By GRAHAM BROOKS / Staff Writer

Cleanup continues in an unincorporated portion of Shelby County where a gas leak has caused a number of issues since the initial leak was discovered on Friday, Sept. 9.

Initial estimates believed the gas leak dumped nearly 1,000 barrels of gasoline but a recent update on Sept. 16, now estimates between 6,000-8,000 barrels of gasoline has leaked from the pipeline, as repair work will continue through the weekend.

Colonial Pipeline will begin excavation operations to repair the impacted section of pipe on Line 1 with the goal of restarting the line the week of Sept. 19.

The leak is near the intersection of Shelby County 270 and Coalmont Road near Helena.

Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley declared a state of emergency on Thursday, Sept. 15, as the shutdown of the pipeline has caused a disruption of gasoline distribution for the use of citizens throughout the state.

Colonial Pipeline has more than 500 employees on site who have been working with local, state and federal officials around-the-clock to try and resolve the issue.

The repair of the leak is still incomplete, and the timeframe for completion is still unknown. The gasoline shortage could impact the safety of the residents in Alabama, according to Bentley.

On Sept. 15, Colonial Pipeline said the interruption of service has occurred in Colonial Pipeline’s Line 1 that transports gasoline from refiners on the Gulf Coast to delivery locations along the Eastern seaboard.

Colonial Pipeline said work activity was intermittent the night of Sept. 14 and Sept. 15 due to unfavorable weather conditions that caused gasoline vapors to settle over the site. Operations will resume as officials deem conditions safe, and Colonial Pipeline said the top priority of the response effort remains the safety and protection of the public, responders and the environment.

The pipeline is normally a 1.3 million-barrel-a-day operation, and its shutdown has elicited a response from the Environmental Protection Agency and has disrupted travel plans for a gasoline delivery to New York.

The EPA issued an official waiver for federal gasoline evaporative emissions under the Clean Air Act for 13 counties in the metropolitan Atlanta and five counties in the metropolitan Nashville, Tenn., markets after the pipeline failure in Shelby County.

The state of emergency will be in effect for a period of no more than 30 days, and the declaration of the state of emergency will facilitate the granting of a waiver from the U.S. Department of Transportation, which will allow truck drivers transporting gasoline to the affected areas to drive more hours than would normally be allowed.

Colonial Pipeline delivers more than 100 million gallons of refined products each day to markets between Houston and New York City, serving more than 50 million people each day. The company is based in Alpharetta, Ga.

To receive updates on the continued cleanup efforts, visit Helena.colonialresponse.com.