well site, and the pipeline ruptured. Over 100 people were evacuated from the area.^[127]
• 1980 On July 23, a Tennessee Gas Pipeline 30 inch line burst in Clay City, Kentucky, spraying dirt and rocks in the area, damaging 2 homes. There was no fire.^[128]
• 1980 A road grader ruptured an NGL pipeline in Aurora, Colorado on August 11. Firefighters had barely evacuated residents in the area when the vapors exploded, burning one firefighter.^[129]
• 1980 On September 3, a Mid-Valley Pipeline Co. line was ruptured by pipeline work, in Cygnet, Ohio. Efforts to contain the crude were unable to prevent some of it from entering the Portage River.^[130]
• 1980 An oil pipeline ruptured and burned while it was being repaired at an oil storage Terminal in Piney Point, Maryland on September 12, 1980. One worker was killed, and 5 others injured in the fire.^[131]
• 1980 On October 9, a 2-inch compression coupling located on the upstream side of a gas meter set assembly in the boiler room of the Simon Kenton High School in Independence, Kentucky, pulled out of its connection with a 2-inch gas service line. Natural gas at 165-psig pressure escaped through the 2-inch opening and, seconds later, exploded and burned. A basement wall was blown down, an adjacent classroom was damaged, and one student was killed. About 30 minutes later, a second explosion occurred, which injured 37 persons and extensively damaged the school. The gas main was being uprated at the time.^[132]
• 1980 A bulldozer digging a ditch for a new pipeline hit a 16-inch crude oil pipeline near San Ysidro, New Mexico on October 22. The operator was fatally burned.^[133]
• 1980 On November 17, a one inch connector on a sour gas gathering pipeline broke near Malakoff, Texas on November 17. 12 families were evacuated for a time.^[134]
• 1980 A pipeline carrying naphtha ruptured under a street in Long Beach, California, causing a fire that destroyed one home and damaged several others. Two people were injured. Lack of communication of pipeline valve setups, and pressure relief valves set to open at too high a pressure were identified by the NTSB as causes of the accident. (December 1, 1980)^[135][136]
• 1980 A dirt pan machine being used for road construction hit a propane pipeline in Sumner, Georgia on December 10, causing slight injuries to the dirt pan operator. US Highway 82 and a rail line were closed, and several families evacuated until the vapors dispersed. There was no fire.^[137]
• 1980 On December 22, a pipeline carrying jet fuel ruptured in Las Vegas, Nevada, spilling fuel for 2 hours. Later, the fuel ignited, forcing road closures. One firefighters was overcome by fumes. Between 50,000 and 100,000 US gallons (380,000 L) of jet fuel were spilled. Prior construction in the area was suspected of damaging the pipeline.^[138]
• 1980 A Southern California Edison pipeline ruptured in Carson, California on December 23, spilling about 105,000 gallons of crude oil, with some of it reaching the Dominguez Channel.^[139]
• 1980 A natural gas pipeline exploded and burned at a gas plant in Ulysses, Kansas on December 28. There were no injuries^[140]
• 1981
• 1981 A valve on the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System broke on January 1, releasing about 42,000 gallons of crude oil, about 115 miles south of Prudhoe Bay, Alaska.^[141][142]
• 1981 On January 5, a gas transmission pipeline exploded and burned in Laingburg, Michigan, causing a large fire. About a dozen homes nearby were evacuated. There were no injuries.^[143]
• 1981 On February 13, construction workers severed an ethylene pipeline near Beaumont, Texas, which then exploded and burned. Three people were injured.^[144]
• 1981 On April 16, an explosion & fire in a gas feeder line to an underground gas storage facility in Columbus Junction, Iowa burned down a barn, and damaged other buildings. This was the second explosion at the facility in just over a week, and, the fifth explosion there in 6 years.^[145]
• 1981 An ammonia pipeline leaked near Hutchinson, Kansas on July 31, injuring 5 people, including 3 children at a Bible Camp. A 2-mile (3.2 km) radius from the leak was evacuated, including 90 from the Bible Camp.^[146]
• 1981 On August 25, in downtown San Francisco, California, a 16-inch natural gas main was punctured by a drill that an excavation contractor was using. Escaping natural gas blew upward and carried into the Embarcadero Complex and other nearby buildings. There was no ignition; however, the gas stream entrained an oil containing polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB). Fall-out affected an eight-square-block area of the city's financial district covering buildings, cars, trees, pedestrians, police, and firemen. Approximately 30,000 persons were safely evacuated from the area in 45 minutes. No one was killed or seriously injured, although many persons were sprayed with the PCB oil mist. There were delays in shutting down the gas, due to inaccurate diagrams.^[147]
• 1981 On September 4, a drilling rig, operated by a crew core-drilling for coal near Belle, West Virginia, punctured a 12-inch gas transmission line. The pipeline was operating at a pressure of 600 psig. The rig operator was injured, the rig and a truck were destroyed, and an estimated volume of 3,433,000 cubic feet of gas was lost.^[127]
• 1981 On September 15, during routine maintenance, a pipeline exploded and burned between a gas plant and a petroleum plant in Goldsmith, Texas. While workers were fighting the fire, another part of the pipeline burst and burned. 6 workers were burned, and another had other injuries. There were a total of 7 fires from 7 pipeline ruptures.^[148][149]
• 1981 A 12-inch diameter pipeline near Ackerly, Texas, was hit by a rathole drill on September 27, releasing an ethane-propane mix. There was then an explosion & fire that killed 4 people.^[150]
• 1981 On November 30, at Flatwoods, West Virginia, gas, leaking into a test section of a 26-inch gas transmission pipeline, ignited as a welder engaged in installing an end cap placed a tack weld on the east end of a 180-foot (55 m)-long section of pipe. The resultant explosion blew off-the east end cap, which struck and killed the welder's helper.^[151]
• 1981 On December 5, hunters near Yutan, Nebraska tried out a new high power rifle by shooting what they thought was a log in a creek bed. The log was actually an LPG pipeline, and 12 to 16 families needed to be evacuated for their safety from the resulting vapor cloud. There was no fire.^[152]
• 1981 On December 9, a pipeline carrying gasoline ruptured near Joliet, Illinois, spilling 30,000 US gallons (110,000 L) of gasoline into the Des Plaines River.^[153]
• 1981 A 20 inch gas pipeline in Ottawa, Kansas caused 2 explosions, and a raging fire, that destroyed 2 mobile homes on December 31. There were no injuries reported.^[154][155]
• 1982
• 1982 On January 1, a gas pipeline exploded and burned in Ottawa, Kansas, destroying 2 mobile homes. There were no injuries.^[156]
• 1982 On January 28 at Centralia, Missouri, natural gas at 47 psig entered a low pressure distribution system which normally operated at 0.40 psig after a backhoe bucket snagged, ruptured, and separated a 3/4-inch steel pressure regulator control line at a regulator station. The backhoe, which was owned and operated by the city of Centralia, was being used to clean a ditch located adjacent to the pressure regulator station. The high-pressure gas entering customer piping systems in some cases resulted in high pilot light flames which initiated fires in buildings; while in other cases, the pilot light flames were blown out, allowing gas to escape within the buildings. Of the 167 buildings affected by the overpressure, 12 were destroyed and 32 sustained moderate to heavy damages. Five persons received minor injuries.^[157]
• 1982 On March 19, a leaking 3 inch Amoco pipeline was discovered in a park in Salt Lake City, Utah. 1,500 square feet of sod near a soccer field was contaminated by oil, and had to be disposed of as toxic waste.^[158]
• 1982 A Mobil LPG pipeline was ruptured by road construction in North Richland Hills, Texas on April 16. 800 to 1,000 nearby residents were evacuated. There was no fire. The construction crew workers said the pipeline was 5 feet (1.5 m) away from where it was shown on a map they were using.^[159]
• 1982 A backhoe ruptured a 2-inch gas pipeline in three places in Tacoma, Washington, causing evacuations. There was no fire or explosion.^[160]
• 1982 On May 14, a bulldozer hit a gas pipeline while digging a reserve pit for an oil well near Rush Springs, Oklahoma, causing a gas fire that injured 9 workers.
• 1982 On May 18, Sunoco pipeline crews were digging to find their 12 inch pipeline, when they hit it, causing a rupture, and spilling gasoline east of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Over 20,000 gallons of gasoline were spilled.^[161]
• 1982 A bulldozer hit a Colonial Pipeline 12-inch petroleum products pipeline near Albany, Georgia on June 15, spraying the area with fuel oil, which then ignited, resulting in burns that later killed the bulldozer operator. No one had called for a locate of the pipeline before the bulldozer work.^[162]
• 1982 On June 28, a natural gas explosion demolished a house, killed five persons, and critically injured one person in Portales, New Mexico; the critically injured person died later at a burn treatment center. The gas service line to the house had been damaged 37 days earlier when a contractor's backhoe pulled up the line during conduit excavation work for the local telephone company.^[163]
• 1982 A Tennessee Gas Pipeline was struck bu equipment by crew working on that pipeline in Prichard, West Virginia on July 28. 9 people were burned, including a family of 4 who were standing nearby, and 200 feet of a nearby road was burned.^[164]
• 1982 On August 15, a Colonial Pipeline stub line failed in Floyd County, Georgia, spilling over 16,000 gallons of gasoline in the area of a subdivision. 15 families were evacuated for a time. There were no injuries.^[165]
• 1982 On September 7, natural gas at 15 psig escaping from the open ends of a 2 1/4-inch cast-iron gas main located in a deep, narrow excavation in Dublin, Georgia, was ignited by an unknown source. Four City of Dublin gas department employees who were working in the excavation were critically burned.^[166]
• 1982 A bulldozer being used for highway construction hit a Diamond Shamrock pipeline on September 10, in Roanoake, Texas, spilling unleaded gasoline. 5 miles of a nearby highway were shut down for a time.^[167]
• 1982 On September 13, a county worker hit an NGL pipeline near Leavenworth, Kansas, causing minor injuries to him when the escaping gas blew him off of the bulldozer. Several families living nearby were evacuated. There was no fire.^[168]
• 1982 On October 1, a steel plate, which had been welded by a work crew to cap temporarily the open end of a section of a 22-inch gas transmission pipeline, blew off at an initial pressure of possibly 260 psig. Escaping natural gas from the pipeline, which had accumulated due to a leak in a nearby gate valve, ignited almost immediately and the entire work area and a portion of U.S. Route 65 were momentarily engulfed in flames. Seven persons who were working to replace a section of the pipeline under the road about 2 miles (3.2 km) south of Pine Bluff, Arkansas, were burned.^[169]
• 1982 On October 29, a crew mechanic working on new gas service lines in Burke, Virginia, was overcome by leaking gas and died.^[170]
• 1982 On November 4, a tile plow installing field drainage tile on a farm, located 4 miles (6.4 km) west of Hudson, Iowa, struck and punctured a well-marked, 20-inch natural gas transmission pipeline. Natural gas escaping at about 820 psig ignited immediately, and the ensuing fire killed five persons.^[171][172]
• 1982 On December 8, a five-member crew was working on a gas compressor at Bonicord, Tennessee, when a gas explosion occurred. All five crew members were injured seriously, but were able to evacuate the building. One crew member died later that day, and two others died a few days later.^[173]
• 1982 A grader working on construction cut into a crude oil pipeline in Norman, Oklahoma on December 21, causing a fire that severely burned the grader operator.
