Colonial Pipeline

The Colonial Pipeline is a double pipeline that supplies gasoline and other refined petroleum products from the Gulf Coast to distribution points across the Eastern United States. The primary pipeline carries 1.3 million barrels per day, or as much as 40-50% of all refined gasoline sold on the East Coast.

The pipeline originates in the vicinity Houston, Texas. It crosses into Alabama from Mississippi in Sumter County near Paynesville, continues west by northwest through the southern part of the Birmingham area, and then crosses into Georgia from Cleburne County via Anniston and Heflin.

The pipeline is owned and operated by the Colonial Pipeline Company of Alpharetta, Georgia. It's development began in 1962 as a joint venture between several large petroleum companies. The ownership of the company currently consists of Koch Industries (28%), South Korea's National Pension Service / Kohlberg Kravis Roberts (23%), Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (17%), Royal Dutch Shell (16%), and Industry Funds Management (16%).

Incidents

The pipeline was affected by two major incidents in the fall of 2016. On September 9 about 250,000 to 340,000 gallons of gasoline leaked from a rupture in the pipeline, triggering gas shortages in parts of the Southeast until a 500-foot by-pass was installed to restore service.

On October 31 a major explosion and fire took place at a point about 5.5 miles west of the earlier leak, off of Shelby County Highway 13 at River Road west of Helena. A crew from subcontractor L. E. Bell Construction was working to drain the pipeline in preparation for a long-term repair of the earlier leak. The explosion occurred when the crew struck the pipeline with a track hoe. Nine workers were injured, with seven airlifted to UAB Hospital. Anthony Willingham died at the site of the blast and a second worker died later of his wounds. The fire burned overnight, fueling a wildfire that burned about 31 acres of drought-stricken forest before it was contained with earthen dams. The repaired pipeline was returned to service early on Sunday, November 6.

In December 2017 some landowners sued the pipeline for lost income from their property, alleging that the company failed to repair damage and remove pollution from the explosion. Willingham's widow named the pipeline and another contractor in a wrongful death suit she filed in 2018.

In December 2019 the National Transportation Safety Board issued a "Pipeline Accident Brief" that faulted the excavation crew for poor planning and non-adherence to Colonial's policies.

In May 2021 the Colonial Pipeline was targeted in a ransomware attack, suspected to have been perpetrated by a criminal organization known as "DarkSide" and believed to based in Russia. The attack forced the main pipeline to shut down. Colonial paid the ransom of 75 bitcoin (then $4.4 million), though much of that was recovered by U.S. Justice Department investigators. A $10 million reward has been offered by the U.S. State Department for information leading to the identification of DarkSide's leaders.

Route

Sumter County

• enters Alabama at Sumter County, west of Payneville
• pump station at 11261 Sumter County Highway 20 west of I-59/20 Exit 23 (Epes)
• crosses Tombigbee River into Greene County at mile 254
• crosses I-59/20 west of Boligee
• crosses Alabama State Route 14 southeast of I-59/20 Exit 40 (Eutaw)
• crosses U.S. Highway 11 north of Eutaw and south of Greenetrack

Hale County

• crosses Black Warrior River into Hale County between mile 288 and 289
• crosses Hale County Highway 69 south of Moundville

Tuscaloosa County

• crosses into Tuscaloosa County east of Moundville
• crosses U.S. Highway 82 (McFarland Boulevard) southeast of Duncanville
• clips the northwest corner of Bibb County south of Vance
• pump station on Parsons Lane west of Vance Blocton Road south of Vance
• crosses Alabama State Route 5 north of Blocton and south of Woodstock

