BELLINGHAM, Wash. – In November 2010, Pam Brady, a representative for Olympic Pipe Line Co., which is operated by BP Pipelines (North America), visited the Alabama Hill Association’s quarterly meeting to remind residents of the hazards and safety protocols associated with the Olympic Pipeline, which runs through the neighborhood underneath Vining Street.
The association presented further detailed information about these safety concerns in its Jan. 18 newsletter, which was largely devoted to the safety protocols provided by Olympic Pipe Line.
Brady was invited to the meeting by Larry Nicholas, the current AHA chairman. Brady said the purpose of the meeting was to meet with pipeline neighbors and provide useful information to those who live along the pipeline corridor.
“Many people are well aware of the pipeline, but some people are new to the neighborhood, or haven’t given much thought about the role they also have in keeping the pipeline safe,” Brady said.
Among the protocols discussed is the mandatory one-call system. Residents who are planning any type of project that will require them to dig deeper than 1 foot are required by Washington State Law to contact the state one-call center by dialing 811 at least two business days before digging. After calling, the utility company will send a worker within two days to mark buried lines in the area, at no cost to the caller.
“Third party damage the leading cause of pipeline accidents, so we really can't emphasize enough the importance of utilizing one-call,” Brady said.
More than 11 years after the pipeline explosion that killed three in Bellingham, residents were reminded in the newsletter that even “a small scrape, gouge or dent requires repair as it could subsequently lead to corrosion,” encouraging anyone who witnesses or causes damage to the pipeline to call Olympic immediately.
The 1999 accident was determined by the National Transportation Safety Board, in a report issued in 2002, to have been caused by damage done to the pipe by IMCO General Construction Inc. during a 1994 project, which may have caused the pipe to later corrode. The report also placed probable cause for the accident with Olympic Pipe Line Co. for not inspecting and testing the pipeline adequately during and after the project.
The Olympic pipeline transports nearly 300,000 barrels of fuel each day through a 400-mile network that spans from Blaine, Wash. to Portland, Ore. and is the sole provider of jet fuel to SeaTac Airport, according to Olympic’s website.
The pipeline safety precautions were revisited during discussion at the Alabama Hill Association meeting on Tuesday, February 2, 2011, raising concerns for some, and reminding others of the 1999 tragedy.
Chris Suczek, a geology professor at Western Washington University, was present at the meeting and voiced her concerns about the potential harm to the pipeline that would be associated with an earthquake.
“From a geology perspective, the major danger would be an earthquake,” said Suczek, later explaining that earthquakes are not the only potential geological event to be concerned about. “A landslide, even a landslide moving at a couple of centimeters a year, could have the potential to distort the pipeline.”
Doug Bestle, the past chairman and editor of the AHA’s newsletter, said that he recognizes the dangers posed by high-pressure pipelines, but he prefers the pipeline over alternative methods of transporting the fuel.
“I guarantee you the pipeline is millions of times safer than trucking [fuel] down the I-5 corridor,” Bestle said.
Bestle’s comment was made in reference to a statistic reported by Olympic Pipe Line, stating that “alternative modes of transportation would require the equivalent of 1,200 tanker trucks a day on Interstate 5. That's approximately one truck every minute - 24 hours a day, seven days a week.” The company explains on its website that trucking the fuel through highly populated areas would expose the public to greater risks, and argues that the pipeline is the safe and superior method of fuel transportation.
Nicholas, was reminded of that day, more than 11 years ago, when he, along with others, waited at his son’s baseball game, wondering where was Wade King, one of the victims of the explosion, and a fellow teammate on Nicholas’ son’s baseball team.
When asked how that day affects his stance on living so close to the pipeline, Nicholas said that he doesn’t often think about it.
“Most people who live near the pipeline, even those who were closer to the explosion, don’t think about it much,” Nicholas said. “Even the parents who lived right next to the explosion didn’t move.”
More information about pipeline safety and Washington State’s “call before you dig” protocol can be found online at olympicpipeline.com and washington811.com.
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