Crews near Everett found the source of a leak in the Olympic pipeline that supplies jet fuel to Sea-Tac Airport.

Crews have identified the source of the leak in the Olympic Pipeline, which supplies jet fuel to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA Airport), near Everett, and are now developing a repair plan.

During testing Monday, the leak was confirmed in the 20-inch pipeline segment, which supplies more than 90% of Oregon's fuel and jet fuel to SEA Airport. There was no indication of a leak in the adjacent 16-inch line.

The Olympic Pipeline, which runs 400 miles from Whatcom County, Washington, to Portland, Oregon, is operated by BP Pipelines North America, Inc.

Crews are working in coordination with federal, state, tribal and local authorities and plan to release an updated pipeline restart timeline as soon as it is available.

Regional impact and response

Local perspective:

The pipeline shutdown comes just as the busy holiday travel season begins, forcing some airlines to divert flights due to fueling issues at Sea-Tac.

The threat of a widespread fuel shortage prompted emergency declarations in two states.

Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson issued an emergency declaration last week, and Oregon's governor followed suit Monday night. The Oregon order allows truck drivers to legally drive longer routes to bring in replacement fuel via tanker trucks.

The backstory:

The release of refined products was first reported after a sheen was discovered in a drainage ditch in an agricultural field on Tuesday, Nov. 11. Responders have since deployed boom and oil recovery equipment to contain the product, and officials said no fuel has been observed outside of the immediate response area. The total amount of released product is still being assessed.

The incident is the third for the pipeline in the last five years. In a separate incident, the State Department of Ecology recently fined BP Pipelines nearly $4 million for a 2023 leak near Conway that dumped 21,000 gallons of gasoline into the water.

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The governor said she does not expect there to be fuel shortages. An emergency declaration, made Monday, allows her to bring fuel into the state via other methods while repairs continue on the pipeline, KGW8 reports.

Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at gas station price tracking app GasBuddy, said earlier this month that the pipeline closure could have a slight impact on gasoline costs in Washington and Oregon.

But his updated analysis Monday said he didn't think the closure would affect gas prices any longer.

While the pipeline's closure may not be putting the hurt on people's wallets, it has caused concerns at the state's largest airport.

Airlines at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport have activated fuel contingency plans to make sure planes are kept topped off during the week of Thanksgiving. The Olympic Pipeline moves refined petroleum that includes gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel from Washington into Oregon.

The closure prompted Washington Governor Bob Ferguson to declare an emergency on November 19, allowing him to seek other avenues for providing fuel to SeaTac.

Portland International Airport said it was not anticipating any disruptions because it can bring in fuel by sea barges, unlike SeaTac, which is further inland.

Delta and Alaska Air have both used tankers to bring extra fuel to SeaTac.

"We continue to minimize the impacts of the Olympic Pipeline fuel leak. We do not expect disruption to our operations at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport through the Thanksgiving travel week," Alaska Airlines said in a statement.

On Friday, Senator Maria Cantwell, a Democrat from Washington, demanded answers from BP about the status of the pipeline.

"With so much riding on the reliable transportation of fuel through your system, pipeline safety and operational integrity must be top priorities," Cantwell wrote to BP CEO Murray Auchincloss, Oregon Public Broadcasting reports.

BP provided a response, saying the "safety of personnel, the environment, and the community remain our highest priority."