WOODINVILLE, Wash. – The Washington State Department of Ecology is fining BP $100,000 for two pipeline spills near Woodinville.
According to Ecology, BP was working on the Olympic Pipeline in February 2020 when they visually inspected it for leaks at around half the normal operating pressure.
No leaks were detected, but the company did not perform any additional leak checks after returning it to normal pressure.
The next day, a landowner smelled fuel and spilled gasoline was found in the area.
BP then checked a construction site on the pipeline further north and found more spilled gas.
The Department of Ecology says BP did not adequately tighten fittings and failed to perform the leak checks at normal operating pressure.
In 1999, the Olympic Pipeline spilled almost 300,000 gallons of gasoline into Whatcom Creek in Bellingham, causing an explosion that sent a massive fireball through the heart of Bellingham.
That explosion killed two young boys who were playing along the creek and an 18-year-old who was fishing upstream.