By Lea Kahn, Staff Writer
MONTGOMERY — Fewer than a dozen people turned out for a public hearing on Williams-Transco’s request to cut a trench to install 1,200 feet of natural gas pipeline across fields and streams off Cherry Valley and Cherry Hill roads on Aug. 9.
And of those who attended the state Department of Environmental Protection-sponsored meeting, most opposed the company’s request — except for a husband and wife who live next to the project and who called on the DEP to approve it so the company can complete the project.
Williams-Transco applied to the DEP for permission to dig the trench, after three failed attempts to tunnel underground to install the pipeline. The company hit rock each time it tried to install the pipeline, damaging the drill bits.
The DEP will make its decision Sept. 2.
The company completed the 6-mile loop, known as the Leidy Southeast Expansion Project-Skillman Loop, in December 2015. It bypassed the 1,200-foot segment, but claims it needs to install the remainder of the Skillman Loop through the fields off Cherry Valley Road, near Cherry Hill Road.
The pipeline loop is a segment of pipeline installed next to an existing pipeline, connected to it at both ends. It allows more natural gas to be moved through the system. The missing segment of the Skillman Loop is needed to allow the company to inspect and maintain the pipeline.
Project manager John Todd said Tuesday night that the company wants to dig a trench within 30 feet of its 75-foot-wide right-of-way. The DEP had authorized a 25-foot-wide corridor for the trench, and the company is seeking an additional 5 feet.
Mr. Todd said the two streams that would need to be crossed only flow when it rains and when the snow melts. They are classified as non-trout fisheries, and given the volume and amount of intermittent flow, they are unlikely to support fish or other aquatic species, he said.
Christopher Brown, the company’s director of engineering, said the loop is necessary to ensure reliability. If the missing segment of the loop is not completed and the pipeline running parallel to it failed, there would be service interruptions, he said.
“Zero gas will pass through the line,” Mr. Brown said.
Mr. Brown said pipeline systems are designed for peak capacity, which usually occurs during the winter months. Reliability of the system — in this case, the Skillman Loop — is ingrained in any engineering project, from subways to suspension bridges, he said.
But that wasn’t enough to convince some attendees.
Jeff Tittel, director of the New Jersey Sierra Club, said Williams-Transco is asking the DEP to relieve it of a “self-inflicted hardship.” The pipeline traverses environmentally sensitive land, he said, adding that the natural gas that passes through the line will not benefit local residents. It goes to Mississippi, Long Island and New York City, he said.
Mr. Tittel called on Williams-Transco to redesign the system because proper analysis was not done. The “cut and cover” approach — digging a trench — could lead to an environmental disaster in a heavy rainstorm. He pointed to a mudslide at another location, which led to a nearby lake being silted.
“We think this project should be denied and Williams-Transco should go back to the drawing board,” Mr. Tittel said.
Mary Penney of the Montgomery Friends of Open Space also urged the DEP to deny the application. The area in question is near a large swath of permanently preserved open space, she said, adding that the company should look for alternatives. People care about the community and the environment, she said.
But Glenn and Martha Wright, who live on Cherry Valley Road next to the pipeline right-of-way, urged the DEP to approve the request for an open trench so the project can be completed. The couple said the land near the streams is flat and there is no run-off from them.
“We have walked that stretch for 25 years. There is no danger of mudslides. A trench would be less invasive. There are no trees or saplings (in the affected area),” Mr. Wright said. The trench would be dug in an area that already is part of the company’s right-of-way.
