Olympic Pipeline: Crews working nonstop to repair Everett, WA leak
Crews race to repair Olympic Pipeline leak that halted jet fuel deliveries to Sea-Tac
Crews near Everett are working around the clock to fix a leak in the Olympic Pipeline that supplies jet fuel to Sea-Tac Airport. Governor Bob Ferguson has issued an emergency declaration as officials monitor the environmental impact and warn of potential flight disruptions if repairs aren’t completed soon.
EVERETT, Wash. - Crews are working around the clock to repair a leak in the Olympic Pipeline that has stopped jet fuel delivery to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. Right now, there is no timeline for the fix, and Governor Bob Ferguson issued an emergency declaration.
Statements from the airport, Alaska Air Lines and Delta Air Lines reveal the amount of product, including jet fuel, released remains unknown, and that contingency plans are in effect for major airlines as they report seeing no immediate impact to operations through Thanksgiving.
"No impact to flights here. Airlines are doing a good job with their fuels," said Perry Cooper, Sr. Media Relations Manager at SEA Airport.
SEA Airport possible impacts
Gov. Ferguson's office has said if things aren't fixed by Saturday, the airport could be significantly impacted. BP, which operates the pipeline, told FOX 13 that crews are doing 24-hour excavation operations and are working closely with federal, state, tribal and local authorities. The pipeline leak is just east of Everett.
"We have come a long way since the 90s, and I think you know, when you look at the recent failures of the Olympic Pipeline, they could have been a lot worse then, and they weren't," said Bill Caram, executive director of the Pipeline Safety Trust.
The Pipeline Safety Trust is a watchdog organization that formed after the Olympic Pipeline explosion in Bellingham in June of 1999. That explosion killed three boys. When Caram heard about the recent leak, he was instantly reminded of what happened 26 years ago.
What they're saying:
"After the '99 spill, a lot of work went into this pipeline to make sure that something like that would never happen again," Caram said. He adds, there have been significant improvements in safety since then, but more still needs to be done.
"We still have a significant pipeline failure somewhere in America almost every day," Caram said. "Despite all of that, we still are losing, you know, 10 to 12 lives each year somewhere across the country due to pipeline failure."
The Department of Ecology shared these photos; one showed a boom placed in the ditch to soak up the fuel. The 400-mile pipeline transports gasoline, diesel and jet fuel to places like SEA Airport. As of Friday, the airport says, there were no impacts to flights.
FOX 13 reached out to Delta Air Lines. In a statement, the company said it is closely "monitoring the fuel supply, and there are no operational impacts at this time." Alaska Airlines also said it is working to mitigate potential impacts from the Olympic Pipeline fuel leak, and is also not currently experiencing any impacts. At Pipeline Safety Trust, its concern is elsewhere.
"We're much more concerned about, you know, if this were to contaminate water sources," Caram said. Right now, the Department of Ecology says there is currently no concern about the leak reaching the Snohomish River.
Between 2005 and 2023, there was only one significant problem on this pipeline, but since then, there have been four.
"To me, it's just a hint that maybe some, you know, mismanagement or under maintenance, is starting to catch up with this pipeline, and I hope that's not true, but it does give me pause," Caram said.
The cause and source of the spill is still under investigation. Officials are still working to determine how big the leak really is. They also say there is no ETA as to when it will all be cleaned up, and when the pipeline will reopen.
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