• 1983
• In January 1983, a pipeline owned by Diamond Shamrock began to leak into a creek, in Lipscomb County, Texas. Before the leak was detected and the flow of oil shut down, a period of about two weeks, about 100,000 gallons of crude petroleum were discharged into a creek.^[174]
• 1983 On February 1, a corroded gas service line caused a natural gas explosion and flash fire that destroyed a house, killed two persons, and injured three persons in Pryor, Oklahoma, and damaged an adjacent house.^[175]
• 1983 A gas pipeline failed and caused a fire, with flames 250 to 300 feet (91 m) tall, near Marlow, Oklahoma on February 15. There were no injuries.^[176]
• 1983 An 8-inch LPG pipeline was hit by a rotating auger used for planting trees near West Odessa, Texas. After several minutes, the escaping LPG at 1,060 psi ignited, killing 5 people and injuring 5 others. Flames went as high as 600 feet into the air.(March 15, 1983)^{[177][178][179]}
• 1983 On March 27, a pump for a petroleum products pipeline broke, causing up to 420,000 gallons of diesel fuel to spill into the Bowie River in Collins, Mississippi.^[180][181]
• 1983 30 to 40 homes were advised to evacuate for several hours in Castle Shannon, Pennsylvania on May 1, after a Mobil pipeline leaked gasoline.^[182]
• 1983 On May 6, a gas pipeline broke, forcing 100 people to evacuate in Cherry Hill, New Jersey.^[183]
• 1983 A 36-inch gas transmission pipeline exploded and burned in Caldwell, Ohio on May 21, destroying two homes, burning 100 acres of vegetation, and closing nearby Interstate 77. There were three minor injuries.^[184]
• 1983 On June 4, a front loader accidentally dug into the 10-inch Yellowstone Pipeline petroleum line near Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, spilling over 20,000 US gallons (76,000 L) of unleaded gasoline into a creek, killing everything downstream for 3 miles.^[185]
• 1983 A 16-inch gas pipeline ruptures and burned near Athens, Texas, on July 19. A nearby section of the same pipeline had ruptured the year before.^[186]
• 1983 On September 23, gas service pressure surged up in a section of Boston, Massachusetts. 3 major structure fires, numerous smaller fires, and an explosion at a restaurant followed. There was no serious injuries. A flooded gas regulator vault was the cause.^[187]
• 1983 On October 10, a bulldozer ruptured a gas pipeline serving the Lake Park, Iowa area, causing gas supply shortages in the area. There were no injuries.^[188]
• 1983 18 people inside a supermarket in South Charleston, West Virginia on October 17 were hurt, when gas from a leaking Columbia Gas line exploded. One Columbia Gas worker was also hurt. The lack of communication from the Columbia crew working on the gas line to the store Manager was cited as a contributing factor.^[189]
• 1983 A Mid-Vally crude oil pipeline exploded and burned, at a pipeline terminal, in Lima, Ohio on December 26. The fire spread to a holding tank, forcing nearby residents to evacuate.^[190]
• 1984
• 1984 On January 15, a leak was discovered in an 8 inch pipeline belonging to Plantation Pipeline in Floyd County, Georgia. Over 300 gallons of gasoline and diesel fuel had spilled into creek. A hayfield nearby was also damaged.^[191]
• 1984 An 8-inch NGL pipeline near Hurst, Texas, was hit by a front loader, and the escaping gases ignited, causing burns to the equipment operator. (February 28, 1984)^[192]
• 1984 On March 25, a resident in Missouri City, Texas discovered gasoline leaking from an 8 inch Exxon products pipeline. About 1,000 residents in the area were evacuated for a time, and, some of the gasoline entered a nearby creek.^[193]
• 1984 On April 24, a contractor installing plastic drainage pipe on a farm near Rock Rapids, Iowa hit a petroleum products pipeline, spilling about 4,000 gallons of diesel fuel.^[194]
• 1984 On June 19, six employees of a contractor working for Washington Gas Light Company (WGL) in Rockville, Maryland, were using mechanical saws to cut a section of 22-inch steel pipeline when residual gas at atmospheric pressure in the isolated section of the pipeline was ignited. A flash fire ensued, and four contractor employees who were operating the saws and a WGL superintendent were burned.^[195]
• On August 14, a Plantation Pipeline line leaked near Ladysmith, Virginia, creating a gasoline mist in the area.^[196]
• 1984 Two natural gas pipelines exploded and burned near Falls City, Texas.^[197]
• 1984 On September 24, a failed gas main of ABS plastic caused an explosion and fire in Phoenix, Arizona. 5 people died and 7 others injured in the accident. Liquid in the pipe had caused it to break down.^[198][199]
• 1984 A tugboat hit and ruptured a gas pipeline on the Houston Ship Channel on October 16. There were no injuries, but the Channel was closed for a time.^[200]
• 1984 Fast moving water in the Cado Creek near Durant, Oklahoma led to 2 pipelines being ruptured on October 27 & 28. One pipeline was owned by Mobil, the other pipeline was owned by Total S.A.. About 1,500 barrels (240 m³) of petroleum were spilled.^[201]
• 1984 A Williams Companies 6 inch pipeline ruptured on November 18 in New Brighton, Minnesota, causing a spill of 40,000 to 50,000 gallons of jet fuel in an industrial area. There were no injuries.^[202]
• 1984 On November 25, a 30-inch gas transmission pipeline, constructed in 1955 and operating at 1,000 psig pressure, ruptured at a location about three miles (5 km) west of Jackson, Louisiana. Gas blowing from the rupture fractured the pipe into many pieces and created a hole in the earth about 90 feet (27 m) long, 25 feet (7.6 m) wide, and 10 feet (3.0 m) deep. The escaping gas was quickly ignited by one of several potential sources of ignition. The resulting fire incinerated an area extending from the rupture about 950 feet (290 m) north, 500 feet (150 m) south, and 180 feet (55 m) to the east and to the west. Within this sparsely populated area, five persons involved with the pipeline construction work were killed, and 23 persons were injured. Additionally, several pieces of construction equipment were damaged extensively. Lack of proper ground support under the pipeline when a nearby section of that pipeline was upgraded and replaced was identified as a factor in the failure.^{[203][204][205]}
• 1985
• 1985 Natural gas from a leaking line traveled through soil and caused a massive gas explosion in El Paso, Texas on January 8. Eleven people were injured, 2 homes were destroyed, and 88 other homes were damaged by the blast.^[206]
• 1985 On January 26, a leaking propylene pipeline in Baytown, Texas forced the evacuation of 600 people. There was not explosion or fire.^[207]
• 1985 On February 5, a gas triggered explosion and fire destroyed 12 newly constructed condominiums in Twin Lakes, Wisconsin. A cracked gas main was the source of the gas leak, and nearby sewer worked was suspected of damaging the gas line. Two firefighters were hurt extinguishing the fire.^[208]
• 1985 On February 22, 1985, a police patrolman on routine patrol smelled strong natural gas odors in Sharpsville, Pennsylvania. A gas serviceman was ordered to the scene. Before the serviceman arrived at the site of the reported leak, the Sharpsville Inn and a connecting building exploded and burned, killing two persons. Firefighters arriving on scene moments later encountered a second, smaller explosion, which injured one firefighter. The delay in the gas serviceman getting to the incident was a contributing factor.^[209]
• 1985 On April 5, lightning caused computer malfunction with Colonial Pipeline, resulting in a pipeline rupture that sent at least 126,000 gallons of gasoline into the Yellow Leaf Creek in Talladega County, Alabama.^[210][211]
• 1985 On April 18, fumes from an NGL pipeline under repair near Baxter Pass, Colorado killed one pipeline repair worker, & injured 9 others. During a lawsuit dealing with this accidents, it was claimed "The "safety" procedures used were crude at best, as the workers without lifelines were directed to hold their breath and go down into the ditch for about 30 seconds to work, before coming back out of the ditch for air."^[212][213]
• 1985 A 30-inch diameter gas pipeline operating at about 960 psi, weakened by atmospheric corrosion, ruptured, and tore out about 29 feet (8.8 m) of the carrier pipe, blew apart about 16 feet (4.9 m) of a 36-inch casing pipe, blasted an opening across Kentucky State Highway 90, and cut out a pear-shaped crater approximately 90 feet (27 m) long, 38 feet (12 m) wide, and 12 feet (3.7 m) deep near Beaumont, Kentucky. 5 people were killed in one home, and 3 injured. The fireball from the incident could be seen 20 miles away.(April 27, 1985)^[214][215]
• 1985 On May 10, a Mohave County, Arizona road crew hit a 2 inch gas pipeline while reinstalling a fallen stop sign in Butler, Arizona. During repairs to the gas line, a flash fire ignited, injuring 2 fire fighters and a Southern Union Gas Co. worker.^[216]
• 1985 Workers on the extension of the North Dallas Tollway ruptured a 12-inch gasoline pipeline on June 19, causing a massive gasoline spill along a creek bed north of Dallas, Texas. The gasoline later ignited. One person had moderate injuries, several office buildings were damaged by fire, and some automobiles were damaged.^[217]
• 1985 On June 20, a telephone cable installing crew broke a 10 gas gathering pipeline in Paradise, Texas, releasing gas that ignited 20 seconds later. There were no injuries.^[218]
• 1985 On July 23, in a rural area about 8 miles (13 km) south of Kaycee, Wyoming, a girth weld cracked during a pipeline re-coating project on a 23-year-old, 8-inch pipeline. The cracked girth weld allowed the release, atomization, and ignition of aircraft turbine fuel under 430 pounds pressure, killing one person, burning six other persons, and destroying construction equipment.^{[219][220][221]}
• 1985 A gasoline leak of up to 42,000 US gallons (160,000 L) from a ruptured 10-inch pipeline ignited on August 2 in Indianapolis, Indiana, causing a 200-foot (61 m) high fireball that killed three people, and injured 3 others working to clean up the spill along a creek.^[222][223]
• 1985 On September 23, a 12-inch diameter gasoline pipeline fitting was hit by a backhoe, and sprayed about 35,000 US gallons (130,000 L) of gasoline 45 feet (14 m) into the air in Staten Island, New York. There were evacuations, but no fire.^[224]
• 1985 A Texas Eastern Transmission Corp. natural gas pipeline exploded near Hillsboro in Fleming County, Kentucky on October 26. There were two injuries reported.^[225][226]
• 1985 On November 1, a Columbia Gas Transmission pipeline exploded and burned near Rowenna, Pennsylvania, shooting flames 200 feet into the air, and causing dozens of residents to evacuate. A gas metering station and pressure regulator were also damaged.^[227]
• 1985 On November 28, Olympic Pipeline spilled about 31,000 gallons of jet fuel at Seattle–Tacoma International Airport, due to a valve being left open. The fuel entered a storm drain, that led to the Des Moines River, killing fish and wildlife for 2.5 miles. Later, the company was fined $15,0000 for the spill by the Washington Department of Ecology.^[228][229]
