Second Pipeline Mapped Out

Walked the Kiwanis trail today and found the famous blue stakes, so I followed them and mapped out the new pipeline until it enters the Frye Farm. Just to make sure, I did not enter into any marked private property and did not encounter any fences - I just followed the stakes from the public walkway shown in the first picture just below until back to the Kiwanis trail.

This gave me the general direction, where this straight part of the pipeline meets the straight portion crossing M52 and passing the residence shown in a picture on a previous post. My last guess was actually pretty close.

 There are 3 bottom holes off Carson, which all seem to be located on the Frye farm. The new pipeline is in red and refers to the elevation profile below the map. I also marked all current bottom holes on Witt Farm (Adrian 1-25), Purse Funeral Home (State Adrian & Purse 2-25), Statton's Landscaping (State Adrian & Stratton 1-24), and Heritage Park (Adrian Raisin 2-30)). Please note that many of these wells exploit several locations by drilling horizontally. Old pipeline from Heritage to Witt in blue

I check out if I could see anything of the two bottom holes in the southwestern corner of Frye Farm and was thrilled that I could get a peak just west of the Kiwanis trail that was not marked as private property and was not fenced in. Please note that I did not step on the open grassland, which is obviously private property...

Unfortunately, there was nothing to be seen. Frye 1-26 may not been drilled yet ??? and Frye 2-26 is in the forest and not visible (or is also not drilled yet???).

 The forest opening in the middle of the picture leads to Frye 2-26 but it goes way into the forest

The Frye farmhouse with a excavator and already assembled pipes for the pipeline.

 Shortly after the above pictures, Kiwanis trail crosses Beaver Creek. The bottom hole Frye 2-26 (Carson 4) is 30 ft. right above the creek. Frye 1-26 (Carson 3) is a little further away but also just 40 ft. above the creek bed. It is very easy for contaminated ground water or surface water to reach the creek.

Frye 2-26 (Carson 4) is 30 ft. right above the creek (see profile above), Frye 1-26 (Carson 3) is 40 ft above the creek bed.

Oils residue above mud in a ditch next to Kiwanis trail close to Frye 1-26

Beaver Creek towards NW as seen from the Kiwanis trail bridge

Permitted well off country club road is now being developed

Right when coming down the road from Budlong, past Scott - but on right side.

Huge Flare on Stratton's

The hugest flare that I ever saw is up on Stratton's Landscaping.

BTEXs are definitely smellable from the lower soccer stadium at Heritage Park. Definitely a health risk for kids playing soccer there.

No pics from the flare - it is difficult to see - the entire area is quite hidden. However, the DEQ site shows that they now drilled 3 directional wells from the bottom hole at Strattons - one of them, the newest quite far.

Track of the New Pipeline Becomes Clearer

The pipeline progressed much further than I thought. It is well hidden behind one row of corn plants. After a few pictures from Wizz Computer opposite of Witt Farm you follow me South on M52 towards Adrian. The pictures were actually made after returning North bound out of the city to have a better view - but I present them here as if you are going South from Witt Farm.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here the pipeline will cross M52

 

Seemingly running towards this house (see the blue flagging stake). Adding up to something like this. Probably achieved by horizontal drilling from the corn field to the drill site of Carson?

 

There is also substantial work going on at the Carson Highway end of the pipeline. As in the case of Savoy's 1st pipeline from Heritage Park to Witt Farm, again it looks like there are 5 parallel pipes to avoid getting a permit for one larger pipeline for going under Beaver Creek. This will again involve horizontal drilling. Whether they will drill horizontally all the way from Carson to the corn field across M52 - or just under M52, then have the pipes buried 4 feet under going through the property on the west side of M52 shown above, and again drilling horizontally under Beaver Creek and then again standard 4 feet under ground to the Carson site is not clear yet - and it will be difficult to follow as it will go almost entirely through private land...

 

Again, Savoy's pipelines pass through very close to nationally recognized wetlands and cuts under Beaver Creek and through - or under one of the largest forested areas within or close to city limits.

Breaking News: New Pipeline SW of Witt Farm Under Construction

Pipes for a new pipeline leading more oil wells to Witt Farm are being assembled right now. As I did not see any stakes indicating the direction of the pipeline track, I suspect this to connect to horizontal drilling from the Carson Highway site.

This would bring the oil of three additional wells to the central processing facility (tank farm) on Witt Farm - and by that increase the already large flare emitting toxic and cancerous BTEXs and other compounds, most probably even hydrogen sulfide and hydrogen chloride (hydrochloric acid).

