Enbridge said Sunday that crews have begun to remove the remaining vapors near a section of pipeline damaged on Aug. 25 by an unoccupied truck in rural Iron County.
The company said in a press release that it is using trailer-mounted flare stacks, which safely burn excess hydrocarbon vapors in a controlled way, to remove remaining vapors from the section of Line 5 that was damaged in the accident.
Enbridge said extensive air monitoring remains in place as the work continues “at the flare site, the incident site, and in the surrounding area.”
A rural home had to be evacuated after the accident, which occurred at about 10 a.m. last Tuesday.
“Today, local first responders were able to stand down as a private contractor joined to support those duties,” the company said in an Aug. 30 statement. “Around 150 people are supporting the response, including Enbridge personnel. There have been no injuries during the response.”
Enbridge also expanded on its original explanation of what caused the gas spill:
“On Tuesday, Aug. 25, a parked and unoccupied third-party subcontractor flatbed truck delivering equipment to the site rolled forward into an open excavation at a Line 5 valve project, striking the pipe and releasing natural gas liquids (NGLs), mainly propane and butane.
“They are transported by pipeline as liquids, but when exposed to normal outdoor conditions, rapidly vaporize into gases.
“No one was injured. As a precaution, a nearby rural home was evacuated. The affected section of pipe was immediately isolated, and Line 5 remains shut down.”