• 1985 On December 6, a natural gas explosion and fire destroyed the River Restaurant in Derby, Connecticut. Gas escaping from a broken gas main at a pressure of about 1 pound per square inch had escaped, migrated into the restaurant basement, ignited, exploded, and burned. Of the 18 persons inside the restaurant at the time, 6 were killed and 12 were injured; 1 passerby and 1 firefighter were also injured. After the accident the street adjacent to the restaurant was excavated where a 24-inch sewer system had just been installed; An 87-year-old, 3-inch, cast-iron natural gas main was found broken.^[230][231]
• 1985 On December 5, a Central Florida Pipeline products line burst in Lake Alfred, Florida, spilling about 40,000 gallons of gasoline. The landowner affected later sued the pipeline for failure to remove contaminated soil. There were no injuries or fire.^[232]
• 1985 A water Department crew hit the cap of an illegal tap into a Four Corners crude oil pipeline on December 18, near Cabazon, California. About 47,000 gallons of crude were spilled.^[233]
• 1986
• 1986 On January 31, a 14 inch Sunoco pipeline began leaking gasoline in Mercer County, New Jersey, which then spilled into the Delaware and Raritan Canal. The spilled gasoline exploded and burned along a 2,500 foot portion of the canal. People were evacuated from homes homes and a church.^[234]
• 1986 A 30-inch Texas Eastern gas pipeline ruptured, due to corrosion near Lancaster, Kentucky. 3 people had serious burns, and 5 others had lesser injuries. External corrosion made worse by difficulties of Cathodic protection in rocky soil was the cause. A senior vice president for operations and engineering with Texas Eastern Gas Pipeline Co., said tests on the Garrard County line last September showed the line needed immediate replacement. It was the third explosion on the Texas Eastern pipeline system in Kentucky in the previous 10 months, leading the Kentucky PSC to call for pressure reductions on the Texas Eastern system.(February 21, 1986)^{[225][235][236]}
• 1986 An 8-inch high-pressure petroleum pipeline ruptured in Muskegon County, Michigan on February 22, spilling gasoline into creeks.^[237]
• 1986 On February 24, a natural gas transmission pipeline split for 40 feet along its longitudinal seam in Case, Arkansas. Examining the pipe after the accident revealed lack of fusion, a known issue with LF-ERW pipe used there. The pipeline has experienced 3 other such seam failures on that pipeline since 1975.^[238]
• 1986 A backhoe snagged a natural gas distribution line in Fort Worth, Texas, causing a break that leaked gas into an unoccupied building. Later, that building exploded, injuring 22 people, destroying the unoccupied building, and damaging 40 other buildings. 57 automobiles in the unoccupied building were damaged or destroyed. (March 12, 1986)^[239]
• 1986 A new water main was being installed in Chicago Heights, Illinois on March 13. While excavating, an active gas service line was snagged. Gas company crews responded to the wrong site, causing delays in getting the leaking gas line shut down. Just as crews finished closing the valve on the leaking line, the nearby house exploded and began to burn; one of the two persons inside this house was killed, and the other was injured. Two neighboring houses were damaged, and one gas company employee, two construction crew members, and four persons in the general area were injured by the explosion and subsequent fire. Although gas company personnel arrived on the scene approximately 10 minutes before the explosion and shut off the gas at the meter, neither they nor the contractor's crew had made an effort to warn or evacuate the residents of the house.^[240]
• 1986 A gravel company endloader ruptured a Lakehead Pipeline crude oil pipeline on April 12 near Elgin, Illinois, spill about 525,000 gallons of crude, and causing a "geyser" of crude oil.^[241]
• 1986 A backhoe ruptured an Olympic Pipeline line on May 8, south of Seattle, Washington. About 1,974 barrels of diesel fuel were spilled, with some of it entering the Green River.^[242]
• 1986 On May 14, a 6 inch Amoco pipeline, damaged by some type of arcing, leaked about 380 barrels of gasoline in Elmhurst, Illinois. Some of the gasoline fumes exploded in a nearby home, causing serious damage. Concerns about the lack of evacuations were raised later on. There were no injuries reported.^[243][244]
• 1986 On June 28, a pipeline ruptured and spilled diesel fuel into Trail Creek in Michigan City, Indiana. The fuel later ignited. Thousands of fish were killed.^[245]
• 1986 Early on July 8, a Williams Companies petroleum products pipeline ruptured in Mounds View, Minnesota. Gasoline at 1,434 psi sprayed a residential area around 4:20 am local time, then ignited. A woman and her 7 year old daughter suffered fatal burns, at least two others were injured, and many homes damaged or destroyed. Confusion by the pipeline company led to a delay in shutting down the pipeline. Electrical resistance welded (ERW) seam failure caused the rupture. Prior to this accident, this pipeline, installed in 1957, had 16 seam failures during hydrostatic testing, and 7 seam failures during operations until 1984. In 1984, 16 more seams failed during a hydrostatic test. Problems with cathodic protection were also noted before the 1986 accident. During a hydrostatic test of this pipeline following the accident, 3 ERW seams failed. Studies of available data by OPS staff in early 1988 showed that ERW seams have been involved in 145 service failures in both hazardous liquid and natural gas pipelines since 1970 to early 1988, and that of these failures, all but 2 occurred on pipe manufactured prior to 1970.^{[246][247][248][249][250]}
• 1986 A Southern Natural Gas transmission pipeline failed and burned in a compressor station, near Prattville, Alabama, on July 12. The fire spread by melting flange gaskets on 2 other gas transmission pipelines in the station. 4 homes and several cars were destroyed in the following fire, with flames reaching 300 feet (91 m) high. There were no injuries.^[251]
• 1986 On July 22, a leak at an underground propane storage facility in Petal, Mississippi exploded, causing a massive fire, injuring 14 people, and forcing 200 people to evacuate. A crater 260 feet in diameter and 37 feet deep was made by the explosion.^{[252][253][254]}
• 1986 Between 800 and 1200 residents were evacuated in East Chicago, Indiana, after a gasoline tank at a pipeline Terminal ruptured on September 4. 28 people were overcome by gasoline fumes. There was no fire.^[255]
• 1986 A CENEX 8 inch petroleum products pipeline failed near Billings, Montana on September 4, spilling gasoline, and causing the evacuation of nearby businesses. About 29,400 gallons of gasoline spilled.There was no fire.^{[256][257][257]}
• 1986 On September 4, a tank failed at a Phillips Petroleum Company facility in East Chicago, Indiana, forcing 800 to 1,200 residents near by to evacuate, and spilling 55,000 barrels of gasoline.^[258]
• 1986 On September 8, an Amoco gas condensate pipeline failed under the Red River near Dexter, Texas. Fumes from the leaking pipeline sent 14 people to hospitals for treatment.^[259][260]
• 1986 In October, a 21-inch crack on an 14 inch Sunoco petroleum products pipeline in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania spilled about 220,000 gallons of gasoline, forcing evacuations, including about 900 from a middle school. The failure was near a previously repaired area.^{[261][262][263]}
• 1986 On November 13, a gas transmission pipeline failed near Stinnett, Texas, killing one person. The pipeline has been installed in 1982.^[264]
• 1986 A 30-inch natural gas pipe line, under Pelahatchie Bay in Mississippi, exploded near the water's edge on the north shore of the bay on December 6.^[265]
• 1986 On December 25, an Amoco pipeline ruptured and spilled furnace oil into the Des Plaines River near Chicago, Illinois. About 429 barrels of furnace oil was spilled. External corrosion was the cause of the pipeline failure.^[266][267]
• 1987
• 1987 A petroleum pipeline ruptured and burned near Corsicana, Texas on March 12, forcing the closure of an Interstate highway, and cause some evacuations.^[268]
• 1987 A work crew burning the remains of a house near Ladysmith, Virginia ruptured a nearby petroleum products pipeline with a bulldozer on March 26, igniting diesel fuel from the line. 2 of the worker were injured.^[269]
• 1987 On April 4, an LPG pipeline exploded at a Terminal in Iowa City, Iowa. Due to the fire spreading to a pipeline for nearby underground gas storage, residents within a 2 1/2 mile radius of the Terminal were evacuated for a time. The fire burned until April 20. The cause was an ERW seam failure in a pipeline. During a hydrostatic test of that pipeline, 20 more pipeline segment seams failed.^{[250][270][271]}
• 1987 A Mobil pipeline ruptured near Lebec, California on June 8, spilling about 2,500 barrels of crude oil. The failure was from external corrosion of the pipeline.^[272]
• 1987 On June 11, a "rock ripper" at a construction site punctured a 32-inch Colonial Pipeline petroleum products pipeline in Centreville, Virginia. Gasoline sprayed from the rupture, but there was no fire. More than 15,500 US gallons (59,000 L) of gasoline were released. Thirteen emergency response personnel suffered from exposure to the gasoline fumes.^[273]
• 1987 An Amoco pipeline failed in Florence, Michigan on June 11, spilling 24,000 barrels of petroleum.^[274]
• 1987 On June 12, a petroleum products pipeline ruptured near Harwood, North Dakota. 289 barrels of fuel oil spilled. There were no injuries. Investigation showed this pipeline failed at a low frequency Electric Resistance Welding (ERW) seam. Further testing after this accident lead to 5 other LF-ERW failures along this pipeline in Minnesota and North Dakota.^[275][276]
• 1987 Construction equipment hit a LPG/NGL pipeline near Rochester, Iowa on June 26, killing one person, and injuring 2 others.^[277]
• 1987 In July, a fishing vessel, working in shallow waters off Louisiana, the menhaden purse seiner Sea Chief, struck and ruptured an 8" natural gas liquids pipeline operating at 480 psi. The resulting explosion killed two crew members. Divers investigating found that the pipe, installed in 1968, was covered with only 6" of soft mud, having lost its original 3-foot (0.91 m) cover of sediments.^[278]
• 1987 On July 23, a construction crew working on an Interstate 90 project east of Coeur d'Alene, Idaho struck the 10-inch diameter Yellowstone Pipeline, causing a leaking that sprayed out over 27,000 gallons of gasoline. The pipeline was supposed to have 30 inches of soil cover, but had only 2 inches of cover. There was no fire.^[279][280]
• 1987 A gas leak on a busy road in Wilmington, North Carolina suddenly ignited while gas company workers were trying to plug that leak, burning them and firefighters on standby nearby in August. 19 people were burned, with a fire department Assistant Chief later dying from the burns he received.^[281]
• 1987 On September 8, 3 pipeline workers were hurt when a butane pipeline they were working on exploded near Kemah, Texas.^[282]
