CH2M, Shell partner for pipeline resiliency effort in Louisiana bayou

CH2M recently entered into a partnership with the Shell Pipeline Company LP for a natural infrastructure
and pipeline resiliency project along the Blue Hammock Bayou’s Ship Shoal corridor in Louisiana.

The project centers on the Ship Shoal pipeline, a joint venture located along the bayou and operated by Shell, that runs approximately 31 miles from deep water assets in the Gulf of Mexico to Louisiana. Due to its location, natural erosive forces are providing a number of challenges related to pipeline integrity, coastal erosion, maintenance costs, changing hydrology and sediments that threaten a natural habitat, and increased marine traffic.

To address those concerns, CH2M and Shell launched a pilot project that began with conducting an analysis of the coastal environment. From there, the two companies worked in tandem to develop a solution that included installations of vegetation and sediment-filled erosion baskets, coir logs packed with coconut fibers and rocks, and sediment compaction and revegetation, all of which was completed in October 2015.

In order to assess whether the installations were proving to be effective, CH2M scientists and coastal engineers, in conjunction with Shell, conducted a series of examinations of the installation sites. According to CH2M, the natural infrastructure approach was “already performing beyond expectations with strong plant growth and accumulation, rather than erosion, of sediments.”

Data collected from site analyses are now being compiled to identify lessons learned and best practice for use in future design and implementation solutions for other infrastructure projects.