UPDATE #5: Colonial Pipeline – SR2448 Response August 18, 2020 5:55 PM
More than 250 Colonial employees, contractors and personnel from the Huntersville Fire Department continue working 24 hours per day as part of an ongoing response effort in Huntersville, NC. Repair plans are in place and crews are working to safely complete the work.
The safety of the public and response personnel and protecting the environment continue to be key priorities. A section of Huntersville-Concord Road remains closed to allow crews safe access to the site. The community will be notified when the work is complete and road re-opened.
Colonial Pipeline is actively working with local residents to sample and test wells within a 2,000 foot radius of the product release. The radius was determined based on analysis of the location of homes in the area and also exceeds the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (NCDEQ) established guideline of 500 feet.
Efforts to monitor the situation and narrow the scope of focus will be ongoing, and Colonial will be in communication with landowners in this area as results on their specific wells are provided.
Colonial is also sharing testing results with the U.S. EPA, the NCDEQ, and Mecklenburg County.
In addition, Mecklenburg County Public Health has been updated on the situation and plans to monitor the progress. At this time, Public Health has stated they do not believe there is any threat to potable drinking water wells.
Colonial appreciates the ongoing support of the Huntersville Fire Department, the Huntersville Police Department and other response partners as we work together to ensure public safety and protection of the local environment.
The following summarizes and updates key response activities at this time:
- The pipeline remains shut down and road closures are in place to ensure a safe work environment and the safety of the public.
- Crews are onsite and are actively working to control and monitor the source so that clean-up and repairs can continue.
- Colonial has worked with the Huntersville Police Department and the North Carolina Department of Transportation to establish the road closure of Huntersville-Concord Road between Lawther Road and Asbury Chapel Road, and provide a temporary traffic detour around the work site via Glendale Drive, Ramah Church Road and Hiwassee Road.
- Colonial is working with local residents to maintain local access to residences impacted by the road closure.
- Colonial has established an Incident Command System (ICS) to ensure a well-managed response, in conjunction with the support and collaboration from local response partners.
- An open line of communication has been established with several local, state and federal agencies including the Huntersville Fire and Police Departments, the City of Huntersville, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Stormwater Services, Charlotte Water, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Emergency Management, Mecklenburg Public Health, the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality, the North Carolina Department of Public Safety, the North Carolina Emergency Management, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region IV.
- Colonial Pipeline estimates that approximately 63,000 gallons (1,500 barrels) of gasoline was released from the line. The majority of the product was recovered as it was being released.
- Colonial has implemented proactive environmental protection efforts including air quality monitoring and water quality sampling.
- Colonial has successfully implemented proactive measures to protect the closest surface waters, the North Prong of Clark Creek. These are precautionary measures and we continue to monitor the situation closely as we work with local and state resources. The creek is currently unaffected and is being closely monitored.
- Colonial has reached out to local landowners to provide information on our response efforts in their area.
Additional updates will be posted to the Colonial website at https://sr2448.colonialresponse.com as new information becomes available. All future notices regarding this situation will be posted to this site.
About Colonial Pipeline: Colonial Pipeline Company, founded in 1962, connects refineries – primarily located in the Gulf Coast – with customers and markets throughout the Southern and Eastern United States through a pipeline system that spans more than 5,500 miles. The company delivers refined petroleum products such as gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, home heating oil, and fuel for the U.S. Military. Colonial is committed to safety and environmental stewardship across its operations. More information about Colonial is available at www.colpipe.com.
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