Denbury Green Pipeline – Texas LLC

BIO-WEST provided Section 106 permitting assistance for the Denbury Green Pipeline Project owned by Denbury Green Pipeline – Texas, LLC (Denbury). Denbury proposed construction of a 314-mile pipeline, 13 miles of which crossed Galveston Bay, Texas. The BIO-WEST Coastal Division processed and reviewed previously collected remote-sensing data for potential submerged cultural resources. Over 330,000 magnetometer data points covered 1,675 acres, which BIO-WEST processed into magnetic contour maps for archaeological analysis.

Through BIO-WEST’s extensive maritime archaeological experience and the use of an in-house database of verified shipwreck magnetic signatures, we were able to determine that over 97 percent of the indentified anomalies were not potential shipwrecks. The remaining three anomalies required additional, refined magnetometer surveys followed by Phase II National Register testing investigations. BIO-WEST’s data acquisition, processing, and interpretation methodologies are approved by the Texas Historical Commission’s State Marine Archaeologist.

The Coastal Division conducted this Phase II investigation to determine the historical significance and potential eligibility for listing in the National Register of Historic Places. The BIO-WEST Coastal Team used SCUBA full-face masks and wireless communication technologies to allow its archaeological and scientific divers to work safely and efficiently in the low-visibility waters of Galveston Bay. More than 17 dive hours were spent thoroughly investigating the anomalies with a combination of probing and excavation tools; ultimately, cultural resources clearance was granted.