List of pipeline accidents in the United States in 1973

The following is a list of pipeline accidents in the United States in 1973. It is one of several lists of U.S. pipeline accidents. See also: list of natural gas and oil production accidents in the United States.

This list is incomplete; you can help by adding missing items. (November 2020)

Incidents

This is not a complete list of all pipeline accidents. For natural gas alone, the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), a United States Department of Transportation agency, has collected data on more than 3,200 accidents deemed serious or significant since 1987.

A "significant incident" results in any of the following consequences:

• Fatality or injury requiring in-patient hospitalization.
• $50,000 or more in total costs, measured in 1984 dollars.
• Liquid releases of five or more barrels (42 US gal/barrel).
• Releases resulting in an unintentional fire or explosion.

PHMSA and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) post-incident data and results of investigations into accidents involving pipelines that carry a variety of products, including natural gas, oil, diesel fuel, gasoline, kerosene, jet fuel, carbon dioxide, and other substances. Occasionally pipelines are re-purposed to carry different products.^[1]

The following incidents occurred during 1973:

• 1973 On January 10, an abandoned farm near Bellingham, Washington was coated in crude oil, when a Trans-Mountain 16-inch pipeline failed. Over 300,000 gallons of crude were recovered.^[2]
• 1973 On February 2, leaking natural gas led to an explosion and fire, that leveled two buildings, and damaged a third building, in Eagle Grove, Iowa. 12 people died.^[3]
• 1973 A cracked gas main leaked in Adamsville, Alabama, on February 7. The escaping gas exploded, killing three people and injuring two others. A string of other gas main cracking incidents occurred in this city, killing one other person, and injuring two more.^[4]
• 1973 Installation of a sewer was suspected of damaging a gas line, in Coopersburg, Pennsylvania, on February 21. Leaking gas later exploded in an apartment building, killing five people, injuring 22 others, and destroying the building.^[5]
• 1973 On February 22, in
  natural gas liquids (NGL) pipeline ruptured, due to an improper weld. A passing truck appeared to set off a vapor cloud explosion and fire. Six people were killed, and two others injured.^[6][7][8]
• 1973 On March 20, a butane pipeline burst in Portland, Texas, causing 50 families to evacuate. There was no fire or injuries.^[9]
• 1973 On May 2, a Yellowstone Pipeline 10-inch line ruptured, in Murray, Idaho, causing a mist of diesel fuel to cover homes and trailers. About 170,000 gallons of fuel were spilled. Some of the fuel reached a nearby creek. There was no fire.^[10][11][12]
• 1973 Improper sampling procedures on an LPG pipeline killed one worker, and injured another, from freezing at Dayton, Ohio, on May 3.^[13]
• 1973 On June 2, an
  Exxon 12-inch crude oil pipeline started leaking at the Atchafalaya River near Melville, Louisiana.^[14]
• 1973 In the summer, a pipeline ruptured in Diamond, Louisiana. The escaping gas fumes were ignited by a lawnmower, killing two people.^[15]
• 1973 A
  Ottawa Creek and the Blanchard River, killing fish and plants. A failed gasket caused the spill.^{[16][17][18][19]}
• 1973 On July 4, a gas main explosion set off an apartment house fire in Long Beach, California, burning two persons. Two others who jumped from windows also were injured. The explosion, which occurred after 8:30 p.m., ripped a 40-foot hole in the street and sent flames into the fifteen-unit structure.^[20]
• 1973 On August 29, an 8-inch gas pipeline failed in Memphis, Tennessee, forcing over 100 people to evacuate the area. There was no fire.^[21]
• 1973 A crude oil pipeline ruptured in
  Los Angeles, California on October 18. Crude flowed along several streets for a time.^[22]
• 1973 On November 13, a Buckeye Partners pipeline leaked, spilling gasoline into a Marion Township, Berks County, Pennsylvania creek.^[23]
• 1973 On December 4, a pipeline break released 31,000 barrels (4,900 m³) of oil near Argyle, Minnesota. The cause was a failure in a longitudinal weld.^[24]
• 1973 On December 6, a pump station on an ammonia pipeline near Conway, Kansas, was started against a closed valve, and the pipeline failed in a previously damaged section. Two persons who drove through the ammonia vapors were hospitalized; several rural residents were evacuated from the area and 89,796 US gallons (339,910 L) of anhydrous ammonia were lost.^[25][26]

References