• 1987 4 pipeline workers were hurt while working on a Columbia Gas Transmission pipeline in Martin, Kentucky on October 19. A rubber seal inside a steel collar failed, allowing 2 sections of pipeline to separate. There was no fire.^[283]
• 1988
• 1988 On January 5, a Colonial Pipeline mainline ruptured, spilling about 100,000 gallons of home heating oil in Deptford, New Jersey. The cause of the pipeline failure was corrosion.^[284][285]
• 1988 The rupture of a large interstate gas line at Pocono Ridge development in Lehman Township, Pennsylvania, left a crater about 8 feet (2.4 m) deep and ejected a 6-foot (1.8 m) section of pipe over the treetops before it landed 50 yards away. One hundred thirty people were evacuated. No one was injured.^[7]
• 1988 On January 18, a natural gas explosion destroyed the building housing the K&W Cafeteria and the lobby of the Sheraton Motor Inn at Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Two adjoining motel wings suffered structural damage. Of the four persons in the lobby/cafeteria building at the time of the explosion, three sustained minor injuries. The fourth person sustained a fractured ankle. One motel guest also sustained minor cuts.^[286]
• 1988 On February 8, an offshore pipeline near Galveston, Texas, that may have been damaged by an anchor, ruptured, spilling about 15,576 barrels (2,476.4 m³) of crude oil into the Gulf.^[287][288]
• 1988 On February 17, a Sunoco pipeline near Pleasant Township, Seneca County, Ohio ruptured, spilling over 200,000 gallons of toluene, with about 173,000 gallons of it being lost. 4,200 people had to evacuate their homes for a time. The cause was previous third party damage.^{[289][290][291]}
• 1988 On March 19, 130 people were evacuated from their homes after a vehicle hit a valve on a Columbia Gas Transmission pipeline in Hempfield, Pennsylvania. There was no gas ignition.^[292]
• 1988 On April 9, a 20-inch crude oil pipeline failed in a Peoria County, Illinois subdivision. About 200,000 US gallons (760,000 L) of crude were spilled, contaminating 2 private lakes.^[293]
• 1988 A backhoe hit a 10 gas pipeline in Springfield, Massachusetts on April 18. Two Interstate freeways were shut down, and, 125 to 150 people were evacuated for a time from bearby businesses.^[294]
• 1988 A Kaneb Pipeline Terminal had a spill of 20,000 gallons of gasoline on April 26 in Milford, Iowa. Operator error was given as the cause of the spill.^[295][296]
• 1988 A pair of MAPCO LPG/NGL pipelines failed in an explosion south of Topeka, Kansas on July 22. 200 nearby residents had to be evacuated, and there was serious damage to US Route 75 nearby from the explosion & following fire. An ERW seam selective corrosion failure in one of the pipelines caused the failure.^[250][297]
• 1988 On August 31, a gas company crew struck and ruptured a fitting on a 4-inch plastic gas main in Green Oaks, Illinois. While the crew was attempting to excavate a nearby valve to shut off the flow of gas, the backhoe struck an unmarked power cable. The gas ignited and four gas company employees were injured.^[298]
• 1988 A crude oil pipeline ruptured, spilling about 132,000 gallons of crude oil in Encino, California on September 10. The crude flowed into storm drains, and then into the Los Angeles River. Electrical interference to Cathodic protection from other pipelines was suspected to have cause the corrosion that caused the failure. The crude oil pipeline was on top of a steel water pipeline, which would directly interfere with Cathodic protection efforts.^{[299][300][301][302][303]}
• 1988 On September 16, a natural gas explosion in Overland Park, Kansas, involved gas leaking from corrosion holes in the customer-owned line. Gas migrated underground to the house and was ignited. The house was destroyed and the four residents were injured.^[304]
• 1988 On November 8, corrosion of a 14-inch underground pipeline owned and operated by the Shell Oil Company, a predecessor of Shell Pipeline Corporation (Shell), resulted in the release of an estimated 120,000 US gallons (450,000 L) of gasoline. A pool of gasoline about 450 feet (140 m) by 50 feet (15 m) appeared among fields of corn and soybeans. The site of the release was in Limestone Township in Kankakee County, about 4 miles (6.4 km) west of Kankakee, Illinois. Approximately 2,100 people live within a 1-mile (1.6 km) radius of the November 1988 release point.^[305]
• 1988 On November 18, thousands of air travelers were temporarily stranded after a construction crew at San Francisco International Airport accidentally ruptured an underground jet fuel pipeline. The break, which spilled 50,000 gallons before the pipeline was shut down, cut off fuel supplies to all three of the airport's airline terminals. More than 200 flights were disrupted, officials said.^[306]
• 1988 On November 25, a natural gas explosion and fire in Kansas City, Missouri, involved a break in a customer owned service line, at a threaded joint that was affected by corrosion. One person was killed and five persons injured in the explosion that severely damaged the residence.^[304]
• 1988 A mower hit a propane pipeline & ruptured it in Friendswood, Texas on November 28. About 4,836 barrels of propane were lost. 2 people were injured.^[307]
• 1988 A Koch Industries and Ashland Oil subsidiary 16 inch crude oil pipeline failed near Dellwood, Minnesota, spilling about 200,000 US gallons (760,000 L) of crude on a farm. Snow complicated the cleanup. The leak occurred late December 1, but was not discovered until early December 2. An ERW seam fatigue crack caused the failure.^{[250][308][309]}
• 1988 A 22 inch Shell Oil Company crude oil pipeline ruptured near Vienna, Missouri on December 24, spilling more than 860,000 US gallons (3,300,000 L) of crude oil into the Gasconade River. A pipeline worker in Oklahoma failed to notice the pipeline's plummeting pressure gauges for at least two hours. 1,000 workers at a brewery were idled for 3 days, due to the pollutionof the breweries' water source. An ERW seam defect in the pipe was determined to be the cause of the failure.^{[310][311][312][313]}
• 1989
• 1989 A Texaco crude oil pipeline ruptured on January 24 in Winkler County, Texas spilling over 23,000 barrels (3,700 m³) of oil. 6 acres (24,000 m²) of land were covered in oil, and groundwater was contaminated.^[314][315]
• 1989 On January 25, a 12 inch pipeline owned by Delhi Gas Pipeline exploded and burned near Lolita, Texas.^[316]
• 1989 On February 10, a natural gas explosion and fire in Oak Grove, Missouri, involved the failure of a customer owned service line at a threaded joint. Two persons were killed and their house was destroyed in the explosion.^[304]
• 1989 A leaking gas distribution line caused an explosion in Topeka, Kansas on March 25, killing one person. This was the latest in a string of gas distribution line failures that lead to an NTSB investigation into the regional gas company. 600,000 gas services lines were replaced as a result of the investigation.^[317]
• 1989 A 34-inch Lakehead Pipeline ruptured on March 28, near Sanders, Minnesota, spilling 300 barrels of crude oil, of which 270 were recovered.^[318]
• 1989 On April 10, a Dow Chemical Company NGL pipeline in Amber Township, Michigan was being purged, by passing a plastic pipeline pig propelled by compressed air. Iron sulfide residue inside the pipeline reacted, causing an explosion that burst 20 holes through the pipeline. There were no injuries.^[319][320]
• 1989 On May 25, a petroleum products pipeline failed, after the San Bernardino train disaster, California. Damage from a train derailment cleanup caused a CalNev petroleum products pipeline to rupture, spraying nearby homes with gasoline, which ignited shortly after the failure. Two people were killed, 31 were injured, 18 automobiles were destroyed, and 15 homes were damaged or destroyed in following fire.^{[321][322][323]}
• 1989 An Amoco 6 inch crude oil gathering pipeline ruptures near Craig, Colorado on June 2, spilling 10,000 US gallons (38,000 L) of crude into the Yampa River. Federal maintenance oversight of gathering pipelines ended in 1985.^[324][325]
• 1989 A Mobil petroleum gathering pipeline spilled about 40 barrels of light oil into Lake Texana near Edna, Texas on June 27. The failure was caused by corrosion.^[326][327]
• 1989 On July 13, an Enbridge pipeline failed in Pembina County, North Dakota, resulting in 31,300 barrels of crude oil being spilled, and about $2.4 million in damages & cleanup.^[328]
• 1989 On July 24, excavation equipment hit a petroleum products pipeline in Kansas City, Kansas neatI-70. About 693,000 gallons of product were spilled.^[329]
• 1989 A bulldozer hit a petroleum products pipeline in a stream bed in Salem, Oregon on September 13. Gasoline entered a creek, killing fish, and forcing evacuations. About 23,000 to 30,000 gallons of gasoline were spilled.^[330][331]
• 1989 On October 3, the United States menhaden' fishing vessel NORTHUMBERLAND, owned and operated by the Zapata Haynie Corporation (vessel owner), was backing and maneuvering in 9 to 11 feet (3.4 m) of water when the stern of the vessel struck and ruptured an offshore 16-inch natural gas transmission pipeline. Natural gas under 835 pounds per square inch pressure was released. An undetermined source on board the vessel ignited the gas, and within seconds, the entire vessel was engulfed in flames. The fire on the vessel burned until 4:30 a.m. on October 4, when it burned itself out. Leaking gas from the pipeline also continued to burn until the flow of gas subsided and the fire self-extinguished about 6 a.m. on October 4. Eleven of fourteen crew members died as a result of the accident.^[332]
• 1989 An explosion at a valve in a natural gas processing station on October 25 near Evanston, Wyoming kills one worker, and injures 4 others.^[333]
• 1989 On November 16, propane from a storage cavern for a pipeline escaped and ignited in Jasper, Missouri, forcing 1,000 people to evacuate. A rail line and a highway were also closed.^[334]
• 1989 A farmer hit a propane pipeline near Butler, Illinois on December 8, forcing evacuation of that town. There was no fire.^[335]
• 1989 On December 18, a Colonial Pipeline petroleum pipeline failed near Locust Grove, Virginia. 212,000 US gallons (800,000 L) of kerosene spilled into the Rapidan and Rappahannock Rivers. On New Year's Eve, following a rapid thaw and heavy rains, containment dams broke and kerosene flowed downstream toward Fredericksburg, Virginia. Fish and game were killed, the City's water supply was cut off, and drinking water had to be hauled from Stafford County for seven days. The failure was caused by cracking caused during railroad shipping of the pipe before being installed. This was the seventh major leak from Colonial Pipeline in Virginia since 1973.^{[336][337][338]}
• 1989 On December 29, shock waves from an explosion ruptured a 30 inch gas transmission pipeline operating at 350 psi in the Hell Gate section of New York City, New York. The rupture was 11 feet long, and escaping gas ignited, killing 2 people, injuring one other person, and destroying 2 buildings and 50 automobiles.^[339]
• 1989 New York City Con Edison Steam Pipe explosion, rupture killing three people in the 3rd Ave./Gramercy Park area.

