Snelson Companies – Who are we? What do we do? Watch the following video to find out!

This video highlights the ways that Snelson Companies specializes in construction that moves energy. Snelson is licensed to work anywhere in the United States, with quality employees who have decades of experience. Watch this video to learn more about Snelson Companies!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJcr8lgolmw

Pipeline ROW stretching through beautiful Utah mountains

Late spring brought a big rumble to northeast Utah as Snelson’s pipeline construction spread rolled into Vernal to build 25 miles of 24″ pipeline from the Green River block valve to Fidlar compressor station. The crews set off across the rocky desert to build Questar’s new line. When the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and the Federal Bureau of Land Management (BLM) provided final approvals for this pipeline project, Snelson had their crews ready to roll.

Tough Rock, Tough Weather

Permits in hand, the crews traveled as far as two and a half hours from the warehouse for a punishing right of way (ROW) that was exclusively rock. Four rock saws and 10 hammer point hoes were needed to carve out the ROW and ditch for the new line. Unforgiving rock fatigued and cracked metal, gouged tires, impaled windshields and generally provided an uncomfortable ride for anyone traversing it. Seven full time mechanics were needed to keep the equipment in good repair for this pipeline construction project.

Almost as punishing as the rock was the weather. It flooded access roads including State Highway 88 and the ROW, rendering many days marginally productive or altogether unworkable. With the wet weather came a scourge of mosquitoes that were as ravenous as piranhas. Their bites made head nets a hot commodity and the gear quickly sold out in town.

Two D8 Catepillars and an Excavator pulling a heavy trencher up a steep section of the ROW

Another Successful Pipeline Project

In spite of all the hurdles, Snelson’s crews rallied to bring this pipeline project to a successful completion. 250,000 worker hours resulted in 25 miles of 24″ pipeline, four bores totaling 370 lineal feet, and one horizontal directional drill that stretched nearly 1/4 of a mile under the Green River. With final tie-ins and clean up done by late October, Snelson reclaimed the ROW so completely that it was hard to tell a pipeline had been installed. In meeting the collective goal of Questar, FERC and BLM with such high quality, Snelson put another successful pipeline project to bed.

Pipe coming out of the HDD

In the summer of 2011, Snelson, a pipeline construction company,  mobilized their forces to Pinedale, Wyoming, to build 15 miles of 30″ pipeline between the Paradise and Falcon compressor stations.

Keith Maxwell and Trevor Thayer led the charge, taking their crews to 7,200 feet above sea level to build the pipeline and associated fabrication work for Enterprise Products Partners. Given that Pinedale has a resident population shy of 1,400 people, the 250 Snelson employees swelled the town a bit. While there wasn’t an open hotel room in town most of the summer, the citizens were good hosts to Snelson’s crews, who came from both coasts of the United States and everywhere in-between.

The Challenges

The project began in July and faced many challenges over its 3.5 month duration. 85 percent of the pipeline project was on Federal Bureau of Land Management (BLM) land and the BLM had up to four inspectors on its right of way (ROW), monitoring for compliance with federal laws.

The entire project ROW had extensive wildlife populations with a broad sampling of species including deer, antelope, moose, gophers, badgers, raptors and owls to name a few. With such a high concentration of animals, BLM imposed a number of wildlife restrictions which required re-sequencing some work and implementing new methods. In addition to regulatory restrictions, Snelson Companies’ crews faced challenges that included a wide range of temperatures from the low nineties to below zero, bringing periodic thunder, rain, hail and snow to the worksite.

Success!

Against the backdrop of Wyoming’s Wind River Range, Snelson achieved project completion ahead of schedule. The entire undertaking came to a smooth conclusion in late October as tie ins were made and gas began to flow through the fifteen miles of new 30″ pipeline laid. That line length included four conventional bores that totaled over 900 lineal feet. Snelson brought in Southeast Directional Drilling to help cross the New Fork River and adjacent wetlands with two horizontal directional drills that stretched nearly 3/4 of a mile.

As with any Snelson project, crews made safety a top priority in Pinedale as they worked to complete the pipeline. The men and women on the ground were “True Champions of Safety,” putting in over 125,000 worker hours with zero lost time injuries and zero recordable injuries. The icing on the cake came from the BLM, which happily reported the construction project was completed with no major environmental incursions. The agency commented it was “The best job they’d seen come through Pinedale.” It may have been an exaggeration, but we’ll take it.