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

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.

Enbridge Tries to Bypass Keystone XL in Our Area (Livingston County)

Another Major Tar Sands Pipeline Seeking U.S. Permit

Canadian energy giant Enbridge is quietly building a 5,000-mile network of new and expanded pipelines that would achieve the same goal as the Keystone

Full article here

Having so many pipelines and so much construction going on in our region costs us and the environment:

Enbridge damage: Utility, road fixes could hit $1 million

Road and utility damage in Howell Township believed to have been caused by Enbridge Energy LP could reach $1 million, Mike Craine, Livingston County Road Commission managing director, said last week.
Full story here: http://www.livingstondaily.com/article/C4/20130429/NEWS06/304290056/Enbridge-damage-Utility-road-fixes-could-hit-1-million

Enbridge cited for discharge in Hartland

Read the story here: http://www.livingstondaily.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2013307040002

The spill was caught on this Youtube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2XKoYuTQi7o



Such massive misconduct brought tar sand pipeline watchdogs on the plan. MICATS (Michigan Coalition Against Tar Sands, https://www.facebook.com/michigancats) arranged a non-violent direct action including a sit-in of some activist tied to the machinery. Livingston Daily reported about this:

12 arrested at Enbridge protest

Read the full article here:http://www.livingstondaily.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2013130723003

Read also a commentary by Mickey Hirten today: Enbridge Energy has a credibility problem http://www.livingstondaily.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2013308040016

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).

Pipeline Safety

Two interesting resources:

Laws Don't Adequately Protect Great Lakes from Pipeline Oil Spills, New Report Finds

Stronger rules needed to prevent a repeat of historic spill in Michigan

04-30-2012 // Jordan Lubetkin

read more here

and especially the report linked in this article: After the Marshall Spill: Oil Pipelines in the Great Lakes Region, A Legal Analysis (pdf)

The other is a website dedicated to an independent critical view on pipeline safety:

The Pipeline Safety Trust

The Pipeline Safety Trust is a nonprofit public charity promoting fuel transportation safety through education and advocacy, by increasing access to information, and by building partnerships with residents, safety advocates, government, and industry, that result in safer communities and a healthier environment. More detail about the Trust’s mission, history and leadership can be found in the links below.

Link: http://pstrust.org/

Rally at the Mackinac Bridge

Despite the importance of the event - only a little more than 300 people showed up. The organizers 350.org in Traverse City did not advertise the event very well - especially within the local communities around the Strait of Mackinac. A 2nd problem was that no press was documenting the event.

Worst thing I was getting to know that the two 60 years old 20" pipes of line 5 are running through the strait are UNSUPPORTED - meaning not lying at the bottom or held up by a pedals tool. With the strong and changing currents in the Strait of Mackinac, the pipeline that is unsupported above the underwater canyon (see Google Earth profile below) is bound to be exposed to a lot of stress - and it is actually a wonder that no major spill occurred yet. The pipelines are owned by Enbridge, and the pipes are of the same size and type as the one that ruptured in the Marshall, Mi oil spill of 2010. Download the full report by Jeff Alexander and Beth Wallace from the National Wildlife Federation: Sunken Hazard: Aging oil pipelines beneath the Straits of Mackinac an ever-present threat to the Great Lakes (pdf)

 

Location of the two pipelines crossing the strait of Mackinac. Source:

Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration.

 

Google Earth drawing of the approximate location of the pipelines and the depth profile of the canyon at this line. Note the deep canyon, which is thought to be the remainder of a deep river canyon during one of the glacial periods that is now submerged. The red line depicts my guess of how the pipelines are partially on the ground of the strait but hang unsupported over the canyon.

More info and very insightful comments also here.

The speakers that I listened to were

Bill Latka • TC350 – Solutions

The two 20 inch pipes below the speaker's podium are identical pipes that are submerged in the Strait of Mackinac - and burst open in the pipeline accident in Marshall, MI

Cecil Pavlat • Sault Tribe of Chippewa Indians- This was the speaker I was most impressed of. He stressed that global climate change is not only harming us humans but all other innocent species on this planet - and that we humans cannot longer hear and listen what Earth is telling us. That we lost our ways - and our purpose in the world - and as I see it are destroyers of the World when we were meant to be Stewards...

 

During his speech - wood smoke was carried around our gathering - and all the sudden - a group of eagles circled above us... as if Earth is trying to tell us that we are not alone in this fight....

Beth Wallace • National Wildlife Federation: Author of Sunken Hazard report - mentioned above

Bill McKibben • 350.org, Author, Environmentalist

Jeff Spoelstra • Kalamazoo River Watershed Council

Oil & Water Don't Mix: A Rally for the Great Lakes

A million gallons of poisonous tar sands oil ruined part of the Kalamazoo River as it spilled from a poorly maintained pipeline owned and operated by Enbridge Energy. Enbridge, the same company with over 800 pipeline spills since 1999, has also been pumping oil through two sixty year old pipelines that run through the Straits of Mackinac. Now, they are planning to drastically increase the capacity to pump even more oil through the Straits – which could include the most toxic and corrosive tar sands oil from Alberta, Canada.

More Info under: http://oilandwaterdontmix.com/

A bus is organized to leave from Ann Arbor: http://bit.ly/OilandWater_A2Bus

Carson Highway - Williamsburg Drive Update

Horizontal drilling continues off of Carson Highway and Williamsburg Drive right behind a residential area.
The amount of pre-drilling site preparation and pipe laying indicates that Savoy expects to tap into some major deposits...

Construction on Witt Farm - Open Flare on Purse Funeral Home

 Pipeline drilling rig on Witt Farm - more of Witt Farm for sale 

Pipeline drilling rig and oil pump on Witt Farm

Preparations of the separators to accommodate for more oil wells

Looks like there are 5 separators now

Flare next to the Funeral Home

Closeup of the Flare from Howell Highway shows soot and smoke

Flare from Howell Highway shows soot and smoke

And from a little further against darker background

You may also want to read the next post that will tell you more about the nasty stuff that is in flares!