State moves to add land to pipeline lease for rock piles to guard against the Sag River

The state proposed Monday to let Alyeska Pipeline Service Company place four long piles of rock along the Sagavanirktok River, between the river and the buried trans-Alaska pipeline, to protect the line if a flood erodes the bank toward it.

The Department of Natural Resources would add about 26.1 acres of state land on the river's east bank to the pipeline's right-of-way lease, according to the state's proposed decision. State Pipeline Coordinator Anthony Strupulis found it "in the best interest of the state."

The piles would sit about 77 to 82 miles south of Deadhorse. They would run roughly 1,900 to 2,700 feet each, more than a third of a mile to half a mile of riprap.

The rock would have two jobs, the decision says: intercept erosion toward the pipe during a flood, and be on hand for emergency work on a stretch with no road access.

Along that part of the river, the pipeline crosses to the east bank and runs about six miles, buried at a shallow depth in floodplain gravel, before crossing back. Crews can reach it only by crossing the river at low water or when it's frozen, or by air.

The Sag is a braided river with a wide floodplain, and a number of structures have already been built along it to protect the pipeline, including buried sills, spur dikes and channel plugs. When Alyeska applied for this land in July, it was the second time this year it had asked the state for room to put rock in the river's way.

The state received no comments on the application, according to the decision. The state is taking written comments on the proposed decision until 5 pm Dec. 2. If none calls for significant changes, the proposal becomes final after that without further notice.