Landowners

Committed to being a good neighbor

As the operator of the Wink to Webster Pipeline System, ExxonMobil Pipeline Company’s goal is to establish positive relationships with landowners along the pipeline route. Because we share your focus on the safety of your family and property, our employees work diligently to safely operate and maintain our pipeline and facilities to our rigorous standards and within full compliance of all applicable laws and regulations.

We recognize that our neighbors periodically have questions about our work. In keeping with our commitment to being a good neighbor, we strive to engage in two-way communications in an effort to be responsive to our neighbors and community partners.

If you have any questions or comments, please contact us.

Communications & Public Awareness

Wink to Webster maintains a comprehensive public awareness program designed to enhance safety by generating awareness about our pipeline operations and providing guidance related to safety along the pipeline right-of-way, especially regarding safe digging and other damage prevention practices.

If you live or work near one of our pipelines, you will receive information about our operations and how to live, work and play safely near pipelines. These communications, which are an important component of our public awareness program, comply with federal regulations and adhere to our commitment to communicate with our neighbors.

You may be contacted by the Wink to Webster Pipeline System, ExxonMobil Pipeline Company or a representative thereof as part of our continuous efforts to assess and improve public awareness about our operations. We value your time. That is why we work closely with industry-leading survey and assessment firms to develop our questions in a manner that will help us to most effectively understand and address your concerns as well as improve your familiarity with the safety aspects of our operations.

Public Awareness Brochures

Several brochures that discuss pipeline safety are available to our neighbors and community members:

  • Affected public brochure (PDF)
  • Emergency responders’ brochure (PDF)
  • Excavators’ brochure (PDF)
  • Public officials’ brochure (PDF)

 

 

Use of Easements

Pipelines like the Wink to Webster Pipeline System are typically buried underground and have limited surface impact. Aside from the pipeline markers installed for safety, you might not even notice that it is lying underneath the ground.  However, because we need to access our pipelines for occasional maintenance or in the rare event of a pipeline emergency, easements must remain clear of trees, large shrubs and permanent structures.

Before digging or starting any new construction or gardening projects, Texas law requires you to call 811, the national “call before you dig” number, 48 hours prior to the start of digging so we and other utilities in your area can verify and mark the location of pipelines and other buried infrastructure on your property.

 

 

Helping Maintain Safety

Although Wink to Webster works diligently to maintain the safety of the pipeline system, there are a few things you can do to help keep everyone safe:

  • Keep the easement or right-of-way on or near your property clear of any kind of obstruction. Property owners should not dig, build, store or place or plant anything on the right-of-way. The right-of-way must be kept free of structures and other obstructions in order to provide access to the pipeline for maintenance, as well as in the event of an emergency.
  • Before beginning work on any project near the pipeline (marked by a pipeline marker), Texas law requires you to call 811 – the national one-call number – 48 hours prior to starting to dig. Every digging job requires a call – even small projects like planting trees or shrubs. It is for your safety and that of the public. It is a free call – and it is the law.
  • In the event of an emergency, always call 911. Please also report any unusual sounds, smells or suspicious activity to our 24-hour emergency number, 1-800-537-5200. You can call us at any time with your concerns. Wink to Webster works hard to prevent a pipeline incident, but in the unlikely event of a pipeline emergency, we are prepared to quickly respond. We regularly communicate, plan and drill with local emergency personnel, such as fire and police departments, in an effort to ensure our response to an incident is well-coordinated and effective.

 

 

Our Work Within Easements/Rights-of-Way

Wink to Webster respects all landowners’ property and seek to minimize disruptions. In addition to receiving routine Public Awareness safety communications via mail, you may also be contacted directly by one of our representatives about maintenance activities or safety initiatives.

 

 

Surveying

Periodically, we may need to conduct a land survey to verify and mark out the exact location of the pipeline on or near your property. Surveyors use basic tools and will often conduct their work within the course of a few hours.

Mowing

Wink to Webster is responsible for maintaining the right-of-way and keeping the grass mowed to an acceptable height that will allow us to observe the condition of the surface around the pipeline within the right-of-way. Please contact us directly at 888-804-4788 if you have a question about mowing.

Inspections

Wink to Webster routinely patrols its pipeline rights-of-way both on the ground and from the air. If we notice something out of the ordinary, we will dispatch representatives to the site to investigate.

Pipeline Maintenance

As part of our robust integrity management program, Wink to Webster works to continuously reinforce the integrity and reliability of our pipeline system. Our robust integrity management program includes rigorous testing and analysis that may identify areas of a pipeline that could need additional inspection and/or repair. Before any repair work commences, we will attempt to contact the landowner and nearby neighbors to notify them of our planned maintenance.

 

 

How to Identify a Release &
What to Do

We seek your help in keeping our pipelines safe. To report a pipeline emergency, first call 911. Please also report any unusual sounds, smells or suspicious activity to 911 and our 24-hour emergency number, 1-800-537-5200.

Signs of an Pipeline Leak

  • Pool of liquid or discolored vegetation on the ground or a rainbow sheen on the water near a pipeline
  • Unusual noise coming from a pipeline, like hissing or roaring
  • An unusual petroleum or chemical smell near a pipeline

What To Do

If a release were to happen, it may take some time to determine the situation, so it is safest to take the following precautions:

  1. Immediately and safely leave the area and move upwind of the release.
  2. Do not touch, breathe or make contact with the oil.
  3. Do not light a match, start an engine or anything that may create a spark.
  4. Do not drive through the leaking oil.
  5. From a safe location, call 911 and ExxonMobil Pipeline Company’s emergency number, 1-800 537-5200.

 

 

Let Us Know What You Think

Our team members are committed to communicating openly and treating you and your families with respect.  We value your feedback. We have established multiple channels for you to communicate with us, and we hope you will take advantage by letting us know how we are doing. After all, our goal is to establish a long-term, trusting relationship with you as a good neighbor.

If you are ever concerned about an interaction you have had with us, please let us know by emailing public.awareness@exxonmobil.com or calling (877) 214-0195, and we will work to resolve the situation.

 

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