Originally posted by: Terumo
Originally posted by: charrison
Originally posted by: ReiAyanami
and nobody noticed it for 6 months
Got a link to that?
Doesn't say anything about 6 months, but the date of the incident was October 4, 2001. Spilled over 280,000 gallons of crude, all because of a drunk with a gun.
http://archives.cnn.com/2001/U.../alaska.pipeline.leak/
It gets worse, years before that there was a
deliberate sabotage (explosives) of the pipeline near Fairbanks.
There is no way to monitor the entire pipeline. Engineers could tell if there's a leak only after the pressure falls, and by then, God only knows how much oil can spill before a crew can get there to fix it. Crap, one bullet hole caused 120 gallons of crude to leak PER MINUTE.
How long does it take to get a hydraulic clamp to a destination in a middle of a whiteout? Let's do some math: 1 bullet hole damage causes 120 gallons to leak per minute x 60 minutes = 7200 gallons an hour. Considering this is Alaska, and the time it'll take for anyone to notice, give it at least 8hrs to get noticed and someone up there (in good weather). That equals = 57,600 gallons sprayed all over a virgin environment.
And look at the date of that article. Incident was on the 4th, and it was the 7th before it was plugged.