Gas pipeline to start pumping today

“Subsequent to restart, it is expected to take several days for the fuel delivery supply chain to return to normal,” the statement said.

Fuel in pipelines moves at only about 5 mph, so “some markets may still experience supply shortfalls several days after service is restored on Colonial Pipeline … Limited availability of gasoline at some local distribution terminals and the higher costs of alternative supply options will ultimately influence the retail price of gasoline,” a daily briefing by the U.S. Energy Information Administration said.

Prices at the pump, which had spiked in the wake of the shortages caused by the spill, have seemingly stabilized since late Monday. Gas averaged $2.50 a gallon in metro Atlanta this morning, according to AtlantaGasPrices.com, unchanged from Tuesday.

When the leak was first reported, the average price of gas in the area was $2.16 a gallon.

The leak occurred in a wilderness area of Shelby County about 30 miles south of Birmingham, disrupting one of two Colonial Pipelines from Houston to Atlanta and up the east coast. The lines, carry fuel from refineries along the Gulf Coast.

The line that was shut down was used primarily for gasoline. After the leak was discovered, Colonial shut down that line and shifted some gasoline into the other line, which had been used mostly for diesel and other fuels.

There are also two lines from Baton Rouge owned and operated by Plantation. So the Colonial lines are not Atlanta’s only links to fuel, but they represent a major part of the fuel pool for Atlanta drivers.

If prices have flattened out, the outages at some stations were scattered but persistent.

For example, the QuikTrip on Haynes Bridge Road in Alpharetta was still closed, as was a nearby Valero.

The cause of the leak is still not known, and it won’t be until the pipe has been dug up and inspected, according to Steve Baker, a spokesman for Colonial. “The cause can’t be determined until we dig up the pipe and inspect it. Right now it is still at least partially underground.”

The problem in the five-decade-old pipe did not appear to be a fitting or valve, but the company can’t yet be sure about that, he said.

The leak spilled up to 330,000 gallons of gasoline into the Alabama wilderness, most of it flowing downhill to a small retention pond. The company said last night that 60 percent of the spill in the pond has been removed.

Moreover, there has been no serious environmental damage, the company said.

"Water quality monitoring of the Cahaba River and Peel Creek continues daily," said a Colonial statement. "Test results to date from both the (Environmental Protection Agency) and Colonial Pipeline environmental contractors, have demonstrated no impact to either waterway."