United Group Insurance

Company blames Missouri flooding for pipeline leak

News

August 24th, 2011 by Ric Hanson

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) – A company spokesman is blaming Missouri River flooding for a pipeline break that happened earlier this month between Onawa, Iowa, and Decatur,  Nebraska. The break happened Aug. 13 and caused an unknown amount of natural gasoline to pour into the river. Natural gasoline is an unrefined, clear liquid that gets blended with refined gasoline. The underground pipe is operated by Houston-based Enterprise Products, which initially wasn’t sure what caused the break.

Company spokesman Rick Rainey said Wednesday it’s clear that flooding caused erosion, leading to the break. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources says the break  didn’t cause environmental problems because the fuel was dispersed in the enormous water flow. It’s not clear how much fuel spilled, but the broken section of pipe can hold up to 140,000 gallons.