Restoring Terrain Along REX East Pipeline Route

Whether it’s the rugged slopes of the Rockies, or the highly erosive, silt loam soil in Mississippi, Profile Products LLC says it offers effective solutions for pipeline construction and restoration projects. Utilizing a total approach to vegetative establishment, Profile® focuses on Green Design Engineering™ as the foundation to provide innovative products and trusted project consultation and execution.

Pipeline projects are not only some of the most difficult projects to complete, they are intensely scrutinized to ensure minimal environmental impact. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) regulations change rapidly, and restoration experts must understand FERC and U.S. Environment Protection Agency compliance, quick vegetation establishment, on-site erosion control management and risk reduction. Also, products must be environmentally friendly and not hazardous to wildlife.

Contractors understand they must completely restore pipeline right-of-ways, including those that cross portions of farms and ranches, to as close to pre-existing conditions as possible. With some minimal restrictions, the land is often used as it was prior to construction. Providing a quick vegetative solution that works well is critical to FERC pipeline restoration approval.

Innovative Pipeline Solutions
As the world’s largest supplier of hydraulically applied erosion control and vegetative establishment products, Profile offers a broad range of solutions to a broad range of pipeline restoration challenges. All solutions are driven by a process the company calls Green Design Engineering.

Green Design Engineering creates cost-effective, environmentally superior solutions through the design, manufacture and application of sustainable erosion control and vegetation establishment technologies. By utilizing this type of engineering, contractors can achieve sustainable erosion control that is effective on harsh soil conditions and environmentally sensitive slopes and channels.

As one recent example illustrates, Profile’s team worked with officials to restore vegetation on hundreds of acres along the Rockies Express Pipeline (REX) East in Indiana and Ohio.

Preventing Rolling Hill Erosion
The clay and rocky terrain along the REX East pipeline presented many restoration challenges from transporting water to the location, to terrain application issues.

In Indiana, contractors had to restore a 40-acre section of pipeline and selected a straw mulch to hold soil in place, but it wasn’t effective.

“We initially tried straw mulch on the Indiana portion, but it was washing and diverting,” said Kelsey Thomas, project engineer for Price Gregory, the general contracting company overseeing construction and restoration for REX. “We had to find a better product and chose Seed Aide Aero as the permanent vegetation solution.”

Made from recycled paper and wood fibers, Seed Aide® Aero™ is used as a temporary or permanent solution to keep soil in place, increase moisture retention and promote vegetation establishment. Application is flexible-enabling aerial, hydraulic, use of a high-volume drop spreader, large-opening broadcast spreader or application by hand. The ability to apply this product wet or dry makes it ideal when it’s difficult or impossible to transfer water on-site.