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Home My WebLink AboutReclamation PlanE Caerus Piceance, LLC - Operator # 10456 Reclamation Plan Williams to Middle Fork 16" Gas Pipeline Section 25 & 30, T5S R95&95W Garfield County Site Description: The proposed pipeline is located on private lands in Sections 25 and 30 of Township 5 South, Range 95 and 96 West. The reach spans from existing pipeline infrastructure within the canyon bottom of West Fork Parachute Creek to the existing Middle Fork Compressor Station. The project area has south, east, and west aspect with slopes ranging from 1 Lo 22%. The Right-Of-Way (ROW) has limited slope and topography through the West and Middle Fork Parachute Creek valley bottom and encounters steeper slopes (less than 4:1) as it exits the valley bottom toward the compressor station. Elevation ranges from 5,840 feet to 5,970 feet. Current land uses include rangeland, wildlife habitat, and naturalgas production. Following pipeline construction, all surface disturbance associated with the project will be reclaimed to stabilize soils and reestablish desirable perennial vegetation. The planned reclamation area is approximately 5.17 acres to replace soils as near as practicable to their original relative position and contour. Soils Description: The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) Web Soil Survey was used to identify Soil Map Units within the proposed pipeline ROW. Four Map Units were identified within the project area: Map Unit Svmbol SoilName Description 46 Nihill channery loam, 1to 6 percent slopes Occurs on valley sides and alluvial fans between 5,000 and 6,500 feet. Parent material is alluvium derived from sandstone and shale. 47 Nihill channery loam, 6 to 25 percent slopes Occurs on valley sides and alluvial fans between 5,000 and 6,500 feet. Parent material is alluvium derived from sandstone and shale. 62 Rock outcrop- Torriorthents com plex, very steep Occurs on hillslopes, escarpments and plateaus between 5,800 and 8,500 feet. m. Parent material is very stony colluvium derived from calcareous shale. 6s Torrifluvents, nea rly level Occurs on distributaries, rivers, and flood plains between 5,000 and 7,000 feet. Parent material is alluvium. These soils typically have non-saline to moderately saline properties, have water table depths greater than 80 inches, and the depth to lithic bedrock typically ranges 0 to 60 inches. Topsoil depth will vary widely within the project area, with areas in the eastern ROW reach having little to no topsoil and areas of the valley bottom potentially containing up to lL inches of viable topsoil. All available topsoil will be stripped and stockpiled during construction. ln areas with no topsoil present, the top 6 inches of soil will be salvaged. rc Reclamation Plan - Williams to Middle Fork 16" Gas Pipeline Reference Area And Pre-Disturbance Vegetation Composition: The pipeline is within Ecological Site Upland Loam (Wyoming Big Sagebrush). The project area is primarily composed of sagebrush and sumac shrublands in the valley bottom to the west, meadow pasture through the middle of the ROW, and rocky outcrops through the eastern section of ROW. Common plant species include sagebrush, serviceberry, sumac, western wheatgrass, smooth brome, and Arizona fescue. Known Weed Occurrences: Musk thistle was treated near the project area in 2023. Annual weeds (Russian thistle, kochia) can occur along roadsides in the area. Reclamation Operations Soil Preparation and Recontourins: Following completion of pipeline construction reclamation operations will commence. All regions with compacted soils (ROW driving surfaces) will be ripped to a depth of 18 inches or to bedrock, whichever is shallower, to alleviate compaction. Recontouring will occur to replace soils to their original relative positions and level ripped soils. Recontouring will include all edges of the disturbance to blend them with the adjacent landscape. Topsoil will be spread evenly across the recontoured ROW. The final surface will be left rough to promote micro catch depressions for additional water retention. Re-establishment and Stabilization of Hvdrologic Features: The pipeline creek crossing will be completed through directional boring methods to prevent any surface disturbance within the riparian corridor. Any irrigation ditches or roadside ditches disturbed during construction will be reestablished in their original paths to preexisting specs. Site specific erosion control measures will be installed before the start of construction to prevent erosion channel formation, topsoil loss, and sediment discharge from the ROW. Long-term stormwater best