Pipeline Goes Underground in Heritage Park

The pipes that will be buried into the flood plain are still above ground. Note the almost 90° angle from the straight down direction from the drill site towards Beaver Creek. This shows that the originally staked track will be simplified by going diagonal through part of the disc golf lawn and then cut straight through to the already laid straight track on the farm sites above the floodplain.

The five metal pipes buried 4 ft crossing the field road to the disc golf area.  Please note the still high level of ground water under the pipes.

The connection to the flood plain pipes still needs to be made.

 Ground water level is still very high. The pipes would sit in water if lowered into the trench.

 Closeup to where the pipes cross the disc golf service road. You can clearly see the 5 metal pipes and a sixth plastic pipe (what for?)

 Strange attachments on pipes waiting to be buried. Are these floating devices - but what about the wires?

Asphalt gravel is distributed and is spread out over the road crossing using a caterpillar.

On the North side of the service road towards the Heritage drilling site, the pipes leave the 4 ft. trench and have to be carefully lifted into trench  step by step.

On the way back from our walk (40 minutes later), 5 metal pipes are inside of the trench facing the floodplain. A sixth metal pipe is still outside. In some areas the pipes look very zig-zaggy - not very trustworthy...

But still have to be laid underground one-by-one for another 50 yards towards the Heritage Park drilling site.

At the same pace the excavator progresses some 100 yards ahead towards the drill site.

Michigan Significant Pipeline Incidents Listing

http://primis.phmsa.dot.gov/comm/reports/safety/IncDetSt_st_MI_flt_sig.html?nocache=2672#_all

Showing quite a high incident of material, welding, equipment failure (MAT'L/WELD/EQUIP FAILURE) - and these are leaks that were detected. Leaks in the small diameter pipes going 3 feet deep into the soil between Heritage Park and the Witt Farm (approx. 1 mile long!!) will not be easily detected. Standard checkups for some of the pipe segments will not be done before 6 years - and not for the entire length...

Welding and Bending of Pipeline Pipes Continues in Heritage Park

Further Preparation of the Oil Pipeline in Heritage Park

Witt Farm Side of Pipeline Buried - W of Howell Dug Under - Burried Drilling Mud Pit

East of Howell Highway the pipeline is now dug under the field.

West of Howell Highway the pipeline is now being put underground and leads until about 30 feet before the bluff down to the Beaver Creek floodplain.

The open pit filled with drilling mud and chemicals was dug under ground at the Heritage Park drilling site.

Before (April 26):

After (May 2):

Heritage Park in Spring Bloom

Not about oil but something nice - that is potentially endangered by all that is going on - especially the wetland habitat plants and animals

White form of Hepatica

White trout lily

Purple Hepatica

Blood Root

Spring Beauty

Yellow trout lily

Trillium

Pipeline Trench Dug Out Drilling Under Howell Highway - Open Pit in Heritage Park Burried

Trench for pipeline dug out and pipeline laid at least 3 feet under ground starting East of Howell Highway.

 

 

 Drilling underneath Howell Highway from the West

Meantime - surprise in Heritage Park - the new deeper pit that most of the drilling mud of the 1st pit was transferred in was dug under - out of sight not there anymore? What about groundwater safety???

Pipes prepared and welded to be dug in in the coming days.

Final path of the pipeline now laid out: From the disc golf field into the woods, passing the county drain just by about a foot, leaving Heritage Park into private property, continuing straight across (under) Beaver Creek, and straight up the floodplain bluff to the farmland West of Howell Hwy.

The tank / well farm (central processing facility) is ready to take on at least the two new wells from Heritage (see the 4 separators). The hidden flare will soon burn off twice as much toxic and cancerous gases.