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Changing the Path of the Pipeline

There’s been strong public opposition to plans for a pipeline to carry natural gas 560 miles -- from the fracking fields of West Virginia to customers in Virginia and North Carolina.  Now, Dominion Virginia Power says it will change the path of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline -- a change that could affect property owners in Augusta County.

Deciding where the pipeline would travel in Virginia has been a contentious process, with many people in its path objecting.  Some fear construction or a leak could contaminate public water supplies, and Dominion has agreed to make a change.

“This is a map of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline proposed route in the Waynsboro Lyndhurst Area.”

In his office in Richmond, Dominion spokesman Jim Norvell describes a five-mile change.

“In various meetings over the past year with the Augusta County Service Authority, the authority let us know that this area is basically a large well, and it serves a purpose for being a recharge area for its water systems. And they really wanted us to avoid going through here.”

The new route will go through 30 properties it hadn’t before. Dominion has sent letters to those property owners requesting permission to survey the land and see if it’s suitable.

“The pipeline is 42 inches in diameter. It’ll be buried about 10 feet deep. You can still use your property for farming, or for raising cattle, or for recreational purposes. If it is a forested area then there would be a clearing roughly about 75 feet that is permanent once the pipeline is built. That would have to be maintained, again for pipeline safety.”

Dominion is hoping to send out survey crews as soon as possible and then take the change to a federal agency… which has final say on the route.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission is that agency... anyone interested in submitting a comment or opinion on the pipeline project can do so here.