WOODINVILLE, Wash. — About 15 to 20 gallons of gasoline spilled at two Olympic Pipeline sites in Woodinville early Sunday morning.
The Washington State Department of Ecology was called in to the first spill about 3 a.m. after nearby residents notified the fire department to the smell of gasoline. The fire department found a sheen on top of standing water in an excavation trench near the pipeline.
The gas appeared to be leaking from a pipeline valve that was recently installed.
The trenches were dug due to pipeline maintenance. Crews are excavating 208 cubic yards of soil to remove and replace 30 linear feet of the existing gas transmission pipeline, according to the project application posted at the site.
Olympic Pipeline workers shut down the pipeline and performed air monitoring. Contractor workers mopped up the spill using absorbent pads and a vacuum truck, according to the Department of Ecology.
While workers were responding to the first spill, they were notified of a second spill at another pipeline maintenance location about three miles north.
No surface water was affected, and there were no impacts to waterways or wildlife, according to the Department of Ecology.
An agency spokesperson says the incident doesn’t appear to be a major spill or leak, but it’s unknown what caused it. Investigation into the cause of the leak is ongoing.