1990s

• 1990 On January 2, an ExxonMobil underwater pipeline, located at the mouth of Morse Creek, discharged approximately 567.000 gallons of No. 2 heating oil into the Arthur Kill waterway, between New Jersey, and Staten Island, New York. Later, it was disclosed that the pipeline controlling system had been giving false leak alarms before, and had automatically shut down that day, for a leak being detected, but was restarted twice after that.^{[340][341][342]}
• 1990 An ExxonMobil 18 inch pipeline failed near Crane, Texas on February 13, spilling 20,027 barrels of petroleum. The pipe failed from external corrosion.^[343]
• 1990 A bank was destroyed in Crested Butte, Colorado from a leaking propane gas main on March 6. 3 employees were killed, and 14 others injured. A ruptured pipe coupling and a pipe separated from a coupling were found on the gas main during the investigation into the explosion.^[344]
• 1990 A TEPPCO Partners propane pipeline ruptured, send out vapors that later caught fire, in North Blenheim, New York, on March 13. Stress from previous work done on the pipeline caused a pipeline rupture and vapor cloud that moved downhill into a town. Two people were killed, seven persons injured, 8 homes destroyed, and more than $4 million in property damage and other costs resulted when the cloud ignited.^{[345][346][347][348]}
• 1990 On March 30, a Buckeye Partners 10-inch pipeline ruptured from overstress, due to a landslide in Freeport, Pennsylvania, resulting in the release of approximately 1,300 barrels (210 m³) of mixed petroleum products. Spilled petroleum products entered Knapp's Run, a small creek emptying into the Allegheny River and, eventually, the Ohio River. The product release resulted in extensive ground and water pollution and interrupted the use of the Allegheny River as a water supply for several communities, causing severe water shortages in those areas. Damage to the pipeline and environmental cleanup and restoration costs exceeded $12 million. A 6 hour delay in Buckeye contacting the federal National Response Center were also noted.^{[273][349][350][351]}
• 1990 On April 1, a Mid-Valley crude oil pipeline failed, due to external corrosion, near Leitchfield, Kentucky. About 3,000 gallons of crude oil were spilled.^[352][353]
• 1990 On May 6, a spool on a Texaco pipeline off of the Louisiana coast ruptured. 13,600 barrels (2,160 m³) of crude oil were estimated to have spilled.^[354][355]
• 1990 On August 13, a 10 inch Koch Industries pipeline failed in Linwood, Wisconsin, spilling about 7,980 gallons of gasoline, forcing 12 nearby families to evacuate, and shutting down a nearby railroad.^[356]
• 1990 On August 29, a private contractor laying conduit for underground power lines ruptured a pipeline that fouled a Western Branch creek with diesel fuel in Chesapeake, Virginia. Over 67,000 US gallons (250,000 L) of fuel were spilled.^[357]
• 1990 On August 29, a natural gas explosion and fire destroyed two row houses and damaged two adjacent houses and three parked cars in Allentown, Pennsylvania. One person was killed, and nine people, including two firefighters, were injured. A cracked gas main, that was stressed by soil erosion from a nearby broken water line, was the cause of the gas leak.^[358]
• 1990 On November 5, an Amoco crude oil pipeline ruptured near Ethel, Missouri on a farm, then fouling over 35 miles (56 km) of the Chariton River. About 2,400 barrels of crude were spilled.^{[359][360][361]}
• 1990 At least 3 leaks that spilled over a thousand gallons of oil were found in a pipeline in Cerritos, California, it was announced on November 23. One of the failed section of pipeline was 6 to 7 years old.^[362]
• 1990 On December 9, a gas system valve between one of Fort Benjamin Harrison, near Indianapolis, Indiana, gas distribution systems and a discontinued steel gas system segment was inadvertently opened, allowing natural gas to enter residential buildings that had previously received their gas from the discontinued segment. Gas accumulating in Building 1025 of Harrison Village was ignited by one of many available sources, and the resulting explosion killed 2 occupants and injured 24 other persons. One building was destroyed, and two others were damaged.^[363]
• 1990 A bulldozer hit a pipeline supplying jet fuel from a West Texas refinery, to Carswell Air Force Base in Fort Worth, Texas, on December 18, spilling 20,000 gallons of jet fuel. 100 people in nearby apartments were evacuated for a time.^[364]
• 1991
• 1991 A crew installing a water main hit a 6 inch gas main at 450 psi of pressure in Novi, Michigan on January 2. Gas company workers were trying to install a sleeve over the failure when the gas exploded and burned, injuring 6 of the Gas Company crew. A telephone cable was also damged, knocking out phone service for about 5-- customers.^[365]
• 1991 On January 31, a Mobil Company crude oil pipeline ruptured near Valencia, California, spilling up to 75,000 gallons of crude oil. The same day, a report was released showing that particular pipeline had a 99.8% chance of a leak in the next 5 years.^{[303][366][367]}
• 1991 On February 5, a backhoe hit a gas distribution line, next to apartments in Greendale, Wisconsin, causing an explosion & fire that killed 3 and injured 6 others.^[368][369]
• 1991 A Lakehead (now Enbridge) crude oil pipeline near Grand Rapids, Minnesota ruptured on March 2. More than 40,500 barrels of crude went into the Prairie River, of which 39,800 barrels were eventually recovered. About 4 million US gallons (15,000 m³) of oil had spilled from that pipeline from the early 1970s to 1991, per Minnesota records. A resident in the area noticed the smell of oil and alerted the local fire department. Approximately 300 people living in homes near the site were evacuated for safety, but were allowed to return to their homes later in the night.^{[103][370][371][372][373][374]}
• 1991 Construction crews ruptured a propane pipeline on March 2, forcing the evacuation of 2,500 from several subdivisions in Richland County, South Carolina for a time. There was no fire.^[375][376]
• 1991 On March 16, an anchor from a ship ruptured a Chevron Corporation pipeline offshore of El Segundo, California, spilling about 55,000 gallons of light oil. Wildlife was affected.^[377]
• 1991 A Diamond Shamrock 10 inch crude oil pipeline ruptured in Knox City, Texas on June 8, spilling about 84,000 gallons of crude oil, with much of it entering the Brazos River. Heavy rains caused the pipeline to fail.^[378]
• 1991 A bulldozer hit a Chevron Corporation crude oil pipeline near Park City, Utah, on June 27. About 126,000 gallons of crude oil were spilled.^[379][380]
• 1991 On June 29, about 54,222 gallons of fuel oil and gasoline leaked from a 10-inch Koch Industries pipeline in Portage County, Wisconsin, from a 3-inch crack. A previous significant leak had occurred on this pipeline in that area the year before. Local officials urged Koch to upgrade its leak monitoring equipment, and, the Office of Pipeline Safety ordered this pipeline to be shut down until tested. Koch later replaced 12 miles (19 km) of that pipeline in the area. The original pipe was installed in 1988.^{[381][382][383][384]}
• 1991 On June 30, an Amoco pipeline failed near Denver City, Texas, spilling 28,200 barrels of petroleum. The failure was caused by internal corrosion.^[385]
• 1991 On July 17, workers were removing a corroded segment of the Consumers Power Company’s (CP) 10-inch transmission line pipeline in Mapleton, Michigan. As a segment of the pipeline was being removed, natural gas at 360-psig pressure exerted about 12 tons of force on an adjacent closed valve (H-143), causing it and a short segment of connected pipe to move and separate from an unanchored compression coupling. The force of the escaping gas killed one worker (a welder), injured five other workers, and collapsed a steel pit that housed valve H-143.^[386]
• 1991 On August 30, an earth mover hit a 16 inch ExxonMobil pipeline near Beaumont, Texas, causing a leaking that spilled about 19,000 gallons of crude oil. Nearby businesses were evacuated.^[387][388]
• 1991 About 42,000 US gallons (160,000 L) of crude oil spilled from a broken Amoco pipeline at a barge facility at High Island, Texas on September 5.^[389][390]
• 1991 On December 19, a 36-inch Colonial Pipeline ruptured from prior excavation damage about 2.8 miles (4.5 km) downstream of the pipeline's Simpsonville, South Carolina, pump station. The rupture allowed more than 500,000 US gallons (1,900,000 L) of diesel fuel to flow into Durbin Creek, causing environmental damage that affected 26 miles (42 km) of waterways, including the Enoree River, which flows through Sumter National Forest. The spill also forced Clinton and Whitmire, South Carolina, to use alternative water supplies.^[273][391]
• 1991 On December 28, two explosions in rapid succession occurred in apartment No. 3 of a two-story, eight-apartment, wood-frame structure in Santa Rosa, California. Two people were killed and three others were injured. Fire after the explosions destroyed that apartment and three other apartments in the front of the building.^[392]
• 1992
• 1992 On January 3, an 8 inch Columbia Gas Transmission pipeline in West Finley Township, Washington County, Pennsylvania failed from earth subsidence caused by a coal mine. Leaking gas entered a nearby home, causing it to explode. There were no injuries.^[393][394]
• 1992 A pipeline carrying a mixture of crude oil and water burst on January 5 in Anchorage, Alaska, spilling 16,900 gallons of crude oil into Cook Inlet.^[395]
• 1992 On January 6, an ExxonMobil pipeline offshore of Grand Isle, Louisiana in the Gulf of Mexico leaked about 4200 gallons of crude oil.^[396]
• 1992 On January 17, while a gas company crew was doing routine annual maintenance work at a regulator stations in Chicago, Illinois, high-pressure gas entered a low-pressure gas system. The gas—under as much as 10 psig of pressure—escaped through gas appliances into homes and other buildings, where it was ignited by several unidentified sources. The resulting explosion and fires killed 4 people, injured 4, and damaged 14 houses and 3 commercial buildings.^[397]
• 1992 On March 4, a gas distribution pipeline failed in Utica, New York, killing 2 people.^[398]
• 1992 Construction equipment ruptured a petroleum products pipeline in Edgemont, Pennsylvania on March 4, spilling about 933 barrels of heating oil, that reached Chester Creek.^[399][400]
• 1992 On March 11, a crude oil pipeline ruptured in Leitchfeild, Kentucky, then the crude oil was ignited, causing a fire at a pump station that forced the evacuation of 69 families. About 3,780 barrels of crude were lost. The cause of the rupture was external corrosion.^[401]
• 1992 Two Tennessee Gas Pipeline lines exploded and burned in White Bluff, Tennessee on March 15, destroying 3 homes, and burning 400 acres. 100 people in a 4 square miles area nearby were evacuated, and 2 people treated at a hospital for injuries from the incident.^[402][403]
