Repair work planned on natural gas pipeline north of Camas

Repair work will likely begin this summer on a section of the Northwest Pipeline just north of Camas.

Energy company Williams, which owns and operates the pipeline, submitted a permit application earlier this year for the anticipated maintenance project.

A Williams spokesperson said the project will focus on an existing section of the Ignacio-Summas Loop natural gas pipeline, which crosses the Little Washougal River.

The company has asked to excavate the waterway, and install a temporary cofferdam to isolate the work area, according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Colleen Anderson, a senior project manager at the Corps, said the work will involve removing water from the area in accordance with best management practices.

Activity there would be confined to August, the established window for in-water work, Anderson said.

The company said the project is expected to take two to four weeks and will minimally disrupt residents and customers.

The company’s permit application shows excavation will largely be confined to 25 feet along the stream bank and the dam would stretch about 100 feet. The stream will be directed over the area through a flume pipe.

Once exposed, crews will reapply the pipe’s coating and add a reinforcing sleeve, if needed.

The application said the work is planned as part of federal regulations requiring the pipeline to be inspected for integrity, safety and maintenance.

The Northwest Pipeline provides interstate gas services for much of the Pacific Northwest, including the Seattle, Tacoma and Portland-Vancouver areas.

Sarah Wolf: 360-735-4513; [email protected]