UPDATE on: Gas pipeline leak closed Conway school Monday

Additional information from Dec. 13:

The approximately 25,326 gallons of gasoline that spilled from the Olympic Pipeline in Conway early on Dec. 10 was “due to the failure of 3/8 inch tubing leading from the main pipeline to a pressure gauge within the vault” the unified command of agencies and companies reported Dec. 12 after the Weekly News had gone to press.

Some 6,993 gallons were recovered through Wednesday evening, the fourth press update states. It reports 5,292 gallons of gasoline remained in the vault and the remainder was released into the environment.

Bu Wednesday, 2,400 feet of containment and absorbent boom was deployed. No gasoline or sheen has been seen on the Skagit River, the news release states.

SR 534 remains open to one-way traffic as cleanup work proceeds.

Air monitoring conducted at the direction of unified command continues to indicate no public health risk from gasoline fumes.

Members of the public are asked not to touch or relocate affected wildlife and to call the wildlife hotline (1-800-22BIRDS).

Teams have recovered one American beaver, one pine siskin bird, and one mallard duck deceased as a result of the spill.

The unified command consists of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Washington Department of Ecology, Skagit County Department of Emergency Management, bp, Lummi Nation, and the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community.

Status updates will be posted on Ecology’s incident webpage at http://tinyurl.com/svvp2p4s.

Conway — Conway’s elementary school closed Monday as a precaution after approximately 30,660 gallons of gasoline leaked from the Olympic Pipeline in Conway Sunday morning. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says gasoline was released from a concrete vault around 6:35 a.m.. This vault is part of the 400-mile-long Olympic Pipeline which spans from Blaine, Washington to Portland, Oregon.

Sunday Conway School Superintendent Jeff Cravy sent an email that he was closing the school Dec. 11 “because of a pipeline leak next to our school, to ensure our students, staff and families are safe,” stating “The BP Olympic Pipeline runs under the Conway Hill neighborhood and crosses under 534 where it intersects with Conway Hill Rd. This morning there was a leak discovered on the north side of Hwy 534.”

Cravy emailed parents Monday evening that school “will potentially be able to open on Tuesday.”

A three-eighths inch diameter tube leading from the main pipeline to a pressure-check valve failed. Aproximately 5,000 gallons of gasoline remained in the vault; that remainder was released into the environment, the U.S. EPA reported.

British Petroleum, bp, operates the pipeline, It reported the company immediately shut down the impacted segment of the pipeline. Its website says the system transports gasoline, diesel and jet fuel. There has not been a rupture in the pipeline. While pipeline managers took a series of steps to shut down the main pipeline, residual pressure caused the release of gasoline to continue for several hours. The bp website states the system transports gasoline, diesel and jet fuel.

SR 534 between Cedardale Road and Bulson Road was shut down in both directions as multiple agencies helped with clean up efforts.

Monday a unified command consisting of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Washington Department of Ecology, Skagit County Department of Emergency Management, bp, Lummi Nation and the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community was overseeing the cleanup.

Approximately 1,600 feet of absorbent and containment boom was placed at various locations in Hill Ditch and Bulson Creek as far as 2.25 miles downstream of the release site. No gasoline or sheen has been seen on the Skagit River.

Hill Ditch and Bulson Creek both support salmon and many species of waterfowl and other wildlife. Monday there are no confirmed injuries or deaths of fish or wildlife in the spill area.

Air monitoring conducted by the Department of Ecology and by bp at EPA’s and Ecology’s direction continues to indicate no public health risk from gasoline fumes. The EPA says no evacuations were activated and an air monitoring network did not show levels that were a concern to public health.

State Route 534 re-opened to one-lane traffic Tuesday morning.

The unified command consists of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Washington Department of Ecology, Skagit County Department of Emergency Management, bp, Lummi Nation and the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community.

The fuel originates at four Puget Sound refineries, two in Whatcom County and two in Skagit County and is delivered to Seattle’s Harbor Island, Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, Renton, Tacoma and Vancouver, Washington

Monday morning residents throughout Puget Sound woke up to this story on the radio and TV. It soon became national news.