• 1992 On April 7, a salt dome cavern used to store LPG & similar products was overfilled, leading to an uncontrolled release of highly volatile liquids (HVLs) from a salt dome storage cavern near Brenham, Texas, formed a large, heavier-than-air gas cloud that later exploded. Three people died from injuries sustained either from the blast, or in the following fire. An additional 21 people were treated for injuries at area hospitals. Damage from the accident exceeded $9 million.^{[404][405][406]}
• 1992 On April 27, a 6 inch petroleum products pipeline ruptured in Lakeland, Florida, spilling about 1,674 gallons of jet fuel. The cause was third party damage.^[407]
• 1992 A contractor planting tree hit a gas pipeline in Rochester, Michigan on May 20. The gas later exploded, destroying a 2 story building, killing one person, and injuring 14 others.^[408]
• 1992 On June 19, an 8 inch ARCO petroleum products pipeline ruptured due to control problems, spraying a neighborhood in Victoria, Texas with gasoline. Some residents were evacuated as long as 3 days afterwards. There was no fire. ABout 6700 gallons of gasoline were released.^[409][410]
• 1992 A gas transmission pipeline that was being moved on October 9 exploded & burned near Elwin, Illinois, killing one worker. 2 firefighters were also injured in controlling the situation.^[411]
• 1992 On October 13, a bulldozer hit a Buckeye Partners pipeline in Moon, Pennsylvania, spilling about 105 barrels of jet turbine fuel.^[412][413]
• 1992 On October 14, a heavy equipment operator hit a 10 inch Gulf Coast Natural Gas Company line carrying gas at 420 psi near Wharton, Texas. The escaping gas exploded then burned, but the operator was unhurt.^[414][415]
• 1992 A natural gas explosion destroyed a house in Catskill (town), New York, on November 6. The house had not had active gas service since 1969. The explosion killed a woman in the house, seriously injured her daughter, and slightly injured two children in a neighboring house. Gas had escaped from a nearby cracked gas main.^[416]
• 1992 On December 3, pipeline company workers ruptured a natural gas liquid (NGL) pipeline, causing a vapor cloud to drift across I-70 near Aurora, Colorado. The Cloud later ignited, burning 6 motorists.^{[417][418][419][420]}
• 1993
• 1993 On March 28, a 36 inch Colonial Pipeline Company petroleum product pipeline ruptured near Herndon, Virginia. The rupture created a geyser which sprayed diesel fuel over 75 feet (23 m) into the air, coating overhead powerlines and adjacent trees, and misting adjacent Virginia Electric Power Company buildings. The diesel fuel spewed from the rupture into an adjacent storm water management pond and flowed overland and through a network of storm sewer pipes before reaching Sugarland Run Creek, a tributary of the Potomac River. The cause was latent third party damage.^[421][422]
• 1993 On April 6, a 16-inch crude oil pipeline ruptured, and spilled up to 125,000 gallons of crude oil into a stream bed in Kern County, California, forcing a temporary closure of the nearby Golden State Freeway.^[423]
• 1993 An fire at Transco/Williams Companies gas compressor station in Billingsley, Alabama on June 3 injured one worker. The cause was from equipment failure.^[424][425]
• 1993 On June 9, a cinder block duplex at in Cliffwood Beach, New Jersey, exploded as a New Jersey Natural Gas Company (NJNG) contractor was trenching in front of the building. The gas explosion killed 3 residents of the duplex, and seriously injured 3 others.^[426]
• 1993 On June 24, a Tennessee Gas Pipeline line failed just next to a gas compressor station in West Monroe, Louisiana, causing a massive fire that forced evacuations of homes & businesses with in a mile of the failure. Internal corrosion of the pipeline was the cause.^[427][428]
• 1993 On July 22, a city of St. Paul Department of Public Works backhoe hooked and pulled apart a Northern States Power Company (NSP) high-pressure gas service line in St. Paul, Minnesota. An explosion and natural gas-fueled fire resulted about 20 minutes after the backhoe hooked the service line. The explosion force caused part of the building to land on and flatten an automobile traveling southwest on East Third Street, and the driver died instantly. The explosion and ensuing fire also killed an apartment occupant and a person outside the building and injured 12 people.^[429]
• 1993 On July 26, a 6-inch pipeline in Nebraska was exposed by scour in a creek bed and its banks, and was struck by flood debris, which caused it to rupture. The rupture resulted in the release of 2,203 barrels (350.2 m³) of anhydrous ammonia^[430]
• 1993 An ammonia pipeline failed in Sperry, Oklahoma on August 20. 80 homes in the area were evacuated. Several people were treated for ammonia inhalation injuries.^[431]
• 1993 On September 15, an 8 inch NORCO Pipeline Co. line ruptured in east Indiana, just west of Edgerton, Ohio, spilling about 30,000 gallons of diesel fuel. There was a 4 foot long rupture in the pipeline, and some of the diesel entered Fish Creek, killing wildlife. The rupture was caused by pumping against a closed valve. Later, NORCO and ARCO agreed to pay $2.8 million for the spill in US District Court.^{[432][433][434]}
• 1993 On November 3, Amoco Pipeline was fined $12,500 for a 1971 pipeline leak that contaminated a drinking well and caused other pollution problems for people living near Garfield, Minnesota.^[435]
• 1993 On December 2, a 10-inch Conoco pipeline ruptured, spilling 8,400 US gallons (32,000 L) of gasoline into a creek in Washington, Missouri.^[436]
• 1993 On December 8, a Sunoco pipeline was detected to be leaking by pressure loss, but, it took several days to find the leak point in Upper Leacock Township, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. About 2,369 barrels of transmix were lost. The cause was from a backhoe hitting the pipeline in a cornfield.^[437][438]
• 1993 An explosion and fire on a gas transmission pipeline on December 20, near Mellen, Wisconsin, cut off the gas supply to 3,500 customers in the area.^[439]
• 1993 In Ventura County, California, on December 22, a leak occurred from a crude oil pipeline. This spill released an estimated 92,000 gallons of crude oil. The oil flowed through a culvert, traveled through 150 feet of woodland and brush, to McGrath Creek, then flowed another 1,200 feet into McGrath Lake.^[440]
• 1994
• 1994 In January, a pipeline ruptures, dumping almost 162,500 US gallons (615,000 L) of oil in a river, the Marais des Cygnes River in Osawatomie, Kansas. In addition to a $804,700 fine, BP Amoco agreed to spend at least $145,300 on a supplemental environmental project involving reconstruction improvements to Osawatomie's water intake.^[441]
• 1994 On January 16, a pipeline burst at a tank farm in Saint Louis, Missouri, spilling gasoline during a transfer operation. The company knew that some gasoline was missing, but, waited until January 18 to confirm and report the loss. About 240,000 gallons of gasoline was spilled, with about 100,000 gallons entering the Mississippi River.^[442]
• 1994 The January 17 Northridge earthquake caused a crude oil pipeline to crack near Piru, California, spilling about 173,000 gallons of crude into the Santa Clara River. The cleanup took more than 600 workers six weeks to complete and cost more than $14 million.^[443]
• 1994 On February 1, the third explosion in 7 years hit a LPG/NGL pipeline Terminal in Iowa City, Iowa. 11 workers at the Terminal escaped injury, and 6 families within 1 1/2 miles of the Terminal were evacuated. The 2 previous explosions were in 1987 and 1989.^[444]
• 1994 The Texas Eastern Transmission Corporation Natural Gas Pipeline Explosion and Fire : Previous damage caused a 36-inch diameter natural gas transmission pipeline to rupture at Edison, New Jersey on March 23, 1994. Several apartment buildings and a number of automobiles were destroyed in the massive fire. One woman died of a heart attack, and at least 93 others had minor injuries. Delays in shutting off one of the pipeline's valves was cited as contributing to the damage.^[445][446]
• 1994 On May 8, a Sunoco pipeline leaked gasoline in Indiana County, Pennsylvania, forcing the evacuation of 50 homes. About 537 barrels of gasoline were spilled.^[447][448]
• 1994 On June 2, a Koch Industries pipeline spilled gasoline in Wichita, Kansas. About 79,000 galons were spilled, and, some of it caused interruptions in local water supply.^[449]
• 1994 A 2-inch steel gas service line that had been exposed during excavation separated at a compression coupling about 5 feet (1.5 m) from the wall of a retirement home in Allentown, Pennsylvania on June 9. The escaping gas flowed underground, passed through openings in the building foundation, migrated to other floors, and exploded. The accident resulted in 1 fatality, 66 injuries, and more than $5 million in property damage.^[450]
• 1994 A residents near O'Fallon, Missouri detected a petroleum smell, early on September 22. The local Fire Department was called several hours later, and noticed an oily mist in the area, and found a leaking pipeline. The owner of the 10-inch petroleum products later claimed the spill volume was less than 1,000 US gallons (3,800 L), but later calculations and batch volume measurements indicate a spill of 29,000 to 37,000 US gallons (140,000 L). EPA officials later admit someone lied about the spill volume. Over the next 10 years, 8 attempts at remediation were made, before the O'Day Creek was cleaned of all petroleum products.^[451][452]
• 1994 On October 8, a lightning strike shut a valve on a Koch Industries crude oil pipeline crossing Gum Hollow Creek, while oil was flowing, triggering a pressure buildup that ripped a 50-square-inch hole in a section of the pipe that was already weakened by corrosion. Pipeline employees — unaware of the rupture in the pipe — turned the pipeline pumps back on after the pipeline shut down automatically, sending oil pouring into the creek for about an hour. The spill created a 12-mile (19 km)-long slick on Nueces and Corpus Christi bays along the Texas Gulf Coast. Nearly seven years later, delicate coastal marshes that serve as a nursery for shrimp, flounder, crabs and other marine life have not fully recovered. The estimated spill size was 2,151 barrels (342.0 m³), but that was debated as being too small a size. The pipeline eventually agreed to pay more than $45 million in damages.^[453][454]
• 1994 In October, record high flooding along the San Jacinto River in Texas lead to the failure of 8 pipelines crossing that river. Due to the flooding many other pipelines were also undermined. More than 35,000 barrels (5,600 m³) of petroleum and petroleum products were released into the river. Ignition of the released products resulted in 547 people receiving (mostly minor) burn and inhalation injuries. Spill response costs exceeded $7 million, and estimated property damage losses were about $16 million.^[455][456]
• 1994 A natural gas explosion and fire destroyed a one-story, wood frame building in Waterloo, Iowa on October 17. The force of the explosion scattered debris over a 200-foot (61 m) radius. 6 persons inside the building died, and one person sustained serious injuries. 3 persons working in an adjacent building sustained minor injuries when a wall of the building collapsed inward from the force of the explosion. The explosion also damaged nine parked cars. A person in a vehicle who had just exited the adjacent building suffered minor injuries. Additionally, two firefighters sustained minor injuries during the emergency response. Two other nearby buildings also sustained structural damage and broken windows.^[457][458]