management practices include land-forming and revegetation with perennial plant species to prevent excessive erosion, soil instability, subsidence, or slumping. Seedbed Preparation, Seedins. and Mulchins: lf seeding can be completed directly following recontouring operations, no seedbed preparation is necessary. However, if the soil surface has hardened before seeding operations can be completed, the seedbed will be prepared via disk, harrow, or chisel plow to have the topsoil of loose enough to allow for root growth and firm enough on the surface for proper seed to soil contact. The soil surface should also be relatively free of debris and dirt clods greater than 3 inches in diameter, as too much debris and clods will inhibit proper seed placement. lf possible, the soil surface should also be free of rocks greater than 3 inches in diameter, though this may not be feasible based on soil types on the proposed location. 500 lbs./acre Richlawn 3-5-3 with mycorrhizae and humates '" pellet organic fertilizer will be applied prior to seeding and mulch application. Seed will be applied using a range type drill seeder throughout the reclamation area. Areas inaccessible with the drill will be hand seeded and raked in. All seed will be calculated in pounds per acre and certified weed free with pure live seed rated per applicable jurisdiction standards. Seed tags will be reviewed by Caerus before application and seeding will be documented through a report form completed by the contractor. The below-detailed seed mix will be used throughout the reclamation area. Page2 of 4 rc Reclamation Plan - Williams to Middle Fork 16" Gas Pipeline Following seeding, certified weed-free straw mulch will be applied at a rate of 3,500 lbs./acre to cover LOO% of the seedbed. Straw will be crimped to properly anchor the mulch and ensure maximum soil moisture retention and stormwater stabilization. A natural fiber mulch (hydraulically applied) may also be utilized on steeper slopes or areas of concentrated stormwater flow to ensure stabilization. Reclamation Seed Mix: Grasses Manasement of lnvasive Plants: During construction phases, the RoW is inspected for stormwater compliance on a weekly or biweekly schedule. Following reclamation operations, the RoW is inspected monthly. Through these routine site visits, any noxious and invasive weeds within the disturbance boundaries will be identified, inventoried, and treated by licensed contracted herbicide applicators or mechanically removed through mowing, line-trimming, or hand tools. The treatment method is determined based on weed species, growth stage, season, and distribution. Caerus will monitor, control, and reduce the spread of noxious and invasive weed species within caerus' disturbances per state and county regulation and rules pertaining to the administration and enforcement of the Colorado Noxious Weed Act. NPR Mountain Wildlife/lrrigated Meadow Seed Mix Broadcast Pounds Per AcreDrilled Pounds Per AcrePlant 53Tim 53Meadow Brome 53Orchard Grass 53Perineal 53Tall Fescue 2315Grass Total # Forbs 54Small Burnett 64Cicer Milkvetch 32Alfalfa, Ladak or Ra r 64Sainfoin 32Sweet Clover 32Red Clover 2718Forbs Total # Cover 1510ll Plantior TriticalePlantiOats 7.55HaiVetch 32Turnior RadishesTill 26L7Total Cover 7550Total Pounds Per Acre Page 3 of 4 'qc Reclamation Plan - Williams to Middle Fork 16" Gas Pipeline Reclamation Monitorine: Caerus Best Management Practices require routine site visits and active management over construction activities, along with annual reclamation reporting requirements. For compliance with Colorado Department of public Health and Environment (CDPHE) Stormwater rules, the location will be visited for stormwater inspections every 7 or 74 days during active earthwork and monthly following completion of reclamation untilthe vegetation has reached 7oo/o covet of pre-disturbance levels, with the focus on stabilizing soils, preventing erosion and site degradation, and monitoring for and treating invasive species. Annual inspectlons (at a minimum) will then take place until the reclaimed disturbance is deemed successful and a self-perpetuating perennial plant community has been reestablished. Establishment of a Desirable Self-Perpetuatins plant Communitv: Caerus knows that reclamation maintenance, including greater than one seeding event, may be necessary to ensure the reclamation achieves uniform cover of a desirable, self-perpetuating, plant community. Monitoring, subsequent planning, and implementation of site-specific maintenance plans will ensure revegetation efforts are successful, topsoil is stabilized, and wildlife habitat and forage is reestablished. Page 4 of 4