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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1.01 Project descriptionPart 1 Project Description EnCana Oil & Gas (USA), Inc. (EnCana) proposes to construct an 8" water pipeline and related facilities (including valves and electric driven pumping equipment). The proposed project will allow EnCana to develop and gather natural gas produced from the Grass Mesa and Hunter Mesa Federal Units and deliver to multiple markets and provide for the sale of developed federal minerals. This action will allow adjacent federal mineral acres to become economic, offer opportunities for National energy self - dependency, and allow operator income. The proposed pipeline will deliver fresh water from the Last Chance Ditch to the Hunter Mesa Water Treatment Facility. This water will be used, along with water processed at the Hunter Mesa facility, for continued well drilling and completion work. The volume of water transported will be approximately 504,000 gallons/day (350 gallons per minute, 12,000 barrels per day, 1,547 acre-feet per day). The proposed pipeline will begin at the proposed pump station located at the Last Chance Irrigation Ditch at 700 Buckhorn Drive in Rifle, CO. in the SW/4, SW/4 of Section 14, Township 6 South, Range 93 West. The EnCana River Water Pump Station will consist of an electric -motor driven vertical turbine pump within a small building (approximately 20' X 20') located on private land. The proposed pipeline route is shown in Part III of this document. A pump building is planned for the proposed River Water Pump Station and will be designed to enclose the water pump and associated electrical controls. The pump building will protect the control systems from weather and corrosion as well as providing sound damping for the water pump. The building is a static structure and integral part of the finished pipeline. As such, it will have the same general characteristics as other permanent structures associated with the proposed pipeline, in terms of use and hours of operation. The pump building itself will generate no noise or dust and will have minimal visual impact. An application for a building permit for the pump building will be submitted to the Garfield County Building and Planning Department once the building design is complete. The proposed 8" pipeline is approximately 31,024' in total length; approximately 9,812' is located on federal land, none on state land, and approximately 21,212' on private land. The proposed pipeline will be constructed with of 8", 0.219 -inch wall thickness, Grade X-42 steel pipe with a maximum allowable operating pressure of 740 psig. A 70 -foot wide corridor is proposed for construction purposes. Upon completion of the project, a permanent 50 -foot wide right-of-way, containing approximately 12.3 federal acres, has been requested for operational and maintenance purposes. As of the time of submittal of this application, verbal surface use agreements with the appropriate private property owners have been made. The written agreements are pending and copies of these agreements will be delivered to Garfield County upon receipt. A flagged survey has been established along the proposed route. The surveyed route is the shortest, most direct route and will thereby minimize damage to federal lands. The pipeline will run from the Last Chance Ditch at 700 Buckhorn Drive in Rifle generally east toward the Garfield County Airport, then turning south through Section 23 generally parallel to West Mamm Creek Road (Garfield County Road 319). The pipeline route leaves West Mamm Creek Road in the NW/4 SE/4 of Section 26 and follows an existing field road into Section 36, and then parallels existing pipelines and roads to EnCana's Hunter Mesa Water Treatment Plant in the SE/4 NE/4 of Section 1, Township 7South, Range 93 West, Garfield County, Colorado. A minimum distance of 25' from the centerline of existing foreign pipelines and 10' from EnCana pipelines will be maintained at all times. All sections of the proposed pipeline will be buried at least 5' below grade, except at road crossings where the depth will be increased to 6'. EnCana shall comply with all applicable federal, state and local laws and regulations as they relate to public health, safety and environmental protection in the construction, operation, and maintenance of this facility. No toxic substances will be stored or used on the right-of-way. All safety measures have been considered in the design, construction, operation and maintenance of the facility. EnCana will have inspectors present during construction. All associated road and utility permits will be secured from the appropriate regulatory agency prior to construction. The necessary permits to be submitted for the proposed pipeline include: Army Corps of Engineers — permit to cross the drainages along the proposed ROW Garfield County Engineer's Office — permit to cross County Road 319 BLM 299 Form. See Application in Part VIII. United States Army Corps of Engineers Nationwide Permit 12 Section 404 Application. See Application in Part IX. During the construction phase of the proposed project, the top 6 inches of topsoil in a portion of the right-of-way will be removed, conserved during excavation, and reused as cover on disturbed areas to facilitate regrowth of vegetation. Trenching will be performed with a trencher. Sideboom tractors will be used to place the pipeline in the trench after the pipe has been welded and coated. After the pipeline is in place, the trench will be backfilled using an angle dozer or auger. If rocks are present, the pipe will be padded and shaded with a bucket shaker or an "Ozzie Padder", there are to be no berms. No foreign rock to the surface will remain exposed. Part II Impact Statement The proposed pipeline has been planned and designed for a number of beneficial reasons. The proposed pipeline will transport water in a safe and innocuous manner in comparison to other methods of water