Pipeline now also laid out in Heritage Park

Pipes are welded and laid out to be dug into the soil soon left and right of Howell Highway

 

Now pipes are also laid out and welded across the disc golf park in Heritage Park

Pipeline will have 5 smaller parallel pipes

Pipeline is now laid out from Witt Farm to Howell and from there to the Beaver Creek bluff. Five parallel pipes instead of one. No pic taken today as but looks similar to my previous post.

Pipeline laying continues - Tank farm being prepared to process 4 Wells

Savoy had a late start today - but hey it is Saturday. Now the tank farm is being prepared to add processing of the two Heritage wells. No activities at the drilling site in Heritage - there is a soccer tournament today. I guess Savoy does not want to scare off the public...

No Visible Progress with the Pipeline - Old Mud Pit (Lagoon) Dug Out - Drilling Mud Transferred into New Deeper Pit

The old pit is gone. The drilling mud was transferred into a new pit but what happened to any residue and the lining? And is it humanly possible for the excavator operator shown yesterday to handle such a piece of machinery careful enough to not pierce and compromise the plastic lining. Due to this toxic chemicals might have penetrated into the soil and potentially the ground water. I guess we will never know, as no baseline testing was ever done...

Pipeline Lined Up - Open Pit on Drill Site in Heritage Park Dug Out

Pipeline is being laid out on both sides of Howell Highway. Here on the side of Purse Funeral Home.

Here West of Howell Highway. An old barn was brought down to make room for the pipeline that will run towards the steep floodplain bluff of Beaver Creek (right behind the treeline).

 On the other side of Beaver Creek, the pipeline will pass very close to a county drain.

Meanwhile, pipes were delivered to the drill site in Heritage Park...

...and the open pit that took up the drilling mud was dug out showing that there is either no lining below the mud or the process of digging with an excavator is most probably damaging and puncturing the lining below, which should prevent chemicals from the drilling mud to drain into the soil. In preparation of the pipeline, a deeper new pit was dug next to the old one.

The first picture dates from 3/29/2013 and shows the original open pit.

 

Environmental Assessment of Witt Farm is not a Baseline

Just brief. The site assessment done by TolTest Inc. in June 2000 for the City of Adrian is a phase 1 assessment, which is done by a trained professional visiting the grounds, interviewing the owners and researching the site history. No actual testing (phase 2) was done as this was not indicated to be necessary by the findings of the phase 1 assessment, meaning there were no indications of previous industrial land use or any spills. Savoy will for sure not accept responsibility easily based on a phase 1 assessment - this is NOT a baseline!

Seismic Testing started at Hidden Lakes Garden

Communicated by Cynthia Waidley:
West Bay is doing extensive seismic testing at Hidden Lake Gardens (@750 acres) There is an exploration and drilling lease that was extended in 2012, @ $82,000. (original lease @$79,000).  Signed by Michigan State university.  Yet another local institution undermining the values they' and their many volunteers have spent years cultivating.

West Bay is, historically, more discreet and aesthetic in their siting than Savoy...they stipulated a 30 foot service road...

This was confirmed by Steven Courtney, the manager of Hidden Lakes Garden, who stated that "MSU has a long history with West Bay and agreements to protect sites that they have leased". 

What is it with people that (want to) believe that protected nature areas such as Heritage Park and Hidden Lake Gardens, as so many wild places in Colorado, Montana and Wyoming, can coexist with oil and gas exploitation? Wake up people, that is not possible. Sanctuaries are meant to be left alone AND protected - not commercialized, exploited and squeezed-out. You cannot have both! Either money that never reaches as far as it promises to do - and untouched, pristine sites. Knock-knock, anybody there? That is COMMON SENSE!