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ENVIRONMENTAL SUMMER STUDIES (1982) FOR THE
ENDICOTT DEVELOPMENT
Submitted To
Sohio Alaska Petroleum Company
Pouch 6-612
Anchorage I Alaska 99502
Attn : D. F. Dies
Senior Environmental Engineer
by
LGL Alaska Research Associates
P.O . Box 80607
Fairbanks , Alaska 99708
and
Northern Technical Services
750 West 2nd Avenue , Suite 100
Anchorage , Alaska 99501
In fulfillment of
Contract No. 82AP35
Editors : B.J. Gallaway, Ph .D.
R. P. Britch , P. E.
April 1983 ~
~ ARLIS
. Alaska Resources
Library & Information Sernces
~Qhorage,.\lASk~
VI FISH
PREFACE
Recent exploratory drilling activities in the nearshore waters
offshore of the Sagavanirktok River Delta, have resulted in the discovery
of potentially commercial quantities of hydrocarbon resources. A group of
nine companies owning interests in these hydrocarbon resources, designated
as the Endicott Reservoir, have combined their efforts to develop an
environmental and geotechnical data base. This data base will be used in
support of their economic assessment and environmental permitting related
to this development. Based on conceptual engineering studies, the
project, to be designated as the End.icott Development, is described in the
following paragraphs.
At present it is anticipated that four offshore gravel islands and
associated causeway(s), would be constructed as part of this development
(Fig. 1 ). One island would support production and some drilling
activities (Production Island B, PIB ); two are to be used as satellite
drilling islands (SIA, SIC ) and one would serve as a waterflood island
(WID ). These islands would be interconnected by pipelines buried either
in subsea trenches, or in causeways. Presently, two transportation routes
for moving produced hydrocarbons from PIB to onshore facilities are being
evaluated: the "West Dock Pipeline Route" and the "Sag Delta Route" (see
Fig. 1).
The project would require construction of a 260-man Base Operations
Camp (BOC ) located either on PIB, or onshore near the Main Construction
Camp (MCC, see Fig. 1 ). The MCC, requiring approximately 50 acres, would
house 7 50 people.
Approximately eight million cubic yards (MCY) of gravel would be
required to construct the islands, causeways, gravel pads and onshore
roads. An additional 6500 MCY would be required if inter-island causeways
are incorporated into the desig~ Several potential gravel sources having
estimated reserves in excess of 20 million. cubic yards have been
identified in the areL
Environmental studies related to the the Endicott Development Pro j ect
commenced during summer 1981, and were followed by winter and summer
investigations in 1982. Results from the 1982 studies are pre sen ted in
this report. The purpose of the studies was to obtain an environmental
and ecological data base which could be used in subsequent studies to
assess the environmental impacts of the developmen~., as well as be used
for design specificatio~ From the onset of the s;udies, it was recognized
that some of the data needed to fulfill program objectives were available
from investigations which have been ongoing in the region since the early
1970's. Therefore, the scope of the site-specific studies were focused
towards supplementing the existing data base to the degree necessary to
define impacts and achieve an environmentally acceptable design. The
effort expended on various study elements was allocated proportional to
the resource value, public interest or the degree of understanding
presently available with respect to a given renewable resource subject to
impact. Studies were directed towards those programs which would yield
results directly applicable to impact assessments or design improvements.
5
f
Prudhoe Bay Unit (Peu)
/• West Dock -------, ·. ...," ...... ...... ___ . , .. ~-• ••. ~···2 ·· .......... / W•s' Dock
. . • • :.-"'' ' ~ Pipeline Route .. .....
Sales Oil-
West Dock
Pipe line Route
TAPS f
STATION 1 Sales Oil-
Sag. Delta Route
2 .5 0 5
I I -J
KILOMETERS
Prudllos Boy
. .... ....._ .... ' . . . . . . . . ...... -.......... . . . . . . . . . . ............. ...... . .. . "-
~ccess RQad
·s.-g Delta
Plpel!lltt ~o~:~te
. ···2. ~,
•• •Satellite
·.~, · .. , \ . ' ~··.''
Figure 1. 'I'he p roposed Endicott Development Project.
LEGEND
Land Pipeline
Marine Pipeline
2 Meter Isobath
Island A
,11 Waterflood Island D ,
Production Island B .... ·. ' ··. 2'' Satellite hiland c
)
Endicott Development
General Location
Map
December 1982
Based on these considerations the 1982 summer program placed an
emphasis on environmental and oceanographic processes (particularly water
quality and sediment tran.sport Volume II) and how these processes regulate
anadromous fish utilization of habitats associated with the project area
(Volume III). These studies were supplemented by a series of smaller
projects: one describing the Bowe Island snow goose population and their
habitat utilization patterns and productivity; one describing early-season
use of the project area by waterfowl; and a final project dedicated to
documentation of geobotanical conditions for the proposed road/pipeline
·corridor through the Sagavanirktok River Delta area. The results of these
projects are described in three separate sections of Volume IV.
Prior to its implementation, the 1982 summer study plan was presented
to appropriate regulatory agencies. This was supplemented by distribution
of the results from previous site-specific studies, allowing agency
representatives to make informed comments about the adequacy of the data
base, as well as the opportunity to offer suggestions as to how to offset
any perceived deficiencies. In general, most reviewers agreed that the
major thrust of the program was appropriate, although some believed
additional data were needed in specific areas not addressed by the 1982
program. Following a period of discussion about these differences in
opinion, the research program was modified to include in the 1982 program
some of the suggestions which bad been offered by the reviewers. Other
suggestions were rejected due to differences in opinion as to the actual
need for the data or the timing that such research might best be
performed. However, agreement as to what constituted the major issues
(water quality, anadromous fish, snow geese, caribou ) was reached.
We believe the results of the 1981-82 Endicott Development Project
studies when combined with the results of the previous and synoptic
investigations performed in the area, will comprise an adequate data and
information base for developing a complete environmental assessment for
the Pro j ect.
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JULY
JULY 1982