44 NOVEMBER 2024 WorldWide Drilling Resource® Booth 1119 Guidance on Trenchless Installation Adapted from Information by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) The demand for underground infrastructure to transport water, wastewater, stormwater, natural gas, oil, and power continues to grow nationwide. This guidance is intended to inform the level of analysis which may be necessary for a project to demonstrate compliance with applicable regulations, relating to horizontal directional drilling for gas and oil pipelines. Trenchless installation requires sufficient information to be gathered to reasonably anticipate the obstacles that may be encountered and how those obstacles are managed before, during, and after construction. DEP recommends the project organizer consider site access, which is driven by the need for supplying a water source during the installation, monitoring the drill path, and mitigating during containment as well as clean-up operations in the event of an incident. Another important aspect when designing and permitting the site access is to consider the dewatering structure associated with many trenchless methods which utilize drilling fluids. DEP recommends all considerations for site access be examined during the design and permitting step. Design of the drill path should be based upon site specific subsurface information gathered for the crossing area and pipeline route during site specific suitability and feasibility analysis. The final path design should also consider physical and access limitations at entry and exit sites, as well as geotechnical, environmental, and hydrological information. The design of the drill path and selection of pipe should also consider the radius of the curves in the drill path, and the exit and entry angle, as well as the slope and elevation change of the entrance and exit points to minimize or eliminate gravity drain systems. DEP recommends the following items be considered during the design phase: j Site constraints and topographic considerations. j Inadvertent returns. j Hole flush and hole stability. j Failure mode contingency planning. j Water supplies. All preliminary trenchless technology design assumptions should be confirmed prior to final design and submittal for permitting and construction. Based upon the proposed pipeline final design route and anticipated crossings, a final review of all necessary federal, state, and local regulations and requirements should be completed prior to submittal for permits and approvals. HDD
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