Estimate of North Carolina Pipeline Spill Increases Fourfold

A mid-August pipeline failure in North Carolina spilled 272,580 gallons of gasoline, nearly four times more than the amount originally reported by Colonial Pipeline.

The company submitted the revised estimate to the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration on Sunday. Only half that has been recovered following the underground spill in Huntersville, North Carolina.

“These numbers, which are still an estimate, are based on additional data that Colonial has obtained and analyzed over the course of the last several weeks,” Colonial states. “The numbers may need to be revised again as the remediation project continues, and we are committed to keeping the public informed.

No petroleum has been detected in water wells within a 1,500-foot radius of the spill, Colonial reports. The company is offering to pay for homes within that radius to be connected to public water.

Colonial has drilled 77 wells at the spill site of which 47 serve to monitor underground water quality. Product recovery is activated whenever the gasoline is detected by the wells.

Wells near the Oehler Nature Preserve east of Huntersville have also been sampled for contamination. The spill occurred where the pipeline crosses the preserve.

No contamination has been found, Colonial reports.