By visiting our site, you agree to our privacy policy regarding cookies, tracking statistics, etc.

  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Contact
  • Sign Up
  • Media
  • Smart Pig Blog
  • Donate
  • 2022 Conference Replay
Pipeline Safety TrustPipeline Safety Trust

Pipeline Safety Trust

Credible. Independent. In the public interest.

Credible. Independent. In the public interest.
Credible. Independent. In the public interest.
  • About
    • Mission
    • Employment
    • Pipeline Safety Trust History
    • Strategic Plan
    • Olympic Pipeline Disaster
    • Governance and Transparency
    • Staff and Board
    • Contact
  • Education
    • Education: Start Here
    • Technical Experts
    • Statistics
    • Pipeline Information By State
    • Monthly Incident Dashboard
    • Maps: Pipeline Mapping System
    • Project, Incident, or Operator-Specific Information
    • The Trust in the News
    • Library
  • Programs
    • Carbon Dioxide Pipelines: Dangerous and Under-Regulated
    • Methane Leak Detection and Repair and Reducing Emissions
    • Hydrogen Pipelines: Unique Risks Prove Dangerous for Pipeline Transportation
    • Policy Work
    • Planning Near Pipelines
    • PST Conferences
    • Work in Other Communities
    • State Program Websites Transparency Ranking
    • New Voices Project
    • Pipeline Safety Indicators
  • Take Action
    • Opportunities to Participate
    • Technical Assistance Grants
    • Mailing List
    • Training the Public
    • News Alerts by Email
  • Donate

Reminders and Remembrance

June 10, 2022 by Kenneth Clarkson Leave a Comment

Walking Whatcom Creek 23 Years After the Olympic Pipeline Explosion

On Tuesday, we walked Whatcom Creek. Our whole staff together. Carl Weimer narrated as we visited the sites of those tragic events in ’99.

We stood where the victims played and recreated; where those taken too soon cast their final line and lived out their last game of make believe.

Carl led us through that day, June 10, 1999, from start to finish.

It was like any other June day in Bellingham, WA, overcast with temperatures topping out around 63 degrees Fahrenheit. The clouds tend to make the fish bite better. Good anglers know that.

As school and work let out, community members young and old made their way to Whatcom Creek to recreate, as they still do to this day. Some on their way for a jog or bike ride, others to the creek bank and hillsides to find refuge, as they always had.

It was about 3:28 p.m. when the gasoline started filling the creek to the brim. The 16-inch diameter Olympic Pipeline had experienced a rupture and would proceed to release around 237,000 gallons over the next hour and a half. A completely-preventable tragedy had begun to unfold.

Around 5:00 p.m. the gasoline ignited. A massive fireball and ensuing smokescreen engulfed the skies of Bellingham, a city known for pristine air quality. One and a half miles of the creek burned.

At this point in the narration, Carl pointed to the lush riparian habitat adjacent our group; it was all new growth.

“Every living thing along this stretch of creek died,” he said.

Lichen, fungi, plants, animals, people. Nothing was spared in this disaster. It was slightly hard to picture, as now, twenty-three years later, the creek looked pristine.

But you could tell from the waver in Carl’s voice as he continued with the history. You could tell from the air of grim reality that set in over the group.

June 10, 1999 was a day of unimaginable grief for the City of Bellingham. And since, The Pipeline Safety Trust has made it our mission and purpose to prevent further pipeline disasters from claiming the lives of the innocent and destroying our life-giving habitats.

On this day, our entire staff and community think about the families and all those affected by the reprehensible negligence on the part of the Olympic Pipeline Company.

With clear purpose and mission in mind, the Pipeline Safety Trust will work diligently toward our goal of zero pipeline incidents.

Img 3151 1
The healing pole pictured here was a gift from the Lummi Nation. According to Lummi House of Tears master carver Jewell James, “The pole is to restore the stream and its habitat and to remember the three boys who lost their lives.”

Tagged With: Bellingham, Bellingham Tragedy, Olympic Pipeline, Whatcom Creek

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

 

Copyright © 2023 · Pipeline Safety Trust | 1812 Cornwall Avenue, Suite 200, Bellingham, WA 98225 | 360-543-5686

Facebook IconTwitter IconInstagram Icon

site by highwaters