Holland Engineering provided engineering, survey, and environmental services to Consumers Energy in support of their Freedom Pipeline Project.
The project entails the installation of a new 20″ outside diameter natural gas mainline located within the existing pipeline right-of-way. The project area consists of six linear miles along the existing Consumers Energy’s pipeline right-of-way running from Freedom Township to the City of Chelsea in Washtenaw County, Michigan. In addition to creating construction alignment drawings, HEI prepared site modifications at the Chelsea tie-in site and Freedom Compressor Station; and the design of a 2,500′ long HDD stream and road crossing. HEI’s survey crew performed a preliminary survey for the pipeline determining section and parcel lines, right-of-way widths and profiles for all road crossings, providing profile information for drain and creek crossings and overall profile of the pipeline route for preparation of hydrostatic test drawings. Plats were also prepared from the information gathered.
HEI was also responsible for the as-built survey of the pipeline, picking up pipe data, weld location and depth of cover. The data will be entered on base maps developed for the project. The existing right-of-way crosses agricultural fields, three waterbodies, a walnut grove and several areas of emergent vegetation, of which five are wetlands. As a result, environmental staff at HEI performed wetland delineation and a water body assessment including mapping, cross sections and reporting in support of the permitting compliance for the project. HEI was excited for the opportunity to showcase several of our in-house disciplines on this exciting pipeline project.