• 1994 On November 21, a Buckeye Partners pipeline ruptured from incorrect operation in Moon Township, Pennsylvania. About 38,000 gallons of kerosene were spilled.^[459][460]
• 1994 A leak of at least 20,000 US gallons (76,000 L) of diesel fuel was discovered on a Koch Industries pipeline near Plover, Wisconsin on November 29. The leak brought this pipeline's total spill volume to 100,000 US gallons (380,000 L) on a 91 miles (146 km) pipeline section through several years.^[461]
• 1995
• 1995 Since starting operations in 1954 until 1995, Yellowstone Pipeline had 71 leaks along the Flathead Indian Reservation in Montana, spilling 3,500,000 US gallons (13,000,000 L) of petroleum products. Eventually, the Flathead refused to sign a new lease with Yellowstone.^[462]
• 1995 A 26-inch gas transmission pipeline ruptured and burned near Castle Rock, Washington on March 6. There were no injuries.^[463]
• 1995 On March 20, a natural gas transmission pipeline leaked and burned near Chipola, Louisiana. There were no injuries reported.^[464]
• 1995 On March 27, a bulldozer operator ruptured a 40-inch gas transmission pipeline in Huntersville, North Carolina, causing an explosion. The operator was knocked off the bulldozer, then was run over by the driverless bulldozer.^[465]
• 1995 On March 30, a Koch Industries pipeline ruptured in the parking lot of a church in Port Lavaca, Texas, spilled oil and benzine. Businesses nearby were evacuated. About 100 gallons of the mix was spilled. The failure was caused by Koch employees testing the pipeline under pressure, who thought the pipeline was full of only water.^[466]
• 1995 Two Native Tribes of the Flathead Nation shut down the Right of Way agreements of Yellowstone Pipeline in Montana on April 21. Past spills on Tribal lands were cited as the reason. In 1999, it was revealed that Yellowstone had 78 leaks in the previous 45 years.^[467][468]
• 1995 On December 2, 3 contractors were killed, and another injured, when a vacuum used to control flammable fumes accidentally reversed during welding at a pipeline facility near McCamey, Texas.^[469]
• 1995 A bulldozer hit a 16-inch gas pipeline in North Attleboro, Massachusetts on December 9, forcing evacuations of a nearby shopping mall. An estimated 40,000 people were evacuated.^[470][470]
• 1995 On December 19, a gas explosion at a twin dwelling in Norristown, Pennsylvania, killed 2 people and injured another person. Gas had migrated from a crack in a 6-inch cast iron gas main in the street.^[469]
• 1996
• 1996 A gas pipeline failure excised a 30-foot (9.1 m) section of pipe, and the gas later ignited, causing a vegetation fire in East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania on January 6. Later inspections found numerous flaws on this pipeline.^[471]
• 1996 On January 9, farm equipment pierced a Chevron crude oil pipeline near Coalinga, California, spilling about 210,000 gallons of crude oil, covering about 4 acres of land.^[472]
• 1996 A backhoe hit a 6 inch Amoco gas pipeline on January 12, in Andrews, Texas. The pipeline then exploded and burned, causing severe burns to 2 workers, & minor injuries to 2 others. One of the severely burned died a few days later.^[473]
• 1996 On February 5, a pipeline ruptured and spilled diesel fuel into a creek in Fairview Heights, Missouri.^[474]
• 1996 A Columbia Gas Transmission Corp. worker was killed in West Finley, Pennsylvania on February 7, when a coupling on a pipeline being pressure tested broke loose & hit him.^[475]
• 1996 On February 17, a Diamond Shamrock propane pipeline was severed by a trenching machine in Parker County,Texas. US Highway 377 was shut down while fumes dissipated. 6,355 barrels of propane were lost.^[476][477]
• 1996 On February 18, a 20 inch natural gas line near South Point, Ohio failed, causing a massive fire. There were no injuries.^[478]
• 1996 An oil sheen in a canal in Salt Lake City, Utah seen on March 1 was eventually traced back to a leaking 4 inch Chevron diesel fuel pipeline. The pipeline had been damaged by previous excavation. There were no injuries.^[479]
• 1996 On April 23, a Colonial Pipeline line failed near Gaffney, South Carolina, spilling gasoline. At first it was reported to be only 250 gallons spilled, but, later it was reported as 1,386 gallons. Rock abrasion was cited as the cause for the failure.^[480][481]
• 1996 On May 8, a 20 inch Columbia Gas pipeline was ruptured by a crew installing a water pipeline in Oregon, Ohio. One business nearby was evacuated.^[482]
• 1996 A 20-inch pipeline ruptured at a location near Gramercy, Louisiana, on May 23, 1996. The ruptured pipeline ultimately released about 475,000 US gallons (1,800,000 L) of gasoline into a common pipeline right-of-way and marsh land. Gasoline also entered the Blind River, causing environmental damage and killing fish, wildlife, and vegetation in the area. The pipeline controller did not at first recognize the pipeline had failed, and continued to ignore alarms from the pipeline SCADA system.^[483]
• 1996 In May, the largest penalty in an environmental case since the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill, the Connecticut-based Iroquois Pipeline Operating Company will pay $22 million in criminal and civil fines for violating federal environmental and safety laws, the United States announced today. The violations stem from the construction of one of the country's longest natural gas pipelines running 370 miles from Canada through upstate New York and Connecticut to Long Island. Backfill of the pipeline was one of the issues cited. 4 individuals also received jail time.^[484]
• 1996 On June 17, an Olympic Pipeline products line near Everett, Washington, sprung a leak from a buckled area of pipe. About 1,000 gallons of gasoline were spilled into North Ebey Slough. The spill was discovered by a crew installing a water line nearby.^[485][486]
• 1996 A 36-inch Colonial Pipeline ruptured at the Reedy River, near Fork Shoals, South Carolina, on June 26. The ruptured pipeline released about 957,600 US gallons (3,625,000 L) of fuel oil into the Reedy River and surrounding areas. The spill polluted a 34-mile (55 km) stretch of the Reedy River, causing significant environmental damage. Floating oil extended about 23 miles (37 km) down the river. Approximately 35,000 fish were killed, along with other aquatic organisms and wildlife. The estimated cost to Colonial Pipeline for cleanup and settlement with the State of South Carolina was $20.5 million. No one was injured in the accident. The pipeline was operating at reduced pressure due to know corrosion issues, but pipeline operator confusion led to an accidental return to normal pressure in that pipeline section, causing the rupture.^[487][488]
• 1996 On August 4, 420,000 US gallons (1,600,000 L) of unspecified petroleum product spilled from a Lakehead pipe near Donaldson, Minnesota.^[370]
• 1996 A Koch butane pipeline ruptured, causing an explosion and fire, near Kemp, Texas, on August 24. Two teenagers were killed after driving into the unseen butane cloud while going to report the pipeline leak. A mobile home was also destroyed by the fire. The leak was caused by external corrosion. The pipeline was only 15 years old at the time.^{[489][490][491][492]}
• 1996 On September 26, a bulldozer operator in Grand Haven, Michigan hit & ruptured a Wolverine pipeline. Petroleum ignited, burning the bulldozer operator. About 43,000 gallons of petroleum product were lost.^[493][494]
• 1996 In October, the Yellowstone Pipeline was found to be leaking in Spokane County, Washington. An unknown amount of petroleum products has contaminated soil in the area, requiring soil remediation.^[495]
• 1996 A leaking Amoco pipeline caused traffic to be shut down on an industrial area street in Hammond, Indiana, starting on October 17. About 1,250 barrels of gasoline were spilled. The leak was caused by external corrosion of the pipeline, installed in 1928.^[496][497]
• 1996 On October 23, in Tiger Pass, Louisiana, the crew of a Bean Horizon Corporation dredge dropped a stern spud into the bottom of the channel in preparation for dredging operations. The spud struck and ruptured a 12-inch submerged natural gas steel pipeline. The pressurized natural gas released from the pipeline enveloped the stern of the dredge and an accompanying tug, then ignited, destroying the dredge and the tug. No fatalities resulted from the accident.^[498][499]
• 1996 A Colonial Pipeline stubline in Murfreesboro, Tennessee was undergoing maintenance on November 5. The pipeline was returned to service, but a valve on that pipeline was accidentally left closed from the maintenance, causing pressure from restarting to rupture the pipeline.^[500]
• 1996 On November 21, an explosion occurred in a shoe store and office building in Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico. Thirty-three people were killed, and at least 69 were injured. Crews from the local gas provider, Enron, had not found any gas leaks previously, despite complaints of propane odor in the buildings.^[501]
• 1996 On December 11 a natural gas line operated by Williams ruptured just north of Tonganoxie Kansas. Corrosion around a fitting called a “T-Drip” failed which allowed gas to escape.^[502][503]
• 1996 on December 26, a bulldozer ruptured a 10 inch LPG pipeline near Maringouin, Louisiana, forcing the evacuation of nearby resident. There was no explosion or fire.^[504][505]
• 1997
• 1997 On February 6, a seal on a pump at a pump station on a MAPCO natural gasoline pipeline, near Molville, Iowa failed, allowing the product to leak. fire then broke out, forcing all residents within a mile of station to evacuate for a time. There were no injuries. About 200 gallons of natural gasoline burned^[506][507]
• 1997 On March 1, an 8 inch SFPP (now Kinder Morgan) petroleum products pipeline was discovered to be leaking near Truckee, California. Some of the spilled product reached Summit Creek. While there were efforts to keep the leaked product from reaching Donner Lake, the spill size of this leak was listed as zero, in the report given to PHMSA.^[508][509]
• 1997 A leak was detected on a 12-inch pipeline near Mount Morris, Illinois on May 9. Between 125,000 and 130,000 US gallons (490,000 L) of gasoline were spilled. A month later, gasoline was till being extracted from the area.^[510]
• 1997 A 26 inch gas transmission pipeline failed on February 9, near Everson, Washington, lighting up the night sky, visible for 40 miles. There were no injuries reported.^[511]
• 1997 A Koch Industries crude oil pipeline was spotted leaking by a pipeline patrol aircraft on May 12, near Bayside, Texas. About 75,600 gallons of crude spilled, affecting marshlands.^[512][513]
