Wednesday, May 5, 2010

Mid-America in 1,970-bbl. Kansas gasoline leak

SOLOMON, Kansas – A farmer here noticed a distinct odor of gasoline as he stepped out of his house on the afternoon of April 23.
Prochaska drove onto Buffalo Road about five miles northwest of Solomon and noticed gasoline coming out of the ground about 400 yards east of his farm home.
Fuel from a ruptured eight-inch Mid-America mainline was gushing into the waterway, headed for the Solomon River.
Rory Tillett, director of Ottawa County Emergency Management, estimated
1,970 barrels - 82,740 gallons - spilled from the line. "It ran open for an hour and a half before it was shut down," Tillett said.
Prochaska called 911 to report the leak. Dispatchers took the call at 5:07 p.m., Tillett said.
The Prochaskas - Tom and Patty - were among 10 people evacuated from their homes that night.
Officials with Mid-America Pipeline, owned by Enterprise Products of Houston, rushed to the scene, along with emergency workers from
Bennington and Salina.
The leak was stopped on the evening of April 23, said Alan Siemer, Enterprise Products' central region operations manager.
While the flow of fuel was stopped, fixing the leak has been
troublesome, Tillett said, because of muddy conditions. Another pipeline
carrying anhydrous ammonia - owned by Magellan Pipeline - runs
parallel to the ruptured line.

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