Pad Construction - Day 15

The rain started last night and continued through the day. The geese on the pond didn't mind today's weather.



Dust control wasn't a problem at the pad site.



A third CAT D8 arrived to help with the dirt moving. The survey flag in the center of the photo is the northeast corner of the pad area.



View looking east from the stream crossing toward the northeast corner of the pad.



View from stream crossing looking southeast.

Pad Construction - Day 14

I was at the construction site early this morning and for the first time in over a week the site was quiet. The crew was at a safety meeting and I was able to walk around the site without getting run over.



A view of the stream crossing from the wellhead marker.



A view from the southwest pad corner marker looking south.



View from the southwest pad marker looking northwest toward the stream crossing.



We returned in the afternoon and found a pair of mallard ducks had joined the two geese at the cabin pond watching the construction.



From the cabin pond a new piece of equipment could be seen towering above the mounds of dirt.



A new excavator with an extra long reach was busy moving dirt.



More erosion control installed.



Just had to post this ...

Pad Construction - Day 13

The top layer of soil has been removed and the day shift was taking advantage of the warm/dry weather. Rock was added to a drainage ditch while a dozer and roller worked on the pad area.



Dozers worked on cutting a trench at the base of the pad slope.


Checking the trench.



The newly moved dirt is rolled to compact it and with rain in the forecast, seal the surface to reduce erosion.



View of the pad area from the stream crossing.



More rock hauled to the site ...



The loads of rock hauled to the site have taken a toll on Joyce Road (and some neighbors lawns). The Vestal Asphalt crew (working for Rome Township) closed a section of Joyce Road today to stabilize some of the damage.

Neighborhood Traffic

The warmer weather of spring allowed Walt & Julie Burrowes a chance to clean up their property along Bliss Rd.



Vehicle traffic has increased on both Joyce Rd. and Bliss Rd. due to the construction/closure of Route 467 and the well pad construction. A small traffic jam formed on Bliss Rd. while we talked to Walt & Julie.


Along with the increase of traffic is the increase in litter along the roads and in neighborhood lawns.

Pad Construction - Day 12

Another cloudy day and dirt hauling continues. Today the dirt was being removed from the southwest corner of the site.



The mid-section of the site has been cleared.



View of the lower (west side) looking south.


Looking north from the southwest corner toward the access road stream crossing.



The porta-john (porta-jane) arrived on site today. Twelve days is a long time to hold it on twelve hour shifts.

Pad Construction - Day 11

A second large truck arrived on the construction site today and the day shift crew was busy hauling moist dirt from the lower side of the pad area to some higher ground.




Not always a smooth ride in the truck.



Motoring up the hill with a load.



The D8 Cat continued to clear the site.



A rock layer was being placed at the north end of the site.



Still a little damp at the top of the hill and may need a little more rock.




The rock is now in place at the west (lower) side of of the pad area next to the silt sock.



Not much work has been done at the south side of the pad area near the woods.



Long range view of the pad area from the neighbor's back lawn.

Pipeline Survey

Mark McCullough of A-1 Surveying was at the cabin property today to set up a GPS base station for surveying along the route of the Zion pipeline. The survey work for the Zion pipeline is near Bliss Road (Abell Road) but the GPS base station is position at a known reference point at the cabin and used to calculate other location in the neighborhood.

Pad Construction - Day 10

Another cool/cloudy day and the geese were back on the pond watching the construction.



View of the access road looking back to the driveway from the stream crossing.



View of the pad area looking from the stream crossing. The crew worked overnight moving dirt at the pad area.



The day shift crew continued moving dirt to the top of the pad area.






Back at the stream crossing there was some moving of the rock stockpile.



Oops ... Someone needs a tow.

Pad Construction - Day 9

Yesterday's afternoon rain changed to snow overnight and covered the ground with a "tracking" snow.



Trucks continued to haul in more rock for the access road and dirt (mud) was hauled to the pad area.



A couple of geese landed on the pond by the cabin. Maybe they want to watch the construction.



As work moves from the access road to the pad area the fuel tank was moved closer to the work area.



Yesterday's rain softened the ground and kept the dust under control.



After a couple of days of trucks hauling rock to the construction site, Joyce Road required some fix-up. The Vestal Asphalt crew (helping Rome township) repaired the township road with several loads of crushed stone.



By the afternoon the sky started to clear and the construction truck was able to turn around on the township road with out sinking in (too far).



The new black erosion control fence was installed this afternoon near the top corner of the pad area.