At about 3:28 pm PDT, a 16 inch diameter steel pipeline ruptured and released about 237,000 gallons of gasoline into a creek that flowed through Whatcom Falls Park in Bellingham, WA. About 1 1/2 hours after the rupture, the gasoline ignited and burned approximately 1 1/2 miles along the creek. (#1)
A number of events led to the rupture of the pipeline. First, was excavation damage done to the pipeline, possibly between 1993 and 1994. Second, was the construction and startup of a new products terminal, where pressure relief valves that were installed, were improperly configured or adjusted. Finally, on the day of the accident, the SCADA system that controllers used to operate the pipeline became unresponsive, (possibly due to the practice of performing database development work on the system while it was being used to operate the pipeline), making it difficult for controllers to analyze pipeline conditions and make timely responses to operational problems. (#1)
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