Shelby County Gas Leak

Cleanup continues in and of Shelby County where a gas leak has caused quite a few problems since it was discovered on Friday, September 9. The leak is near the intersection of Shelby County 270 and Coalmont Road.

Originally, it was believed that the gas leak dumped almost 1,000 barrels of gasoline, but an update on Sept. 16 now measures between 6,000-8,000 barrels of gasoline has leaked from the pipeline. Repair work will last throughout the weekend. Colonial Pipeline will begin repairing the damaged sections of the pipe, with the goal of restarting the line the week of September 19. Colonial Pipeline has more than 500 employees on site who have been working with local, state and federal officials around-the-clock to try and fix the issue.

“The gasoline shortage could impact the safety of the residents in Alabama.” Said Alabama’s Governor Bentley.

Colonial Pipeline has stated that the interruption has occurred in Line 1, which transports gas from the refinery on the Gulf Coast to delivery locations along the Eastern seaboard. The company is based in Alpharetta, Ga. The pipeline normally produces 1.3 million barrels a day, but its shutdown has introduced a response from the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) and has disrupted travel plans for a delivery to New York.

Colonial Pipeline delivers over 100 million refined products each day to markets between Houston and New York City, serving more than 50 million people each day.