• 1997 On May 30, a Colonial Pipeline spilled approximately 18,900 US gallons (72,000 L) of gasoline, some of which entered an unnamed creek and its adjoining shoreline in the Bear Creek watershed near Athens, Georgia. During the spill, a vapor cloud of gasoline formed, causing several Colonial employees to flee for safety. This spill resulted from a calculation error related to a regular procedure. No one checked the calculations, nor did Colonial have a procedure in place to check such calculations.^[488]
• 1997 Two different sections of a Conoco pipeline were ruptured by earth movement just a few days apart. On June 20, the pipeline ruptured near Lodge Grass, Montana, on the Crow Indian reservation, spilling 1,612 barrels of gasoline. On June 26, the same pipeline again failed from earth movement near Banner, Wyoming, spilling 704 barrels of gasoline. The Lodge Grass section of pipeline resulted in 3,400 feet of new pipeline being buried 6 to feet deep to avoid soft soil, deeper than the required 3 feet of soil coverage. There were no injuries reported.^[514][515]
• 1997 A gas pipeline was ruptured and caused an explosion and fire, in Indianapolis, Indiana, on July 21. A 20-inch steel natural gas transmission pipeline was ruptured by a contractor for the gas company, and released natural gas near an intersection adjoining the Charter Pointe subdivision. The gas ignited and burned, killing one resident and injuring another. About 75 residents required temporary shelter. Six homes were destroyed, and about 65 others sustained damage significant enough to be documented by the local investigation team. A nearby directional drilling operation had hit & weakened the pipeline before the failure.^[516][517]
• 1997 On August 11, a Chevron Corporation LPG pipeline leaked in Dayton, Texas, forcing the evacuation of 3,500 inmates from nearby correctional facilities. 5,041 barrels of LPG were lost. There were no injuries, and the failure caused was listed as "Miscellaneous".^[518][519]
• 1997 In August, residents in Vacaville, California noticed petroleum fumes, but a leaking pipeline was not found until September 10. A hairline crack from the pipe's manufacturing was the cause, and 20,000 to 60,000 US gallons (230,000 L) of petroleum products had leaked by the time the source was found.^[520]
• 1997 Construction equipment ruptured a Plantation Pipeline line in Fairfax, Virginia on September 9, releasing over 2,000 gallons of petroleum products.^[521][522]
• 1997 Over a period of years, more than 420,000 US gallons (1,600,000 L) of gasoline spilled from small leaks in Colonial Pipeline near Darling Creek in St. Helena Parish, Louisiana, before Colonial finally discovered the leak in December 1997. As of September 1999, a plume of gasoline, including leaded gasoline, extended over approximately 14 acres (57,000 m²) on the groundwater surface, more than 60 acres (240,000 m²) of groundwater had been contaminated, and some of the gasoline had entered Darling Creek.^[488]
• 1997 On December 12, a Mid-Valley pipeline leaked at a pump station in Cygnet, Ohio, spill ing about 4200 gallons of crude oil.^[523][524]
• 1998
• 1998 On January 22, at least 956 barrels of light crude oil was spilled into the Gulf of Mexico 50 miles (80 km) south of Galveston, Texas by a leaking Amoco pipeline. The pipe had been damaged by third party activity.^[525][526]
• 1998 On February 14, a landslide during a serious storm ruptured a Shell Oil Company pipeline in Ventura County, California, spilling 249 barrels of crude oil.^[527][528]
• 1998 On March 4, a backhoe hit a natural gas pipeline in Attleboro, Massachusetts. The gas later exploded and burned, killing 2 people, injuring 6 others, and causing extensive property damage.^[529]
• 1998 A rupture in Colonial Pipeline in a landfill at Sandy Springs, Georgia, discovered on March 30, resulted in the release of more than 30,000 US gallons (110,000 L) of gasoline. When the pipe was excavated, it was found to be buckled and cracked. The NTSB found that the pipeline ruptured because of settlement of soil and trash underneath the pipeline.^[530]
• 1998 On April 4, a tow of the M/V Anne Holly, comprising 12 loaded and 2 empty barges, which was traveling northbound on the Mississippi River through the St. Louis Harbor, struck the Missouri-side pier of the center span of the Eads Bridge. Three of these barges drifted toward the President Casino on the Admiral, a permanently moored vessel below the bridge on the Missouri side of the river. A natural gas leak resulted when the natural gas supply line to the Admiral was severed in the course of the accident. When the line broke, natural gas began escaping. Although the escaping gas did not ignite, the gas leak had continued for about 3 hours before being stopped.^[531]
• 1998 In South Riding, Virginia, on July 7, a natural gas explosion and fire destroyed a newly constructed residence in the South Riding community in Loudoun County, Virginia. A family consisting of a husband and wife and their two children were spending their first night in their new home at the time of the explosion. As a result of the accident, the wife was killed, the husband was seriously injured, and the two children received minor injuries. Five other homes and two vehicles were damaged.^[532]
• 1998 Lightning struck a Florida Gas Transmission Co. natural gas compressor plant near Perry, Florida on August 13, causing an explosion and massive fire. A second explosion later followed, injuring 5 firefighters & pipeline company employees. 6 nearby homes were also destroyed.^[533]
• 1998 A bulldozer operator on July 14 hit an 8 inch LP gas pipeline in Placedo, Texas. The gas caught fire, and the operator was burned to death. 100 acres of nearby brush were burned from the fire. 2 charred pipeline warning signs were within 10 yards of the incident.^[534]
• 1998 On September 22, a 8,810 barrels (1,401 m³) crude oil spill from a Lakehead (now Enbridge) pipeline near Plummer, Minnesota was caused by an excavator hitting that pipeline.^[535]
• 1998 On October 1, a break in a BP pipeline near the Mississippi Canyon in the Gulf of Mexico, off of the Louisiana coast, spilled about 155,000 gallons of crude oil.^[536]
• 1998 On December 3, crews installing a new pipeline hit a natural gas liquids (NGL) pipeline near Moab, Utah, with escaping product igniting near Highway U-191, injuring 4 pipeline workers. Asphalt in the road was melted, and traffic was stopped.^[537]
• 1998 A natural gas pipeline rupture and subsequent explosion, in St. Cloud, Minnesota, on December 11. While attempting to install a utility pole support anchor in a city sidewalk in St. Cloud, Minnesota, a communications network installation crew struck and ruptured an underground, 1-inch, high-pressure plastic gas service pipeline, thereby precipitating a natural gas leak. About 39 minutes later, while utility workers and emergency response personnel were taking preliminary precautions and assessing the situation, an explosion occurred. As a result of the explosion, 4 persons were fatally injured; 1 person was seriously injured; and 10 persons, including 2 firefighters and 1 police officer, received minor injuries. Six buildings were destroyed. Damage assessments estimated property losses at $399,000.^[538]
• 1999
• 1999 On January 2, a natural gas transmission pipeline exploded and burned at a pipeline facility near Pendleton, Oregon. Flames reached 500 feet high, and several town lost gas service for a time.^[539]
• 1999 Natural Gas Explosion and Fire at a gas pressure station, Wytheville, Virginia, destroying a home and motorcycle store.^[540] (January 3, 1999)
• 1999 On January 8, a leak in a 12 inch pipe at a Koch Industries tank farm in Benavides County, Texas spilled about 10,500 barrels of crude oil. The cause was internal corrosion of the pipe.^[541][542]
• 1999 In Bridgeport, Alabama, on January 22, while digging a trench behind a building, a backhoe operator damaged a 3/4-inch steel natural gas service line and a 1-inch water service line. This resulted in two leaks in the natural gas service line, which was operated at 35 psig. One leak occurred where the backhoe bucket had contacted and pulled the natural gas service line. The other was a physical separation of the gas service line at an underground joint near the meter, which was close to the building. Gas migrated into a building nearby, where it ignited. An explosion followed, destroying three buildings. Other buildings within a two-block area of the explosion sustained significant damage. Three fatalities, five serious injuries, and one minor injury resulted from this accident.^[543]
• 1999 On January 23, a construction crew ruptured a 10-inch diameter petroleum products pipe near Germantown, Wisconsin, spilling about 41,000 gallons of gasoline.^[542][544]
• 1999 A pipeline ruptured in Knoxville, Tennessee, and released over 53,000 US gallons (200,000 L) of diesel fuel into the Tennessee River on February 9. A brittle-like crack was found on the pipe in an area of coating failure. The NTSB expressed concern that the material's toughness had a role in this rupture. Two days before the rupture, an in-line inspection device was run through the pipe segment, with no anomalies in the rupture area reported. Contributing to the severity of the accident was Colonial Pipeline Company’s failure to determine from the SCADA system that a leak had occurred, with the result that the pipeline controller started and restarted the pipeline, increasing the amount of diesel fuel that was released.^[488][545]
• 1999 On May 1, excavation equipment damaged a Koch Industries pipeline in Pleasant Hill, Iowa, spilling 3,663 barrels of crude oil.^[546]
• 1999 A pipeline in a Bellingham, Washington park ruptured and leaked gasoline, and later vapor from the leak exploded and burned, killing two 10 year old boys and an 18 year old man on June 10, 1999. Issues causing the rupture were found to be previous pipe damage by excavation, an incorrectly set up pressure relief valve, unexpected repeated remote valve closures, and new software tests on the live controlling computer.^{[547][548][549]}
• 1999 On June 24, about 100 barrels of gasoline spilled in a Buckeye Partners Terminal in Breinigsville, Pennsylvania.^[550][551]
• 1999 On August 10, an auger being used to install utility poles hit a 14 inch ethane-propane pipeline, causing an explosion & fire that killed the auger operator, and forcing evacuations near Liberty Hill, Texas.^[552][553]
• 1999 On August 29, a pump on Olympic Pipeline failed in Renton, Washington, spilling about 3,360 gallons on gasoline and aviation fuel. ABout 950 tons of soil were removed due to contamination.^[554][555]
• 1999 A Lakehead Pipeline (now Enbridge) was damaged by outside force on November 1, near Crystal Falls, Michigan. 400 people were evacuated from the area. Fire was used to burn some of the released substances, so, of about 223,000 gallons of NGL's and crude oil spilled, only about 115,000 gallons were recovered, with over 2,100 yards of contaminated soil removed in just the first 2 weeks of cleaning. The pipe broke where it was on a rock in the pipeline trench.^[556]
• 1999 On November 19, 2 men were injured in Salt Flat, Texas, when a leaking 8-inch propane pipeline exploded. 2 school buses had passed through the area moments before the explosion. About 6,195 barrels of propane were leaked. The pipeline failed from external corrosion.^[557][558]

References