Route 50 Reopens in Doddridge County after Liquid Propane Leak
From a News Report of Chrystal Phillips, WBOY 12 News, October 9, 2014
The WV Department of Transportation is reporting US Route 50 in Doddridge County was closed for some time on October 9th. The County dispatchers say the closure was due to a liquid propane leak at the MarkWest plant, near West Union.
The closure was located at England’s Run Road affecting both westbound and eastbound lanes.
All schools in Doddridge County were placed on a 2 hour delay due to the closure. Fire and emergency crews responded to a fuel spill around 5 a.m., according to Harrison County dispatchers.
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MarkWest Cleaning up Natural Gas Liquids (NGL) Spill
From an Article by Casey Junkins, Wheeling Intelligencer, August 13, 2013
MarkWest Energy continues repairing and remediating the natural gas liquids pipeline spill that recently killed an unspecified number of fish in northern Wetzel County.
“We are beginning our repairs and remediation activities. Our efforts will include stabilization of the slip location, management of the landside materials and affected soils, and pipeline repair activities,” said Robert McHale, spokesman for MarkWest.
Denver-based MarkWest processes and transports dry methane natural gas, as well as liquids – such as propane, ethane, butane and pentanes – for producers such as Magnum Hunter Resources, Antero Resources, Gulfport Energy, Noble Energy and several others.
WV Division of Natural Resources District 1 Fishery Biologist Frank Jernejcic said minnows, smallmouth bass and other species of fish died in Rocky Run, a tributary of Fish Creek, as a result of the spill. The WV-DEP cited MarkWest for “conditions not allowable in the waters of the state.” It has been difficult for officials to fully examine the Rocky Run area where the liquid was released, noting the area was filled with “vapors.”
“The company is working to repair the access road so that it can get equipment into the area to begin repairing the pipeline, cleaning up the slip and removing the mud and debris from the stream,” according to the WV-DEP.
The company has removed the spilled flammable liquid from the broken pipeline, purifying it with nitrogen. MarkWest has installed erosion control devices to prevent any further slippage.
Anyone needing to report a spill related to the natural gas industry in West Virginia should call 800-642-3074.
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Propane Tanker Crashes over Hillside on I-79 near Morgantown
From a News Report, WBOY 12 News, March 19, 2013
MONONGALIA COUNTY, W. Va. — Traffic on Interstate 79 North in West Virginia was snarled when a flatbed truck and propane tanker collided. Authorities said the accident was reported about 3:30 p.m. near mile-marker 146. Officials said the tanker crashed through the guardrail and over a hillside.
There is no word if any injuries were reported. Both northbound lanes and one southbound lane were closed while crews cleared the scene and investigated the crash. One lane remained closed while the cleanup was completed.
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Propane Truck Fire Burns Out in Barbour County
From a News Report, WBOY 12 News, Clarksburg, WV
>>> Update on March 18, 2013
A fire in Barbour County that started a week ago last Friday finally is out. It started with the fire that destroyed Sisolak’s Truck Repair Shop on Talbott Road just off Corridor H.
That fire spread to a liquid propane truck in the shop. Belington firefighters had to let the fire burn itself out which finally happened at about noon Sunday.
>>> Update on March 15, 2014
A Southern States propane truck that first ignited on March 8 in the Talbott community in Barbour County continues to burn, according to a news release. The Belington Fire Department and Belington EMS have been on scene since the incident started, applying water to the tank to keep it cool.
According to fire officials, the situation is very dangerous and hazardous but at this time, they consider it a “controlled hazard”. Fire officials fear that piping failure could occur on the back of the truck, which has been exposed to heat and flames, leading to a rapid uncontrollable discharge. This discharge could cause severe injury or death to anyone in its path, according to the news release.
Crews have secured an area around the back of the tank to keep all personnel from the back of the truck in case of a rapid discharge. According to the news release, unmanned hose lines are positioned on the left and right sides of the tank to keep it cool.
Due to the nature of this incident, fire officials have closed Talbott Road from Deerbrook Estates on the Belington side of the incident to the Talbott community building, until this incident can be resolved.
Residents are advised to use alternate routes to get to their destinations. Two homes have been evacuated, but no other evacuations are necessary at this time.
>>> Original Story on March 8, 2013
Fire started in a service garage in Belington around 7:45 a.m. Friday. According to Barbour County 911 officials, Belington fire fighters found the John Sisolak Garage on Talbott Road fully engulfed in flames when they arrived.
A Southern States truck carrying between 3,500 to 4,000 gallons of propane ignited, according to officials. The fire was close to acetylene tanks, which is a gas used in welding that is highly flammable.
Emergency crews closed Talbott Road while firefighters work to get the fire under control. No injuries were reported.
The Belington, Junior, Ellamore, Colton, Fellowsville, Huttonsville Mill Creek and Beverly Volunteer Fire Departments and the Elkins Fire Department were all on scene, along with Belington EMS and West Virginia State Police.
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{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
Your tax dollars at work! Yep! This is totally not an unfair tax burden to the people of WV, AND not a drain on emergency services that are already underfunded and stretched thin. No, Sir! Give those boys somethin’ to do!
Tanker truck spills condensate in Braxton County, WV DEP determines site environmentally secure
Posted: Sep 12, 2014 11:41, Updated: Oct 12, 2014 11:41
By Sarah Tincher, Energy Reporter
At about 4:15 p.m. Sept. 11, a Spirit Services tanker truck carrying 4,500 gallons of condensate from a well pad went through a guardrail and over an embankment on Interstate 79 southbound mile marker 53 in Braxton County.
The tanker was punctured and most of the condensate spilled, posing a threat of entering a tributary of the Elk River, according to the Department of Environmental Protection. But following the spill, an on-site DEP inspector determined that none of the spilled material reached the stream. However, booms were put in place and an underflow dam — which allows water beneath the surface to flow through the dame while the material floating on top is trapped — was constructed as a precautionary measure.
A representative from the company told the DEP that the spilled material was from a dehydration unit — the water is removed from the natural gas and distilled before it is transported — and there could be some hydrocarbons and chlorides in the material; however, the hazardous material level in the spilled matter is less than would be typically found in brine because it is mostly water.
The material from the truck that didn’t spill was removed, and crews are working today to remove the wreckage and begin soil remediation. The truck spilled approximately 80 gallons of diesel fuel as well, according to the DEP, but it was contained to the site.
The driver sustained some bruises and needed stitches but DEP was informed his injuries did not appear to be serious.
No injuries in tank fire at well pad in Marshall County
From WTRF News 7, Wheeling, WV, April 01, 2015 11:32 AM EDT
MOUNDSVILLE, W.Va. (AP) – An emergency official says no one was injured when a storage tank fire broke out at a drilling well pad in Marshall County.
Marshall County Emergency Management director Tom Hart says the fire was reported around 4:45 a.m. Wednesday at Gastar Exploration’s Armstrong pad near the Wetzel County line. (Note: This is the Mason-Dixon Line, as extended to the Ohio River, where much more Marcellus drilling and fracking are planned).
Hart says four to five tanks were burning when firefighters arrived. The fire was extinguished in about an hour and the well pad wasn’t damaged.
Hart didn’t know what the tanks contained.
Note: Because the tanks were burning, there was flammable material inside. So, this would likely be “natural gas liquids” (NGL), a mixture of hydrocarbons say from propane and butane up to iso-octane, for example. These are common in this “wet-gas” region.
http://www.wtrf.com/story/28694085/no-injuries-in-tank-fire-at-well-pad-in-marshall-county