Shelby County

• crosses Shades Creek into Shelby County just above its outlet into the Cahaba River
• crosses Honcock Creek just above its outlet into the Cahaba River
• crosses the Cahaba River just above Ward Creek
• crosses Shelby County Highway 91 (Coalmont Road), 2.75 miles south of Helena High School
• crosses Shelby County Highway 17 (Coalmont Road) at Spruce Drive (Royal Pines subdivision)
• passes south of Penhale Park in Helena
• crosses Heather Ridge Drive at Runaway Drive in Helena
• crosses U.S. Highway 31 (Pelham Parkway) just south of Shelby County Highway 52 and Peavine Creek
• crosses I-65 just north of Shelby County Highway 52 at Exit 242
• crosses U.S. Highway 11 at Ruby Drive in Pelham
• crosses Shelby County Highway 69 1.3 miles south of Yellowleaf Game Preserve
• crosses Shelby County Highway 47 0.6 miles south of Indian Hills Country Club
• crosses Shelby County Highway 51 just south of Chelsea Park Road
• crosses Shelby County Highway 55 0.4 miles east of Cheshire Drive in Westover
• crosses Shelby County Highway 83 at Reynolds Road and Blue Springs Branch north of Harpersville
• crosses U.S. Highway 231 at Shelby County Highway 25 and Spring Creek just north of Vincent
• clips the southwest corner of St Clair County north of Childersburg

Talladega County

• crosses the Coosa River into Talladega County just below Elliot Island
• crosses Alabama State Route 235 just north of Grasmere
• pump station on Logan Martin Dam Road just off Glovers Ferry Road west of Briarfield
• passes north of St Ives and south of Jonesview
• crosses Alabama State Route 77 at Ridgewood Forest Drive north of Talladega
• passes north of Anniston Army Depot (Coosa River Area)
• crosses Priebes Mill road just south of Choccolocco Creek in Munford
• crosses Choccolocco Creek southwest of Oxford, near I-20 mile marker 181

Calhoun County

• crosses into Calhoun County just south of the Anniston Metropolitan Airport
• crosses I-20 near the Oxford Civic Center
• crosses Choccolocco Creek and U.S. Highway 431 just south of I-20 Exit 191

Cleburne County

• crosses into Cleburne County at Highland Lakes Boulevard
• exits the Talladega National Forest just south of I-20 near mile marker 199
• pump station on Cleburne County Highway 46 just north of I-20 Exit 205
• crosses Cleburne County Highway 66 and the Tallapoosa River just north Cleburne County Highway 408
• crosses Cleburne County Highway 49 just north of Kemp Creek and south of Lebanon
• crosses into Haralson County, Georgia about 1 mile north of I-20

See also

• Plantation Pipeline

References

• "Colonial Pipeline" (September 20, 2016) Wikipedia, accessed October 31, 2016
• Pillion, Dennis (November 1, 2016) "Alabama gasoline pipeline explosion: What we know today." The Birmingham News
• Sheets, Connor (November 1, 2016) "Colonial says Alabama pipeline explosion 'related' to September gas leak." The Birmingham News
• Pillion, Dennis (November 6, 2016) "Colonial Pipeline restarts 6 days after explosion." The Birmingham News
• Pillion, Dennis (October 31, 2017) "One year after deadly explosion, Colonial Pipeline 'refocused' on safety." The Birmingham News
• Sheets, Connor (December 17, 2017) "Landowners sue Colonial Pipeline, claim it did 'nothing' to fix land contaminated in 2016 explosion." The Birmingham News
• National Transportation Safety Board (December 10, 2019) "Pipeline Accident Brief. Gasoline Transmission Pipeline Explosion/Fire. Helena, Alabama"
• Romero, Dennis & Reuters (May 8, 2021) "Colonial Pipeline blames ransomware for network shutdown." NBC News
• Dilanian, Ken & Kelly O'Donnel (May 9, 2021) "Russian criminal group suspected in Colonial pipeline ransomware attack." NBC News
• Thornton, William (November 5, 2021) "$10 million reward offered in Colonial Pipeline ransomware attack." The Birmingham News

External links

• Colonial Pipeline Company website
• Helena-Colonial Pipeline Response website
• Colonial Pipeline route on Google Maps