UPDATE #7: Colonial Pipeline – SR2448 Response August 20, 2020
With the repair of the pipeline completed on August 19, 2020, Colonial Pipeline is now focusing our work on restoring the site while remaining focused on our key priorities — protecting the safety of people and the environment.
Our ongoing environmental monitoring and remediation efforts are being conducted under the guidance of the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ). Colonial will be in the community as long as necessary to sample and test wells within a 2,000-foot radius of the product release and is sharing results with individual landowners.
Colonial continues to work with the City of Huntersville and the North Carolina Department of Transportation to re-open Huntersville-Concord Road as soon as possible. We anticipate the road will reopen on Monday, August 24. Until the re-opening, the temporary traffic detour around the work site via Glendale Drive, Ramah Church Road and Hiwassee Road remains in effect.
We continue to provide updates through our response website at https://sr2448.colonialresponse.com. Residents are welcome to submit questions to Colonial through the site, and a Colonial representative will respond.
Colonial appreciates the ongoing support of the Huntersville Fire Department, the Huntersville Police Department, the City of Huntersville, Mecklenburg County 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 leak is stopped and the vast majority of the release has been recovered, with recovery continuing.
- The pipeline has been restarted in accordance with Colonial’s operating procedures.
- Colonial continues to operate in an Incident Command System (ICS) to ensure a well-managed response, in conjunction with the support and collaboration from local response partners.
- A consistent open line of communication continues with 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.
- We are sharing environmental testing results with the United States Environmental Protection Agency, NC Department of Environmental Quality, and Mecklenburg County.
- Mecklenburg County Public Health has been updated on the situation and has stated they do not believe there is any threat to potable drinking water wells.
- 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 continues to reach out to local landowners to provide information on our response efforts.
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