Emergency Phase I Archaeological Investigation of a Natural Gas Pipeline Corridor
Pembina County, North Dakota

A natural gas pipeline company needed to make a location adjustment during construction across a river valley. Federal historic preservation laws still had to be satisfied while construction was being rerouted. Foth & Van Dyke helped to keep the project on schedule.

Archaeological Investigation

Foth & Van Dyke's client called and indicated the emergency status. Our team of field archaeologists mobilized from another project site hundreds of miles away and shovel tested the river crossing all within 48 hours of the initial client call.

Benefits:

Fortunately no artifacts were discovered, and construction proceeded without any downtime, thanks in part to some understanding state regulatory staff and Foth & Van Dyke's team of professional archaeologists.

Challenges:

What do you do when a pipeline is in the middle of construction and the corridor route suddenly requires rerouting across a major waterway? Cultural resource protection laws are still required, and river settings are known "hot spots" for archaeology. This situation occurred during a recent 36-inch natural gas pipeline construction project at a remote river crossing in North Dakota.