Colonial Pipeline has restored service to a gasoline pipeline in Alabama that was shut down after a major leak, causing gas shortages and rising fuel prices across the South.
Colonial officials released a statement saying the pipeline had reopened as of last night. The leak was discovered September 9 near Helena, Alabama, when state workers noticed a very strong gasoline odor at a man-made retention pond.
Colonial estimates somewhere between 252,000 and 336,000 gallons of gasoline leaked from the pipeline before the spill was fixed. The shutdown led to surging fuel prices and several stations completely running out of gas in Georgia, Tennessee and the Carolinas.
Environmental activists are thankful the spilled gasoline apparently didn’t make it to the nearby Cahaba River, and have praised Colonial for their transparency and cooperation in addressing the spill. They are continuing to monitor the cleanup effort.
Colonial says it will still take several days for fuel supplies to return to normal in the markets served by the pipeline.