July 17 (UPI) — Repairs to a pipeline that ruptured last week in Texas and spilled 1,200 barrels of oil have been completed and the line is back in service, the operator said.
A handful of homes were evacuated Thursday after the release from the Longhorn pipeline system, operated by Magellan Midstream Partners. The company said a contractor working on the pipeline struck a fitting during routine maintenance activities, causing the spill.
“The release, which occurred on the morning of July 13th, was not a pipeline rupture,” the company explained in an emailed statement. “It is clear that the release was caused by a contractor striking a below ground fitting on Magellan’s Longhorn Pipeline with construction equipment.”
In an emailed update, the company said repairs were completed and the line was returned to service late Sunday morning.
A similar incident caused the release of about 1,000 barrels of oil from a pipeline system operated by Magellan in Oklahoma two years ago. The company reported a pipeline in Iowa leaked diesel fuel in January.
All residents evacuated from the site in southeast Texas were allowed to return home on the same day as the incident last week.
The company said it had about 100 representatives on site monitoring activities. Site monitoring and clean-up operations were ongoing.
No waterways were contaminated and no injuries were reported as a result of the release.