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Hilcorp North Slope PBU Sag River Bridge ops plan amendment approved
Kay Cashman Petroleum News
On Sept. 19, Keri Isles, environmental specialist for Hilcorp North Slope, or HNS, received approval from the Alaska Department of Natural Resources- Division of Oil and Gas for the Prudhoe Bay Unit, Sag River Bridge, Channel Maintenance Unit Plan of Operations amendment filed by HNS on July 31.
HNS had requested authorization to excavate silt and gravel from the Sag
River and infill scour areas with recovered gravel to improve water flow under the existing Sag
River vehicle bridge and pipeline bridge.
(See map in the online issue PDF)
HNS will recontour the river bottom to follow the natural slope of the riverbed excavating high areas down to four feet above sea level and filling
low areas back up to the four-foot elevation.
Downstream areas from the bridges will be scoured to remove gravel plugging the pump supplying water for PBOC. This project is necessary to maintain this pump- s functionality.
HNS will construct identical gravel ramps on both the east and west banks of the Sag River to
facilitate removal of material from the excavation area and manage water flow to protect the work area during the project.
The Sag River Bridge is five miles northeast of the Deadhorse Airstrip.
This project is set to begin upon receipt of all necessary permits. And activities will be conducted annually during the period of lowest flow volume in the river through the duration of the existing US Army Corps of Engineers maintenance permit for dredging (POA-2020-00147).
Hilcorp is coordinating with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game on an update to its fish habitat permit for this project.
Plan activities include:
- Recontour Sag riverbed via dredging 45,000 cubic yards of gravel.
- Spread dredged material over seven acres to flatten river bottom.
- Utilize leftover gravel to replenish bulkhead area of the east bank.
- Construct access ramps on both east and west bank.
Location information Meridian: Umiat Township: 10N Range: 15E Section: 3
Latitude, Longitude: 70.2498502778, -148.3049441667
ADL: 28328
The division provided a review and comment opportunity for the activities considered for authorization under this decision.
The following government entities were notified on Aug. 14, for comment on the plan: USACE, Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation (ADEC), ADF&G , DNR- s Division of Mining, Land, and Water (DMLW), and the North Slope Borough (NSB). The comment deadline was Aug. 28. No comments were received.
This approval signifies only that the State of Alaska has no objection to the operations outlined in the pplan amendment application. It does not constitute certification of any property right or land status claimed by the applicant nor does it relieve the applicant of responsibility to obtain
approvals or permits from other persons or governmental agencies that may also be required.
All stipulations contained in the original lease and subsequent plan approvals remain in full force
and effect.
If activities have not commenced, this approval expires on Sept. 19, 2028.
Failure to comply with the terms and conditions outlined in the lease, the attached stipulations, and this
authorization may result in revocation of this unit operations approval.
Any questions or concerns about this amendment may be directed to Natural Resource Specialist
Jack McGowan at (907) 269-8940 or emailed to [email protected]
The approval was signed by
Alexander Zinck, north slope permitting manager for the Division of Oil and Gas.
-PETROLEUM NEWS
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