FS plans to take out old pipeline

A portion of the Yellowstone Pipeline, running through National Forest land will be removed announced the Lolo National Forest. Forest Supervisor Carolyn Upton recently signed the final Decision Notice designating the removal and abandonment processes of pipeline located on the Plains/Thompson Falls and Missoula Ranger Districts.

According to a Lolo National Forest Service News Release, “The selected action includes the removal of approximately 2,958 feet of buried pipeline along with two over-river crossings along the Clark Fork River on National Forest System lands and includes the stabilization and abandonment of approximately 5,865 feet of the buried pipe at four separate locations.”

The project is expected to begin immediately and will be monitored annually according to the Forest Service. The Decision contains a combination of Alternatives 2 and 3 presented in the Environmental Assessment. Alternative 1 was a no action plan, Alternative 2 supported abandonment in place with removal of over-river crossings and Alternative 3 requested removal of pipeline and over-river crossings.

East of Thompson Falls, two sites have been identified as project areas, labeled Site 2 and Site 3. Within these areas, 1,785 feet of pipeline will be abandoned in place and 2,958 feet will be removed.

“All surface route identifiers will remain in place where the pipeline is abandoned and Yellowstone Pipeline Company (YPL) will be responsible for annual monitoring,” stated the Decision Notice. “If monitoring reveals pipeline exposure or other resource issues, remediation will be the responsibility of YPL or their heirs and assigns, as permitted.” In addition, the abandoned lines will exhaust all contained nitrogen and all residual petroleum product will be removed.

In addition to the 2,958 feet of pipeline to be removed, “two above ground over-river spans on National Forest System (NFS) lands will be fully removed.” Prior to removal, cleaning practices will also take place to deter contamination from nitrogen and petroleum. Stream bank and channel restoration will occur post-project activities at Outlaw Creek. The Blackfoot Telecommunications Cooperative, Inc. fiber-optic cable will be relocated from the over-river location to the Highway 200 right-of-way.

The Decision Notice addresses the purpose of the project is to comply with the terms and conditions set in the existing special use permit authorizing the pipeline on NFS lands. “The permit requires the out-of-service pipeline to be removed, or with appropriated reclamation and stabilization, to remain in place.”

According to the Forest Service, long-term environmental concerns were assessed and therefore authorized the combined removal and abandonment processes to reduce the “long-term risk of exposure in streams and river zones and abandonment in place to minimize ground disturbance where the exposure risk is minimal.”

The YPL pipeline decision process is fully outlined in the Decision Notice. For more information, call (406) 826-3821 or visit https://www.fs.usda.gov/projects/lolo/landmanagement/projects.