Gas Shortage Hits Macon County Due to Leak in Alabama

GAS SHORTAGE
OPEN THREAD #1
September 19, 2016



We're all aware that there is a gas shortage in the region due to a combination of factors. On September 9th, a pipeline leak was discovered in rural Shelby County in Alabama. The pipeline that supplies over 100 million gallons of fuel to the eastern United States and it had to be shut until repaired or replaced. Right now, efforts are underway to bypass the damaged section. Until that can be done, fuel is being transported via over the road trucks and railroads, and our infrastructure isn't built to handle that amount of traffic, even if we could find enough trucks to haul the fuel.

A press release from Colonial Pipeline is posted at the end of this article and the photo included is from Colonial Pipeline.

There will be delays in keeping area gas stations supplied. What you can do to help alleviate the problem is not to top off your fuel tank every time you see a station with fuel. Just get fuel when your tank drops below a quarter of a tank and don't make unnecessary trips for the next few weeks until the situation is resolved and the flow of fuel through the pipeline returns to normal.



Until then, each day, Macon Media will post an open thread for people to let each other know who has fuel, what kind and the current price of that fuel. Please remember to keep the stations from running out of fuel quickly, please limit your visits to refuel only when necessary and don't bring every gas can you have to hoard fuel.

Use this post as the first open thread and we'll see how it goes. Good luck and please remember to be kind to one another. 

To add information and to see what information people are sharing, please visit Facebook.




PRESS RELEASE

Helena, Alabama Incident Update – September 18, 3:45 p.m., CDT Update #18

Posted on September 18, 2016
SHELBY COUNTY, Ala. – Colonial Pipeline issued the following update this afternoon regarding its ongoing response to a product release in Shelby County, Alabama, and the interruption of service to Line 1.

Yesterday evening, Colonial Pipeline began implementation of its plan to construct a bypass around the impacted segment of Line 1. Work conditions were favorable overnight and into today for bypass construction. The projected restart of Line 1 remains unchanged.

Recovery efforts at the initial release site will continue along with bypass construction. The safety and protection of the public, responders and the environment remains paramount in all activities.

Monitoring of the Cahaba River and a tributary, Peel Creek continues daily. Preliminary results, from both the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Colonial Pipeline environmental contractors, have shown no impact to either waterway as a result of this release.

The Cahaba Wildlife Management Area between State Highway 270 and Copperhead Road will remain closed to all non-local residents and is expected to remain closed during this response effort. The Cahaba Wildlife Management Shooting Range and access to ATV trails in the area also remain closed.

Colonial Pipeline today captured additional photos from the response site. Please click on the “Images/Video” button on the top right of this page.

About the incident: On Friday, September 9, 2016, a mining inspector in Shelby County, Ala., detected a gasoline odor on mining property. He alerted Colonial Pipeline, which operates two pipelines in the immediate vicinity. Both pipelines were shut down as a precaution and Colonial employees were dispatched for a visual survey of the site. Upon confirmation of a release, Colonial Pipeline mobilized a coordinated response effort with federal, state and local agencies as well as local emergency responders. Colonial Pipeline has more than 700 employees and partners on site working as safely and expeditiously as possible to repair the impacted segment of pipe and return to normal operations.

About Colonial Pipeline Company: Colonial Pipeline delivers more than 100 million gallons of refined products each day to markets between Houston and New York City, serving more than 50 million people. We transport refined petroleum products such as gasoline, diesel fuel, jet fuel, home heating oil and fuels for the U.S. military. Our pipeline system consists of more than 5,500 miles of underground pipe and above ground storage tanks and pump stations. The company is based in Alpharetta, Ga. For additional information visit www.colpipe.com.



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