PennEast Pipeline Project Supplemental Information

Transcription

1 \ AECOM 625 West Ridge Pike Suite E-100 Conshohocken, PA tel fax Memorandum To Eric Engle, Deleware River Basin Commission Pages 5 CC Subject PennEast Pipeline Project Supplemental Information From Sarah Binckley Date May 12, 2017 PennEast Pipeline Company, LLC (PennEast) submitted a water withdrawal and discharge application for the PennEast Pipeline Project (Project) in February Supplemental information was provided in March 2016, July 2016, and October This memorandum contains additional information about the water withdrawal plans in response to discussions in April All water sources listed in the accompanying tables and text have given approval to use their water sources for the Project. 1. Water withdrawal volumes and sources Since PennEast s October 2016 supplemental information package, PennEast has reevaluated water use for the Project, optimizing the volume of water that can be reused for hydrostatic testing. PennEast has also identified several new water sources that have agreed to provide water for the Project and will reduce environmental impacts. These sources include existing water suppliers with approved Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC) dockets and an inactive quarry. The following enclosed documents have been revised to reflect these changes: Table 3.1-1: Water Withdrawal and Discharge Locations for Construction Activities Associated with the PennEast Project Table 3.1-2: Summary of Water Use Needs for the PennEast Project Appendix B5: Proposed Water Withdrawal and Discharge Location Map 2. Discharge locations and volumes: Discharge locations and volumes have been updated as a result of the revised pipeline test sections. These changes are reflected in the enclosed tables and mapping referenced above. PennEast proposes to discharge water to these vegetated upland areas, implementing best management practices described in PennEast s February 2016 application. Water that is used for horizontal directional drill (HDD) drilling fluids and buoyancy as well as any hydrostatic test that cannot be discharged to uplands will be hauled away for disposal at an approved wastewater treatment facility within the Delaware River Basin. 3. Hydrants The DRBC requested confirmation of water suppliers for Hydrants 6, 7, 12, and 17. PennEast has replaced the use of Hydrants 6 and 7 with a new hydrant, Hydrant 6A, supplied by Bath 1

2 Borough Authority. PennEast has confirmed that Hydrant 12 is supplied by Georgia Pacific, and Hydrant 17 is supplied by Trenton Water Works. Hydrant 12, the Georgia Pacific hydrant, is supplied by a private groundwater well. PennEast will continue to work with Georgia Pacific to determine the maximum withdrawal rate based on well pump test results. 4. NRG The NRG facility is located in New Jersey just south of the proposed Etown and Gilbert Interconnects. PennEast will utilize Hydrant 13 (PennEast withdrawal ID# W13), which is an existing hydrant owned and operated by NRG. The hydrant is supplied by surface water. 5. Suez Water PennEast will utilize the Suez Water s existing hydrants located in Stockton and Lambertville, New Jersey. Hydrant 15A (W15A) is located approximately 1.3 miles southwest of MP 97.6 of the PennEast mainline pipeline. Hyrdant 16 is located approximately 0.5 mile southwest of MP 101.1R2. 6. Big Boulder Ski Resort Big Boulder Ski Resort is located approximately 2 miles east of MP 29.8R2 of the PennEast mainline pipeline in Kidder Township, Pennsylvania. PennEast plans to use a portion of Big Boulder Drive that wraps around the southwest side of the lake as a temporary access road for the Project. This access road, AR-036A, would allow water trucks to travel easily to the proposed point of water withdrawal. Big Boulder Ski Resort currently has a DRBC docket approval for the ski resort s snowmaking operations (Docket # D ). PennEast would only utilize the surplus of Big Boulder s approved allocation. There is an existing pump house that is used to withdraw water for snowmaking, and PennEast s preferred option would be to hook up directly to the existing pump house. However, if using Big Boulder s intake equipment is not a viable option, PennEast would use a water pump with screened intake device in the lake directly adjacent to the pump house. Water withdrawal rates and volumes would be metered and coordinated with Blue Mountain to ensure combined water withdrawal volumes and maximum instantaneous rates are not exceeded.penneast understands that Big Boulder s docket and Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PADEP) dam permits require a minimium 0.12 million gallons per day (mgd) maintenance flow, which could affect water availability during drought conditions. No land improvement will be necessary at the site. There is a large gravel lot immediately to the west of the proposed water withdrawal point, which would allow adequate space for the water trucks to park without creating an obstruction for other vehicles traveling in the area. Once filled, the trucks would continue along temporary access road AR-036A to the pipeline ROW for immediate use or the water would be trucked to a designated water storage location. 2