Michigan - Lenawee County - Adrian Wells

This map is now a little older but still good:
Well Locations of Savoy Oil in Michigan

Tracking Oil and Gas Wells

Resources and Links (Shared by Pam Taylor)

To track the wells:

 
To see the wells in Lenawee County, use the MIDEQ map below. This map is updated monthly.  First, use this map to find the well number. You might want to magnify the map to 200% or so, using the control at the top to make it easier to see the numbers and to read the key. The key on the right explains everything. This map is updated monthly, and it’s a pretty quick way to see the most current status. Class II brine disposal injection wells have a blue triangle around their circle. (These are the ones that may be associated with earthquakes, according to a recent USGS Report.) You don't necessarily need to have "fracked" wells (although some would say that all wells are "fracked" to some extent) in order to use injection to dispose of the waste fluids. Often Class II brine disposal wells are located at tank farms.

http://www.dnr.state.mi.us/spatialdatalibrary/pdf_maps/mineral_lease_information/lenawee_lease_information.pdf

Once you know the number, you can look up more data here. (You might have to adjust your Java settings; this might work easier with Google Chrome than Internet Explorer, if you have a choice of browsers.)

http://ww2.deq.state.mi.us/mir/

Click on "Well Data Search", then "Well Information", then all you have to do is type in the well number that you took from your map. If nothing comes up when you type in a number, it probably means that the driller has requested confidentiality and that it won't be listed until the confidentiality period has expired. You can still see the location of the wells on the map (above link), which is the reason for the suggestion to use the map first. This database isn't as current.

Current Class II brine disposal injection wells are on Knight Hwy. in Adrian Township and along U. S. 223 in Palmyra Twp.; a new one just was permitted on Shepherd Rd. also in Adrian Twp. These are the type of wells that, according to the USGS, have not been ruled out as contributory factors in earthquakes in Ohio and the Midwest.  Waste, including fracking fluid and/or flowback, from the drilling process, and from processing the extracted oil, is pressure-injected deep into the earth.  These wells are:

• Savoy Energy, McMunn Farms, Palmyra Township, No. 60531 (This well is between U. S. 223 and Carleton Rd., just south of where Humphrey Hwy. dead ends on U. S. 223.)

• Savoy Energy, 60152, Ruesink, Adrian Township, No. 60152 (This well is on Knight Hwy., between Emery and Moore Rds.)

• The third well is EPA permit request MI-091-2D-0003, Goetz property off of Shepherd Rd., Adrian Twp., dated June 27, 2012.  Well No. unknown at this point.  This injection well is in the oil field off Shepherd Rd. (just look for the 24/7 flare), about three miles north of Adrian.

To get information about Class II underground injection wells planned:

EPA well permit public notice and comment period information:

http://www.epa.gov/region5/water/uic/uicpub.htm

EPA contact number to get on the Class II injection well notification list so you can request a public hearing (they won't hold a public hearing unless a member of the public requests one, and you won't know that an injection well is planned unless you're on the list): Call the Region 5 EPA Office at 800-621-8431, press "0" at the prompt, the operator will put you through to someone who will put you on the list. Public hearings are important for media attention, and to inform the public and politicians so they can make appropriate decisions, more than they are effective in getting these things stopped.

To find updated permits:

You can find the weekly permit applications/permits issued/dispositions for all wells (not just injection wells) at the link below. Not as quick as the first two links, but once you start checking them, it's pretty easy to keep up to date.

http://www.michigan.gov/deq/0,4561,7-135-3311_4111_4231-121842--,00.html

To see where fracked wells in the area are located:

Map of fracked wells in the vicinity (North Adams and Wheatland Twps. in Hillsdale County)

http://www.michigan.gov/documents/deq/utica-_collingwood_activity_map3_354847_7.pdf

List of these fracked wells:

http://www.michigan.gov/documents/deq/utica.collingwood_spreadsheet1_358438_7.pdf

Putting it all together:

In some parts of Lenawee County, these wells are located in the same places where CAFOs impact the environment.  The overlap with the CAFO areas all starts with the county drain system and the waterways. If spills/leaks occur, this will first become apparent. Many of these wells run right on top of county drains (some of which are underground), and the pipelines are laid along the banks of ditches and streams.  For instance, the wells on Tipton Hwy. that are just across Hunt Rd. from the Adrian Township hall are on top of the Turner Drain.

Here is the Lenawee County Drain map. Click on the township, then magnify. Natural waterways, i.e., Wolf Creek, the River Raisin, Lake Adrian, do not appear on this map unless they are part of the maintained drain system, so you will have to overlay these with watershed maps to see the big picture.

http://www.lenaweedrain.com/images/DrainMaint/DrainMapSelect.htm
 
Leases extend all the way to the state line, running on a southeast diagonal from Napoleon in Jackson County through Riga Township at the opposite corner of the County.


Resources for help in water monitoring/testing programs, and help setting up a group:

Sierra Club Michigan Chapter

http://michigan.sierraclub.org/

It is up to the states to regulate and monitor these wastes.  This page also has an excellent link about testing near sites,  Click on “How We Test Water Around Fracking Sites”

http://michigan.sierraclub.org/issues/greatlakes/articles/fracking_monitoring.html

Environmentally Concerned Citizens of Southeast Michigan (ECCSCM) – similar issue; different content

http://nocafos.org

CAFO = Confined Animal Feeding Operation.  Permits administered by the MIDEQ, under the U. S. EPA and the Clean Water Act.  All CAFOs, and all operations that have had a discharge to the waters of the state that caused those waters to not meet water quality standards, must have an NPDES permit to discharge, along with a CNMP (comprehensive nutrient management plan.

Manure scale:  1 cow = 20 people.  We have around 20,000 cows located in this area.  That’s equivalent to the untreated waste of 400,000 people.  For instance, a single, local, CAFO with a permit allowance of 2,500 cows would produce manure equivalent to the waste of about 50,000 people.  As of 2010, Lenawee County had about 99,000 people.