March 11, 2015

Comments Offered for the Consideration Of Those Asking for Horizontal Drilling

To the Editor:

Having read the comments presented in opposition to the proposed pipeline, I offer these comments for consideration.

I would caution those that are asking for horizontal drilling in bedrock. The Hudson River fault is some 50,000 years overdue for a release. If and when an earthquake were to happen in this area you only need look at San Francisco to envision what may happen to a pipe threading its way through bedrock. Pipelines are generally set in a compliant material, sand or smaller stone fill, that will absorb some degree of movement.

As for filling the existing pipe with water I would have to question how that would be accomplished. Yes, you can purge your garden hose of air by just hooking it to city pressure. A pipe of this size has numerous hills and valleys and simply flooding it would not remove the gas pockets that would form at the various high spots. There may be a way to remove the gas but it is not as simple as just demanding that result.

Howard Eldridge,

Mather Avenue