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Home My WebLink About2.18 Pond 10 Basic Traffic Analysis_signed REVISED BASIC TRAFFIC ANALYSIS OXY USA WTP LP POND 10 CENTRALIZED E & P WASTE MANAGEMENT FACILITY GARFIELD COUNTY, COLORADO OA Project No. 013-0656 March 2014 760 Horizon Dr., Suite 102 | Grand Junction, CO 81506 | 970.263.7800 | Fax 970.263.7456 OXY Pond 10 1 March 2014 Basic Traffic Analysis INTRODUCTION & OBJECTIVE This Revised Basic Traffic Analysis summarizes findings of a traffic impact analysis performed for the OXY USA WTP LP (OXY) Pond 10 Centralized E & P Waste Management Facility. This facility will be used to store produced water that would be recycled for well completions or eventually disposed of at a permitted facility. The project will also include storage areas for oil and gas production equipment. The facility is currently constructed as a production pond and OXY is requesting a Land Use Change Permit so it can also be approved as a Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission Centralized E & P Waste Management facility. It is expected that the lifespan of the site will be approximately 30 years. The site is located approximately 12 travel miles north of the DeBeque interchange (MP 61.6) along Interstate 70 (I-70). The facility is located in the Southeast ¼ of the Southwest ¼ of Section 5, Township 7 South, Range 97 West of the 6th Principal Meridian in unincorporated Garfield County. The subject site encompasses approximately 9.836 acres on a 7,723-acre parcel. The property is owned by and the facility is operated by Oxy. Oxy is in the process of permitting a number of facilities located in the general area. All of these facilities will individually generate low volumes of traffic. Two facilities are for storage only (Logan Wash and Upper Loop) and will reduce the current practice of hauling materials and equipment to and from the top of the plateau. Three facilities are for the storage and management of produced water as well as equipment storage (Pond G, Pond 13 & Pond 10). These activities reduce the cumulative impacts of these facilities by providing water recycling in the field and reducing the need for trucks to haul water for final disposal. These facilities also reduce the need to haul equipment in and out of the field on public roadways. The facilities are visually inspected almost on a daily basis by personnel who typically travel to multiple locations during a single round trip. This further reduces the cumulative impacts of these facilities on the public road system. The objective of this analysis is to review the existing road network, provide traffic projections for the facility, determine trip distribution, and analyze the need for roadway modifications. Oxy Pond 10 2 March 2014 Basic Traffic Analysis EXISTING ROAD NETWORK Regional trips to this facility will use the I-70 exit at DeBeque, Colorado. Vehicles traveling to the site will drive north through the Town of DeBeque and on Mesa County 45 Road (Roan Creek Road) for approximately 3.75 miles until the road crosses the Garfield/Mesa County Line where the road transitions to Garfield County Road (CR) 204. Approximately 4.25 miles north of the county line, vehicles will turn right onto CR 213 (Conn Creek Road) and travel approximately 4 miles to the end of the county road. From this point travel is on a private road for approximately 750 feet to the facility. This private road is located on property owned by Oxy. Both CR 204 and CR 213 are preferred haul routes according to maps available on the Garfield County web-site. Both of these roads are generally used for access to ranches and agricultural operations, rural residential uses, oil and gas operations and access to public lands managed by the BLM. According to the Garfield County Road Inventory Report, CR 204 is classified as Local road and is a two lane asphalt roadway with gravel shoulders. The 2011 Garfield County HUTF Report describes the roadway as is in good condition. The road has a posted speed limit of 45 mph. During 2002, Garfield County Road & Bridge conducted a county-wide traffic study where daily traffic was counted for county roads. The study concluded that the average daily traffic (ADT) was 337 vehicles per day (vpd) on CR 204 at that time. According to the Garfield County Road Inventory Report, CR 213 is classified as Local road and is a two lane road consisting of a section constructed of a combination of soil, gravel, and stone and a section consisting of graded and drained natural soil. The 