On December 2nd staff from the Energy Division and the Office of Emergency Services will brief the Board of Supervisors on the status of the Torch Oil Spill. On November 11th, Torch completed its repair of the subsea rupture of its Point Pedernales 20-inch crude oil pipeline. Torch removed the ruptured portion of the pipeline and replaced it with a new section using cold forged connections. Torch then flushed out the pipeline and is in the process of conducting several tests to determine the integrity of the pipeline. During a hydrotest of the line on November 16th, an isolation valve that separates the onshore and offshore portions of the pipeline apparently failed, leaking approximately 120 barrels of seawater with low levels of hydrocarbons onto the ground near Valve Box 1 on Vandenberg Air Force Base.
Torch plans to repair the onshore leak and restore the affected area.
A successful hydrotest procedure will be required for use of the pipeline. Prior to returning the line to service the construction materials, procedures, test results and failure analysis will be reviewed by the County System Safety and Reliability Review Committee, Minerals Management Service, and State Lands Commission. The County was in the process of reviewing this request when Torch withdrew its application for this modification on November 14th. Torch indicated that its focus is to return the 20-inch line to production. Torch used monitoring and cleanup crews to clean the spilled oil from beaches that were easily accessible.