3 7. Blue Mountain Ski Resort The Blue Mountain Ski Resort withdrawal points are located approximately 650 feet east of mile post (MP) 49.4R2 and 1,100 feet east of MP 49.7R2 in Lower Towamensing Township, Pennsylvania. Blue Mountain Ski Resort currently has DRBC docket approval for the ski resort s snowmaking operations (Docket # D ). PennEast would only utilize the surplus of Blue Mountain s approved allocation. PennEast plans to withdraw water from Blue Mountain Ski Resort s existing pump house or from storage ponds uphill of the pump house. PennEast s preferred withdrawal method would be to hook up directly to the existing pump house. However, if using Blue Mountain s intake equipment is not a viable option, PennEast would use a water pump with screened intake device in the impoundment directly adjacent to the pumphouse or the storage pond upgradient. Water withdrawal rates and volumes would be metered and coordinated with Blue Mountain to ensure combined water withdrawal volumes and maximum instantaneous rates are not exceeded. PennEast understands that Blue Mountain s DRBC docket has pass-by flow restrictions, which would affect water availability if stream flow at downstream USGS gaging stations is less than 4.13 cubic feet per second (cfs). It is unlikely that any land improvement will be necessary at the water withdrawal sites. Water trucks will travel along Blue Mountain Ski Resort s existing access roads to the pump house or storage ponds. Once the trucks are filled, the water will be trucked on site for immediate use or trucked to a designated water storage location. 8. Jack Frost Ski Resort The Jack Frost Ski Resort withdrawal point is located approximately 1.6 miles east of MP 24.3 of the PennEast mainline pipeline in Kidder Township, Pennsylvania. PennEast plans to access the water on the west side of the creek at an existing intake structure operated by Jack Frost Ski Resort. Jack Frost Ski Resort currently has DRBC docket approvals for snowmaking operations and golf course management (Docket # D and D ). PennEast s preferred method is to hook up directly to Jack Frost s existing pump house. However, if using Jack Frost s intake equipment is not a viable option, PennEast would use a water pump with screened intake device in Tobyhanna Creek directly adjacent to the pump house. Water withdrawal rates and volumes would be metered and coordinated with Jack Frost to ensure combined water withdrawal volumes and maximum instantaneous rates are not exceeded. PennEast understands that Jack Frost s DRBC docket has pass-by flow restrictions, which would affect water availability if stream flow at downstream USGS gaging stations is less than 22.4 cubic feet per second (cfs). PennEast may need to improve the access road to the Jack Frost Ski Resort pump house, or it will stage the water trucks upslope of the pump house, running a longer intake hose to the source. If improvements are required, the workspace will be included in PennEast s PADEP permit applications. Water trucks will be able to access the withdrawal location from the pipeline ROW via temporary access road AR-034B to Jack Frost Ski Resort s existing roads. Once the water trucks are filled, the water will be trucked on site for immediate use or trucked to a designated water storage location. 3

4 9. Lehigh River The Lehigh River withdrawal point is located approximately 0.5 miles east of MP 70.9 of the PennEast mainline pipeline on the border of Easton City and Bethlehem Township, Pennsylvania. PennEast plans to access the water on the north side of the river from an existing boat launch off of an existing paved public roadway. No land improvement will be necessary at the water withdrawal site. There is a large paved lot directly to the north of the boat launch for the water trucks to use for parking and turnaround. A water pump and hose with a screened intake will be used to convey water from the Lehigh River to water trucks parked north of the boat ramp. Once the water trucks have been filled, the water will be trucked on site for immediate use or trucked to a designated water storage location. 10. Black Eddy Quarry The Black Eddy Quarry withdrawal point is located approximately 1 mile south of MP 78.6 in Tinicum Township, Pennsylvania. The quarry was historically leased as a sand/gravel pit beginning in 1977, and quarry operation ceased approxiamtely eight years ago. The water capacity is approximately 170 million gallons. The average depth of water is approximately 15 feet. The landowner has given PennEast verbal approval to access the property and to withdraw water from the inactive quarry. It is unlikely that any land improvement will be necessary at the water withdrawal site. Water trucks will travel along the quarry s existing access roads to a parking area near the waters edge. A water pump and hose with a screened intake will be used to convey the water from the quarry and to the water trucks. Once the water trucks have been filled, the water will be trucked on site for immediate use or trucked to a designated water storage location. 11. Estimated Peak Withdrawal Rates The maximum withdrawal rate at any surface water withdrawal location is not expected to exceed 5,000 gallons per minute (gpm). Where site conditions allow, surface water withdrawal areas will be set up with temporary manifold systems and secondary pumps to load trucks at faster rates. A pipe manifold system is a device typically constructed of heavy wall PVC or metal that consists of an intake device and multiple discharge fittings. The intake device is screened and designed to withdraw water at a selected depth. The depth of intake can be varied dependent on need. Shallow depths generally yield warmer water with higher clarity while deeper depths generally yield cooler water. The intake depth also takes into consideration floating debris such as leaves or the possibility of drawing in bottom silts. The intake device piping leads to multiple outlet connections. The number of outlets is determined based on the anticipated truck traffic, staging area size, and discharge volume limitations. The manifold system allows the ability to fill a single truck or multiple trucks simultaneously. The advantage of this system is the reduction of disturbance to the water source and its banks because it eliminates the need for each truck to establish an intake area each load. The device is temporary and can be removed whenever necessary. 4

5 Additional benefits: 1. Can be fitted with measuring device to accurately measure consumption 2. Can be fitted with back flow device to prevent use for discharging 3. Eliminates need to wash individual trucks to prevent introduction of invasive plants/algae 4. Can be set up in areas determined to avoid public traffic 5. Allows faster load times for trucks by eliminating setup/breakdown times 12. Timing for Withdrawals Temporary storage (portable water tanks that are approximately 21,000 gallons each) would be placed at critical areas within permitted workspace. These areas would provide holding capacity that will allow PennEast to fill the pipeline for hydrostatic testing. The amount of time for peak haulage at key areas would be several days to weeks. The timing for HDD installation, dust control, and hydrostatic test water needs is contractor dependent and will vary among the four construction spreads. In general and within a given spread, the water used for HDD and dust control will be ongoing during pipeline construction, and the hydrostatic test water will be needed after the pipeline is installed and the trench is backfilled. 13. Truck Storage Capacity and Loading Rate Typical storage volume for a straight truck is between 3500 and 5000 gallons, with 4000 gallons being most common. A typical on-board pump will load the truck at gpm with newer centrifugal pumps operating at 1,000 gpm. A trucks is generally loaded within 5 to 10 minutes. 5