Pipeline Construction

Today started off cold but was bright and sunny as the crew on the Wesauking Pipeline prepared to put the pipe in the ground. Earlier in the day, the excavators had completed digging the trench for the east section of pipeline which runs from the Wilmot pipeline to the wetlands crossing on our property. The sandbags have been placed in the trench and the excavators are moving into position.



The excavators start to lower the beginning of the pipeline as the inspectors watch.



Once one section of the pipeline is lowered into the trench, the excavators shift position and repeat the lowering process.



The whole process of moving equipment and lowering the pipeline into the trench is directed by one person, Everett (standing on the right side of the trench).

The orange marking on the pipeline (lower right corner) is the position of a welded joint in the pipeline. Once the pipe is placed in its finial location in the trench, a GPS location will be recorded of all welded joints.



A view of the equipment moving down the hill, placing the pipeline in the trench.

After the pipeline is in the trench, additional sandbags will be placed on the pipeline at selected locations and the trench is then back-filled.