Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest Service. 857 W South Jordan Parkway MEMO

Transcription

1 Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest Service 857 W South Jordan Parkway MEMO To: WBLU #1-3 Well, Platte Petroleum NEPA Project File From: Kim J. Martin, Forest Engineer revised by Renee Flanagan, AFE cc: Oscar Mena, IDT Member, Engineering Date: February 2015 (Revised June 2015) Re: Revised Engineering Report for road work Application for Permit to Drill WBLU #1-3 Well T2N, R13E, Section 3 SE1/4SW1/4 Summit County, Evanston RD An application for a permit (APD) to drill an oil and gas well by Burnett Oil Company, represented by Platte Petroleum Corporation was submitted to the Bureau of Land Management in the letter dated August 28, The proposal in the APD is to access the drill site by using multiple State, County and Forest Service roads. The roads addressed in this report as identified in the APD is the use of existing Forest Service Roads (FSR) Gilbert Creek #075 (9.1 miles), Blacks Fork-China Mdw #073 (0.9 miles), and Tie Road Gated #388 (1.3 miles). The estimated distance to the drill site along FSR #388 is approximately 1.5 miles with approximately 1.3 to 1.4 miles already established from previous timber sale activities in The remaining distance 0.1 to 0.2 miles to the drill site traversing through a stringer of timber and a portion of a clearcut previously closed will require reconstruction. See Vicinity Map on page 3 of this report. NEPA Decision The purpose of this report is to supplement and support the Forest Service s decision document for the development and approval of the Surface Use Plan of Operations (SUPO) as identified in the APD of this project and as per 36 CFR 228 E and 43 CFR 3160, Onshore Oil and Gas Order No. 1. Current Status FSR #075 is a single lane collector road suitable for passenger cars with a crushed aggregate surface and includes 2 bridges (East Fork Smiths Fork and Gilbert Creek). FSR #073 is single lane collector suitable for high clearance vehicles with a native surface. FSR #388 is closed (by a 16 foot Powder River gate) at its beginning termini and is a single lane local road with a native surface. It is currently closed under basic custodial care and classified as a Maintenance Level 1 road. Most recent bridge inspections for East Fork and Gilbert Creek bridges were reviewed. Both bridges are structurally sound with standard weight limitations associated with legal loads. Both bridges have surface course to protect decking. The surface course for the East Fork bridge is asphalt in poor condition with Page 1 of 8

2 several potholes. The Gilbert Creek bridge surfacing is crushed aggregate in fair condition. An inventory of FSR #388 for this project took place on September 22, 2014 See attached the end of this report for details (Pages 4-7). The average width of FSR #388 is 18 feet with a two foot deep ditch on the cut sides of the road. Fills slopes vary from 1½ to 3:1 slopes and/or daylighted. Drainage dips have been constructed throughout the 1.3 to 1.4 miles to mitigate for erosion. Presently, there are no culverts along the road. Vegetation such as Lodgepole pine is encroaching along the cut and fill slopes of the road. Grasses are growing within the travelway. Planned and Expected work The APD under section titled Proposed Roads Access Roads to be Constructed indicates no new roads will be constructed. All existing roads along access and haul routes will require improvements or maintenance. Tie Road Gated Road #388 will require improvements. The one significant road work described is as follows: The final approach will be constructed 30 feet in width and be a dirt road which is crowned and ditched following terrain. Drainage culverts, if needed, are identified on the pad and road layout attached to the APD. Drainage structures will be designed to pass all naturally occurring mean flows. The APD does states in the same section referenced above Road upgrading will consist of graveling the roadway with [scoria] material that is acceptable to the Forest Service. Such material is depended on availability and approval by the Forest Service before such material is hauled and placed on the road. However, the existing road surface does not have a harden surface that would not be suitable for heavy and repetitive truck loads for an extended period of time. It is anticipated that gravel would be required to protect the investment of the road and surrounding natural resources, especially if the drilling operations occurs over the winter and/or during other wet adverse weather conditions. To haul and place gravel over the 1.5 miles of road including the drilling pad would require approximately 9,300 cubic yards. This is assuming a minimum depth of six inches covering 18 feet of the 1.5 miles of road and 8¼ acres for the drilling pad. If the well is successful in producing oil and/or gas on long term basis gravel would be required as indicated in the APD. It is anticipated that the existing road width with an average of 18 feet will allow for free flowing traffic for this project, especially if inter-visible turnouts are constructed throughout the 1.5 miles. This strategy was confirmed in a meeting with a representative from Platte Petroleum in a meeting held at the Supervisor s Office on February 23, With the terrain relatively flat, cross slopes up to 40 percent in various locations and a road alignment with long sight distances and few sharp curves, approximately 15 to 20 turnouts will be needed. Each turnout should be approximately 12 feet wide and 100 feet in length with 50 foot transitions at each end. It is estimated to construct these turnouts will disturb up to one acre over the 1.5 miles. If the road was constructed to double lanes from 18 to 24 feet, the disturbed area would be up to approximately two acres. Roughly, 42 percent of the 1.5 miles covers previously disturbed areas from timber clearcutting activities. It would be expected that culverts be installed over the 1.5 miles of roads particularly in locations where current drain dips exists. The inventory identified 14 dip locations over the 1.4 miles. Culverts shall be sized to carry surface and ground water from rain and snowmelt, thus ensuring erosion off the road prism is mitigated. Any disturbed areas related to road work and drainage shall be stabilized from an approved erosion plan. Page 2 of 8

3 It is recommended that the existing 16 Powder River gate with shown in the photo to the right, at the junction with FSR #073 be replaced with a wider and more substantial gate along with a Road Closed sign and objective makers to provide for improved security during the well operations and for public safety. Gilbert Creek Road #075 (9.1 miles) will require improvements. The East Fork Bridge asphalt surface will need to be replaced to be suitable for repetitive truck loads. The Gilbert Creek Bridge surface of 8-inch depth shall be maintained throughout the project. The existing crushed aggregate road surface is suitable for heavy and repetitive truck loads if a minimum of 6-inch depth crushed aggregate surface is maintained. It is estimated that the existing surface has approximately 2-4-inch aggregate depth. It is estimate to haul and place gravel over the 9.1 miles with an addition of 3-inch depth and 20-foot width would require approximately 8,900 cubic yards. Blacks Fork-China Mdw Road #073 will require improvements. The existing native road surface does not have a harden surface and would not be suitable for heavy and repetitive truck loads for an extended period of time. It is anticipated that gravel would be required to protect the investment of the road and surrounding natural resources, especially if the drilling operations occurs over the winter and/or during other wet adverse weather conditions. To haul and place gravel over the 0.9 miles with a minimum 6-inch depth and 18-foot width would require approximately 1,600 cubic yards. It is understood that all Forest Service roads will receive commensurate maintenance over the course of this project. A maintenance plan will be submitted for review and approval by the Forest Service before the beginning of any project work related to this APD. Page 3 of 8

4 Vicinity Google Map Tie Road Gated Road (FSR#80388) Page 4 of 8

5 Page 5 of 8

6 Page 6 of 8

7 Page 7 of 8

8 Page 8 of 8