MVN-2018-1417-WII - Enable Gulf Run Transmission, LLC - various wetlands - various parishes in Louisiana

Full Public Notice          Drawings 1          Drawings 2         Drawings 3

The applicant has requested Department of the Army authorization to install and operate a 42-inch diameter natural gas transmission pipeline approximately 134 miles in length. The pipeline facilities include the proposed 134 mainline section beginning at Westdale, Louisiana and terminating near Starks, Louisiana. The project also involves the construction of seven mainline valves, a pig trap, and meter station along the pipeline route. The project activities include clearing the right-of-way, conducting trenching operations, installing various above and below ground pipelines and components, installing aboveground facilities, temporarily stockpiling materials, and performing horizontal directional drilling (HDD) operations. Following construction, areas temporarily impacted by the project will be restored to pre-construction grade and allowed to revegetate to their pre-existing habitat conditions.

The proposed project will temporarily impact approximately 37.58 acres of jurisdictional wetlands, of which 8.37 acres are emergent wetlands, 27.70 acres are bottomland hardwoods, 0.11 of an acre is cypress/tupelo gum swamp, and 1.40 acres are scrub-shrub wetlands. In addition, approximately 11.73 acres of jurisdictional wetlands, of which 11.49 acres are bottomland hardwoods, 0.05 of an acre is cypress/tupelo gum swamp and 0.19 of an acre is scrub-shrub wetlands, will be permanently converted to maintained non-forested wetlands within the pipeline right-of-way. The project will result in no permanent loss of wetlands or waters. To install the pipeline, approximately 47,805.62 cubic yards of native soils will be excavated, temporarily side-cast, and backfilled over the pipeline after it is constructed and placed back into the trench. The area will be returned to pre-construction contours. Construction of the seven mainline valves, a pig trap, and meter station located along the pipeline will not result in the placement of fill in jurisdictional wetlands or other waters of the U.S. The applicant has designed the project to avoid and minimize direct and secondary adverse impacts to the maximum extent practicable by co-locating the proposed route with existing rights-of-way, utilizing HDDs, reducing the construction footprint to 75 feet in wetlands, and maximizing the use of existing access roads. The applicant proposes to offset unavoidable wetland impacts by purchasing mitigation credits from Corps-approved mitigation banks within the Fort Worth, Vicksburg, New Orleans, and Galveston Districts, should a Department of the Army permit be granted.