McClure Can Perform Surveys for New or Existing Pipelines

Pipelines stretch across vast expanses of territory, transporting a wide variety of materials ranging from water and sewage to oil and natural gas. High standards for the placement and maintenance of these pipelines are a must for safe and efficient delivery. McClure can perform pipeline surveys at every step of the process to help ensure effective pipeline management.

What Is Pipeline Surveying?

Pipeline surveys are an umbrella term for any land survey completed in service to the placing or maintenance of a pipeline. New pipelines can use land survey data to decide the most efficient route, while existing pipelines are often surveyed when checking for or confirming damage.

Because pipelines are underground, the surveyor will collect data about not just the elevation of surface-level terrain but also concerning the depth of the pipeline itself. For existing pipes, new technology can provide accurate survey data without having to excavate. This equipment is sensitive enough to detect small cracks or corrosion when performing a pipeline integrity survey.

One of the core goals of pipeline surveys is making sure they don’t damage or interact with anything else nearby. This includes utilities, groundwater, and even other pipelines. Pipeline surveys often need plenty of research beforehand to avoid these things as well as minimize the risk of delays.

What to Consider When Planning a Pipeline

When putting in a new pipeline, one of the most important uses of a land survey is verifying the proposed route. Pipelines regularly stretch across many miles of land, so even slight changes in direction or location can greatly influence a pipeline’s economic feasibility. McClure can assist with alignment design and plan preparation to make sure your pipeline is routed in the best way possible.

Another important part of completing pipeline surveys is navigating the complex network of land ownership across the pipeline’s entire route. There could be a mix between private and public property, each with different owners. Easements must be secured from these owners to allow developers access to the land for placement and pipeline maintenance.

Finally, surveyors will prioritize natural or manmade features that could interfere with the pipeline, such as bodies of water or farmland. Additional surveys such as topographic or hydrographic surveys help determine if these features can be accommodated.

McClure Can Assist with Every Step in the Process

Preliminary

Preliminary pipeline surveys should provide a comprehensive overview about the terrain of a proposed or planned pipeline. Surveys during the preliminary stage will ensure the route is feasible and identify all natural and manmade features of note. A degree of caution during preliminary surveys will prevent disasters like cross-boring, where a new pipeline breaches a second, existing pipeline.

Routing and Staking

While a preliminary survey prioritizes information about the terrain, a routing pipeline survey should seek to finalize the route the pipeline will take. The surveyor should note elevation gradients and where the pipe might bend or turn. This information can be used to determine if the route should be modified, or if additional construction can provide enough of a workaround.

The construction staking process simply makes sure this information is clearly marked above ground before the pipeline is actually placed. This is especially useful when stretches of the pipeline are in privately owned land, as the staking can ensure any easements secured are at the correct location.

As-Built Surveys

To satisfy building codes or lenders, as-built surveys are conducted while the pipeline is being placed in the ground. The surveyor will record the final location of the pipeline and compare it against all plans and preliminary specs. This ensures the pipeline’s placement complies with any requirements established earlier in the process.

Where We Make An Impact

McClure provides professional pipeline surveying for every step of the process, including preliminary planning, routing and staking, and as-built surveys.

McClure Can Perform Surveys for New or Existing Pipelines

Pipelines stretch across vast expanses of territory, transporting a wide variety of materials ranging from water and sewage to oil and natural gas. High standards for the placement and maintenance of these pipelines are a must for safe and efficient delivery. McClure can perform pipeline surveys at every step of the process to help ensure effective pipeline management.

What Is Pipeline Surveying?

Pipeline surveys are an umbrella term for any land survey completed in service to the placing or maintenance of a pipeline. New pipelines can use land survey data to decide the most efficient route, while existing pipelines are often surveyed when checking for or confirming damage.

Because pipelines are underground, the surveyor will collect data about not just the elevation of surface-level terrain but also concerning the depth of the pipeline itself. For existing pipes, new technology can provide accurate survey data without having to excavate. This equipment is sensitive enough to detect small cracks or corrosion when performing a pipeline integrity survey.

One of the core goals of pipeline surveys is making sure they don’t damage or interact with anything else nearby. This includes utilities, groundwater, and even other pipelines. Pipeline surveys often need plenty of research beforehand to avoid these things as well as minimize the risk of delays.

What to Consider When Planning a Pipeline

When putting in a new pipeline, one of the most important uses of a land survey is verifying the proposed route. Pipelines regularly stretch across many miles of land, so even slight changes in direction or location can greatly influence a pipeline’s economic feasibility. McClure can assist with alignment design and plan preparation to make sure your pipeline is routed in the best way possible.

Another important part of completing pipeline surveys is navigating the complex network of land ownership across the pipeline’s entire route. There could be a mix between private and public property, each with different owners. Easements must be secured from these owners to allow developers access to the land for placement and pipeline maintenance.

Finally, surveyors will prioritize natural or manmade features that could interfere with the pipeline, such as bodies of water or farmland. Additional surveys such as topographic or hydrographic surveys help determine if these features can be accommodated.

McClure Can Assist with Every Step in the Process

Preliminary

Preliminary pipeline surveys should provide a comprehensive overview about the terrain of a proposed or planned pipeline. Surveys during the preliminary stage will ensure the route is feasible and identify all natural and manmade features of note. A degree of caution during preliminary surveys will prevent disasters like cross-boring, where a new pipeline breaches a second, existing pipeline.

Routing and Staking

While a preliminary survey prioritizes information about the terrain, a routing pipeline survey should seek to finalize the route the pipeline will take. The surveyor should note elevation gradients and where the pipe might bend or turn. This information can be used to determine if the route should be modified, or if additional construction can provide enough of a workaround.

The construction staking process simply makes sure this information is clearly marked above ground before the pipeline is actually placed. This is especially useful when stretches of the pipeline are in privately owned land, as the staking can ensure any easements secured are at the correct location.

As-Built Surveys

To satisfy building codes or lenders, as-built surveys are conducted while the pipeline is being placed in the ground. The surveyor will record the final location of the pipeline and compare it against all plans and preliminary specs. This ensures the pipeline’s placement complies with any requirements established earlier in the process.

WHERE WE MAKE AN IMPACT