Arizona Transmission Line Project With Compliance Inspection Needs

The Situation

The construction of a new 38-mile-long 500/230-kV transmission line stretched across Arizona. Eocene assisted in the project as the compliance inspection contractor, and reported directly to the Arizona BLM State Office, along with additional involvement from a BLM field office. The transmission line was built on private, state of Arizona, and BLM-administered land.

Our Solution

The project corridor contained approximately 3,000 protected cactus species that had to be salvaged and relocated throughout the course of the project. Eocene used drones and GPS technology to verify the relocation of all sensitive plants. Desert tortoises were found within the project corridor during construction and required protection and avoidance while crews worked at sites. The project corridor also contained numerous eligible cultural resources sites which required monitoring during construction.

Summary of Client

The state of Arizona’s largest and longest-serving energy provider, with nearly 6,000 employees and approximately 1.4 million customers throughout the state, with a goal to detect and respond to outages while maintaining a safe, more flexible grid.

At a Glance

Eocene Environmental Group conducted a compliance inspection for a project that involved the construction of a new 38-mile-long transmission line in Arizona.
The transmission line was built on private, state of Arizona, and Bureau of Land Management (BLM)-administered land.
The corridor contained approximately 3,000 protected cactus species, as well as numerous eligible cultural resources sites.

Results

38

miles of 500/230 kV transmission line

11.7

miles of alignment of BLM-administered lands

62

monopoles on the entire right-of-way

35

miles of new/improved access roads

13

miles of new/improved access roads on BLM-administered land

2.8

acres reduced disturbance from variances

58.7

acres disturbed on BLM-administered lands

17

National Register of Historic Places/Arizona Register of Historic Places-eligible properties

11

individual desert tortoises observed/5 occupied nests recorded over two years

Learn More About the Eocene Environmental Group Team/

Eocene has an experienced and passionate team of biologists, archaeologists, environmental planners, foresters, arborists, agronomists, animal scientists, sustainability risk specialists, software developers and engineers. Check out the “Our People” page to learn more about our team.

Our People