hauling. The proposed pipeline will shorten truck trips and lessen the need for truck travel to the Hunter Mesa facility. The operation of the proposed pipeline will not differ significantly from the surrounding oil and gas exploration and production related land uses. The pipeline will be in continuous use and operation 24 -hours per day during the irrigation season, approximately March until November, each year. The line would be drained for freeze protection during winter months. Maintenance and operation activities will occur as needed, however, the majority of activity associated with the proposed pipeline will occur during normal business hours. During pipeline and facility construction, all equipment and vehicular access into the pipeline project will be confined to approved existing roads and the established right-of- way corridor. No major reconstruction or rerouting of these roads is intended. All working areas will be confined to the requested right-of-way. During typical usage the proposed pipeline and associate facilities are expected to require a minimal amount of vehicle trips for operation and maintenance purposes. Vehicles will operate primarily during daylight hours and will travel on existing private and public roads that already provide access in the West Mamm Creek area. Therefore the new facility is not expected to require specific improvements to the existing roads. A cultural resource inventory for the proposed route has been completed. The report has been submitted to the Bureau of Land Management, Glenwood Springs Field Office in Glenwood Springs, Colorado. If any cultural remains, monument sites, objects or antiquities subject to the Antiques Act of June 8, 1906, or Archaeological Resources Protection Act of 1979, are discovered, the activities shall cease immediately and the responsible authorized officer shall be notified. If any fossils are discovered during construction, the operator shall cease construction immediately and notify the authorized BLM officer so as to determine the significance of the discovery. The proposed pipeline and associated facilities will not affect area air quality as none of the permanent structures will emit air pollutants. A federal or state emission permit will not be required for this proposed project. The aboveground structures related to the proposed pipeline shall be painted to blend with the surrounding landscape. Visual quality objectives for the land management unit shall not be adversely impacted. The proposed pipeline crosses numerous ephemeral drainages; however, surface or ground water quality and quantity should not be affected. The facility design will preclude any pollution to enter surface run-off. There will be no sewage or solid waste generated by the proposed pipeline or associated facilities. The pipeline will be hydro -tested prior to being placed in service. Prior to any discharge, hydrostatic testing water will be tested and processed, if necessary, to ensure that the water meets local, state or federal water quality standards. Prior to discharge of hydrostatic testing water from the pipeline, EnCana will design and install a suitable energy dissipater at the outlets, and design and install suitable channel protection structures necessary to ensure that there will be no erosion or scouring of natural channels within the affected watershed as a result of such discharge. Sandbags, rock, or other materials or objects installed shall be removed from the site upon completion of hydrostatic testing. Noise from the construction activities will create a temporary disruption of ambient conditions; however, any disruption should be of relatively short duration. The proposed water pump station is expected to emanate low-level noise and possibly minimal amounts of vibration. The planned pump building will aid in mitigating this noise and vibration. The sound level of noise emanating from the facility will not exceed the 75 decibel maximum set forth in Colorado Revised Statute 25-12-103. As the planned pump station location is in an industrial/commercial area remote, noise will not be a nuisance to area residents. The vibration, if any, should be localized to a small area immediately surrounding the pump. If, in the unlikely event, nuisance noise, vibration, or odors are emanated by the facility, additional measures will he taken to control them. The construction of the proposed facility will not have any significant visual impact on the surrounding environment. Any actual construction impacts will be temporary. The visual impact of the completed pipeline and facilities to the area will be negligible due to the minimal amount of surface equipment associated with the facilities. Landscaping information is provided in Part VII. The facilities and structures associated with the proposed pipeline will be protected by fencing or other means to limit access to authorized operation personnel only. Signage for the proposed pipeline and facilities will include the company name and address as well as a 24-hour toll-free emergency phone number. The proposed pipeline and associated facilities will occupy approximately 50 acres overall. According to wildlife distribution maps from the Colorado Department of Wildlife, a portion of the pipeline is located within sununer rangeland for mule deer and elk and is within migration corridors for these animals. The characteristics of the proposed buried pipeline will not block wildlife migration routes. Electrical power will be installed at the water pumping station to power the pumping equipment. No other public utilities will be needed for the pipeline or associated facilities. The expected life of the EnCana River Water Pipeline is 30 years. Reclamation of the facility is outlined in Part VII of this document. Part III Route Summary, Facility Maps & Diagrams Route Summary SECTION TOWNSHIP RANGE FEET 15 6S 93W 1,030 14 6S 93W 705 23 6S 93W 12,412 26 6S 93W 6,730 35 6S 93W 325 36 6S 93W 8,115 1 7S 93W 1,707 TOTAL 31,024