Company officials working to repair a broken pipeline in Alabama that led to gas shortages across the South said they've successfully tested a temporary bypass and have planned to restart the line soon.
The company said in a statement that it expects to restart the line Wednesday evening, though it will take several days for fuel supplies to return to normal in markets served by the pipeline.
Authorities said a leak in the pipeline was discovered September 9 near Helena, Alabama, when state workers noticed a strong gasoline odor and sheen on a man-made retention pond.
The company has estimated that 252,000 gallons to 336,000 gallons of gasoline leaked from the line. The shut-down of the pipeline led to dry pumps at gas stations in Georgia, Tennessee and the Carolinas.
On Wednesday afternoon, Emily LeRoy with the Tennessee Fuel and Convenience Store Association, along with Rob Ikard with the Tennessee Grocers and Convenience Store Association, released the following statement:
"Fuel wholesalers and retailers report that the gas supply is gradually returning to normal, as fuel is delivered by barge and via Colonial Pipeline’s temporary work around line. We expect customer fuel purchasing to return to typical patterns, which makes it easier to restock the pumps.
'We appreciate the rapid response of the fuel industry and government to the pipeline disruption,' said LeRoy.
'We thank the driving public for continued patience as fuel retailers come back to normal levels,' said Ikard. 'We will continue to pull available gasoline from more distant sources until pipeline service is back to full capacity.'”
