Corps applications for North Slope work
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ConocoPhillips Alaska, Hilcorp North Slope, Afognak Leasing have facilities work including dredging, completion of storage pad
Kristen Nelson Petroleum News
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Alaska District has posted notice of applications for work on the North Slope from ConocoPhillips Alaska, Hilcorp North Slope and Afognak Leasing.
The Corps posted a notice June 10 that ConocoPhillips Alaska applied for annual screeding of some 2.5 acres and annual dredging of some 5.84 acres from May 1 to Oct. 31 in Simpson Lagoon. The purpose is to provide vessel access to Oliktok Dock and maintain seawater flow at the Seawater Treatment Plant intake bays.
The Corps said a maximum of 10,000 cubic yards of material would be dredged and disposed of at five upland locations.
The public comment period expires June 25.
The Corps said the request meets the terms of Executive Order 14156, in which President Trump declared a national emergency, making the request "subject to special emergency permitting procedures to address an energy supply situation which would result in an unacceptable hazard to life, a significant loss of property, or an immediate, unforeseen, and significant economic hardship if corrective action requiring a permit is not undertaken within a time period less than the normal time needed to process the application under standard procedures."
A state water quality certification is required from the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation for this work and that application was noticed June 11, with a closing date for comments of June 26.
DEC said the project provides barge access to the Oliktok Dock and allows continued seawater flow to ConocoPhillips Alaska's saltwater treatment plant, which provides water to the Kuparuk and Alpine oil fields.
DEC said there are no practical alternatives to the project, "given that the intake bays at STP must remain clear to maintain proper function and for large vessels to access Oliktok Dock" and "similar activities have been conducted at STP for the past 35 years."
Temporary water quality impacts are possible but this is "an area where wave action and other natural processes already contribute to increased turbidity," the department said.
Hilcorp North Slope The application from Hilcorp North Slope is for work to address seasonal flooding in Sagavanirktok River in the Prudhoe Bay unit, operated by Hilcorp. The notice was posted June 13 and expires June 30.
The project is to improve flow under the Sag River vehicle bridge and pipe bridge and involves "dredging and recontouring the river bottom to follow the natural slope of the riverbed."
The Corps said the work would involve removing some 45,000 cubic yards of material from 13 acres of riverbed.
In its project description Hilcorp said high areas would be excavated down to the 4 feet above sea level elevation and low areas would be filled back up to the 4-foot elevation.
Downstream of the bridges, areas "would be scoured to remove gravel that tends to plug the pump supplying water for the Prudhoe Bay Operations Center," with leftover material "placed in the bridge bulkhead area to replenish the east bank."
Work would begin in October and be conducted during the period of lowest flow of the river, with an anticipated timeframe of 45 days.
In its project description Hilcorp said Sag River seasonal flooding impacts the bridges, deposits "large quantities of silt and gravel immediately upstream and downstream of the bridges and causes scour depressions around the bridges support structures."
The company said this is a request for modification to an existing muti-year maintenance permit.
"The maintenance is expected to decrease flood damage to infrastructure including pipelines, roads, and production pads on the Sag River flood plain. Endicott Road is a vital transportation corridor and is the only summer vehicle access route for the Duck Island Unit."
Afognak Leasing Afognak Leasing began work on the Cama'i gravel storage pad in the Kuparuk River unit in 2019 after receiving a lease for the pad area from the state of Alaska and a permit from the Corps.
The Corps said at that time that the proposal was for a 21.88-acre pad to "support operational and logistical needs of various North Slope oil and gas operators in an area that minimizes the distance operators have to travel to get their supplies."
The project was to be built in three phases on an as-needed basic, with phase 1 the placement of some 92,500 cubic yards of ill material on 11.2 acres of wetlands, offset 30 feet from the Spine Road near Mustang Pad and DS-2S, with phase 1 scheduled for the winter and summer of 2019.
In the current Corps notice, dated June 16 and with comments due by July 2, the Corps said Afognak proposes discharging some 135,500 cubic yards of fill onto 16.24 acres of palustrine wetland "to facilitate the completion of the Cama'i gravel pad." The Corps said work under the prior authorization, dated May 15, 2019, was not completed before the authorization expired April 30, 2024, with the project proposed for three phases.
The new application is for completion of the work.
The Corps said work already completed includes a portion of the phase 1 gravel pad and two access roads, totaling 5.63 acres, with the completed Cama'i pad to have a total of some 182,000 cubic yards of fill and a footprint of 21.88 acres.
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