HILAND CRUDE, LLC — Hazardous liquid gravity and reporting-regulated-only — incident on 2021-03-31

Hazardous liquid gravity and reporting-regulated-only incident in WILLISTON, WILLIAMS County, ND. Reported cause: INCORRECT OPERATION. Reported consequences: 0 fatalities, 0 injuries, 0.23 CRUDE OIL released, $162 reported property damage. Operator-reported incident data submitted to PHMSA, generally within 30 days. Records may be supplemented or corrected and do not represent final agency causal findings.

Report number: 20210034.

Operator ID: 32619.

Reported incident date: 3/31/2021 13:54.

Cause detail: VALVE LEFT OR PLACED IN WRONG POSITION, BUT NOT RESULTING IN A TANK, VESSEL, OR SUMP/SEPARATOR OVERFLOW OR FACILITY OVERPRESSURE

Cause detail: ON MARCH 31, 2021, AT 1:54 PM LOCAL TIME HILAND CRUDE, LLC RECEIVED A CALL FROM WHITING PETROLEUM OF A 0.23 BBL. CRUDE OIL SPILL THAT RESULTED WHEN WHITING ISOLATED HILAND'S LACT PIPING TO PERFORM MAINTENANCE ON THEIR PRODUCTION WELL FACILITIES THE SAME DAY. AT 2:05 PM LOCAL TIME HILAND CRUDE PERSONNEL ARRIVED AND OBSERVED THAT WHITING ISOLATED THE LACT PIPING, RESULTING IN A PRESSURE BUILD-UP OF THE LACT SUCTION PIPING AND VICTAULIC-TEE CONNECTION. DUE TO RISING AMBIENT ATMOSPHERIC TEMPERATURES CAUSING A DENSITY INCREASE OF THE CRUDE OIL TRAPPED IN THE LACT FACILITY SUCTION PIPING, FAILURE OF THE VICTAULIC-TEE FITTING RESULTED AND CAUSED THE CRUDE OIL SPILL. AS THIS EVENT RESULTED FROM AN ABNORMAL CONDITION RESULTING IN A SPILL OF CRUDE GREATER THAN 5 GALLONS, IT REMAINS REPORTABLE PURSUANT TO PART 195.15 AND 195.50. IN ORDER TO PREVENT A RECURRENCE, SUCH OPERATIONS WILL BE MORE CLOSELY MONITORED AND PROCESSES WILL BE REITERATED TO PRODUCERS NOT TO ISOLATE HILAND FACILITIES WITHOUT APPROVAL. THIS RELEASE OCCURRED FROM A REPORTING-REGULATED-GATHERING LINE THAT FALLS UNDER 195.15 CRITERIA. NO NRC NOTIFICATION WAS REQUIRED DUE TO THE EXCEPTION OUTLINED IN 49 CFR 195.15(C)(2); HOWEVER, A 30 DAY ACCIDENT REPORT IS REQUIRED PER 195.15.