2011 Garfield County HUTF Report describes the roadway as is in good condition. The Garfield County Road & Bridge Department has provided data that was collected on CR 213 during June 2011. This data indicates that CR 213 had an average of 376 vpd at that time. No updated traffic data is available for CR 204. There is a right-turn lane for northbound traffic on CR 204 turning right onto CR 213. The intersection is stop controlled with CR 213 as the minor leg. Oxy Pond 10 3 March 2014 Basic Traffic Analysis TRAFFIC PROJECTIONS Background traffic volumes were increased to present day values for comparison purposes for CR 204. Given the lack of data regarding traffic growth for this area, a growth rate of 3% is assumed. This rate was applied to the existing counts to obtain background traffic for the year 2014. This results in an estimated ADT of 459 for CR 204. Background traffic volume counts were available from 2011 and are shown in Table 1 below. The volumes during this period represent a time when a drilling and completion program was in progress for wells up CR 213. The period represents a time where traffic is at its peak. Traffic outside these periods, during a time when the pads are in operation, is expected to be less than the 2011 volumes. As a result, 2014 traffic volumes along CR 213 are estimated to be no greater than the 2011 volumes. Table 1: Background Traffic Projections – Pond 10 Facility 2002 Actual 2011 Actual 2014 Estimated CR 204 337 Not Available 459 CR 213 9 376 <376 TRIP GENERATION AND DISTRIBUTION Trip generation is generally determined using rates found in the ITE Trip Generation manual. Rates from this publication are applied to values related to the size of the proposed site to estimate the trips expected to enter and exit the site. In this case, no rates are provided for facilities similar to these. To estimate trips expected for this site, information was gathered regarding the expected traffic based on the existing operations. Vehicle activities during daily operations will consist of one (1) pickup truck per day and one (1) transport truck every two (2) days. One (1) additional pickup truck and one (1) additional transport truck will be used for maintenance purposes each quarter. Trip generation will increase by three (3) pickup trucks and one to two (1-2) transport trucks per day and one (1) additional pickup truck and one additional transport each month during periods of drilling and completion. Drilling and completion activities will occur periodically throughout the life of the project. Oxy Pond 10 4 March 2014 Basic Traffic Analysis The proposed storage use is not expected to generate additional traffic on public roads and has the potential to reduce traffic by providing a place for extra materials and equipment that would otherwise be hauled in or out of the larger field. The equipment and materials that will be brought to the site are from near-by well pads and will be reused in the general area. Therefore, no additional traffic generation is assigned to the storage use. The storage site will be monitored and inspected by personnel performing similar activities at other facilities in the field, so this activity would currently be accounted for within the background traffic volume. The following Table 2 summarizes the expected average and maximum trips for the operational life of the facility. Table 2: Trip Generation – Pond 10 Facility Phase Average Trips/Day Maximum Trips/Day Percent Trucks Phase Duration Operation 4 8 33% 30 years Drilling & Completions 10 14 39% N/A Storage 0 0 0 30 years Combined 14 22 33% N/A Construction 8 12 5% 13 Weeks County Road 204 Based on the background traffic calculations, Oxy’s Pond 10 facility related traffic will have an average of <1% increase on daily traffic activity during operations of the facility in 2014 on CR 204. Traffic activities will increase from the 2014 estimate an average 4.8% during drilling and completion operations on CR 204. The following Table 3 summarizes the expected percentage of trips this facility will generate on CR 204. Table 3: CR 204 Trip Distribution – Pond 10 Facility Year Estimated CR 204 VPD Generate Average Operation Trips/Day Generated Percent of Trips/Day Average Generated Maximum Trips/Day Generated Percent of Trips/Day Maximum 2014 459 4 <1% 22 4.8% Oxy Pond 10 5 March 2014 Basic Traffic Analysis County Road 213 Based on the background traffic calculations, Oxy’s Pond 10 facility related traffic will have a 1% increase on daily traffic activity during operations of the