Partnership Operations, Organization and Basis of Presentation (Details) bbl in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2016 Segment mi bbl Bcf	Dec. 31, 2014
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Number of miles of pipelines | mi	49,300
Number of barrels of storage capacity | bbl	260
Number of cubic feet of storage capacity | Bcf	14
Number of reportable segments | Segment	5
Limited partners ownership interest	100.00%
EPCO and its privately held affiliates [Member]
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Percentage of Total Units Outstanding	32.00%
Oiltanking Partners L.P. [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Limited partner interests acquired		65.90%