facility in 2014 on CR 213. Traffic activities will increase from the 2011 trip data by 5.85% during drilling and completion operations on CR 204. Table 4 summarizes the expected percentage of trips this facility will generate on CR 213. Table 4: CR 213 Trip Distribution – Pond 10 Facility Year Estimated CR 213 VPD Generated Average Operation Trips/Day Generated Percent of Trips/Day Average Generated Maximum Trips/Day Generated Percent of Trips/Day Maximum 2014 376 4 1% 22 5.85% CONSTRUCTION PHASE The existing site will be graded for the development of one water impoundment. Liners and a leak detection system will be installed. This work will require approximately 13 weeks of activity. Average daily traffic during this construction period will be eight vehicles. Approximately 5 percent of these vehicles over the 13-period construction phase will consist of large trucks. ROADWAY ANALYSIS Existing Parcel Current land use on the subject parcel is primarily natural gas development. The majority of existing traffic on CR 213 is related to natural gas development activities, very limited agricultural activities and very low density rural residential uses. State Highway Crossings and Access The roadway access to this site does not cross any highway right-of-ways managed by the Colorado Department of Transportation. CR 204 is accessed via Mesa County 45 Road which intersects I-70 at Exit 62 in DeBeque, Colorado. This grade-separated interchange access point is controlled by stop signs at the top of each exit ramp. Site distances are adequate in both directions at these control points. Additional traffic control is not needed at this location. Oxy Pond 10 6 March 2014 Basic Traffic Analysis The US Highway 6 / I-70 Frontage Road terminates at Mesa County 45 Road approximately 300 feet northwest of the DeBeque interchange. This intersection is two-way stop-controlled. Traffic traveling to this site from I-70 would have the right-of-way at this intersection. Railroad Crossings Mesa County 45 Road crosses under a main railroad line approximately 0.5 miles north of I-70. This line is generally used for the transport of freight, coal, and passenger rail traffic. This railroad crossing is grade separated. Clearance for transport trucks under this railroad bridge is adequate. The roadway access to this site does not cross any other active railroad right-of- ways. Intersection of CR 204 & 213 As noted above, there is a deceleration/turn lane for north bound traffic on CR 204 turning right onto CR 213. A stop sign controls west bound traffic on CR 213 at the intersection of that road with CR 204. Given the amount of traffic estimated to be generated from the proposed facility, additional improvements at this intersection are not needed at this time. RECOMMENDATIONS Based on the expected trip generation rates discussed above, the increase in average daily traffic during is not expected to be significant on roads generally used by the public. CR 204 and CR 213 will see only a minor increase in traffic. The addition of traffic generated by the proposed facility, specifically during the operations phases that represent the majority of the lifespan of this site, does not increase existing volumes to levels required for State or County permits or roadway modifications. While this pond and the associated storage use would not increase traffic volumes during drilling and operations phases past thresholds for additional County permits, this site, like similar ones in the larger field, will contribute to the total traffic generated by the field along county roads. This study identified the traffic on CR 213 at what is expected to be peak volumes related to a drilling and completion program; however, as more development occurs in the area there is the potential that the cumulative impacts of traffic would require improvements to county facilities. As such, continued monitoring and potentially a larger scope study should be considered to attempt to accurately determine these regional impacts. Attachment – Pond 10 Traffic Volume Map T6S R97W Pond 10 DeBeque C R 213 C R 2 0 4 459 463 473 <376 380 390 OXY USA WTP LPOXY USA WTP LP 760 Horizon Drive, Suite 101 Grand Junction, CO 81506 Pond 10 Private Access Road Private Road Site Access Route County Road Interstate 70 Map Revised: Mar 12, 2014 Updated Pond 10 Traffic Volumes Map 00.511.522.533.5Miles Garfield County, Colorado I nt e r s ta t e 7 0 [XXXX] Average Daily Traffic, 2014 estimated [XXXX] Average Daily Traffic, Operations [XXXX] Maximum Daily Traffic, Drilling