Pipeline Services

The professionals at Cirrus have been providing services for major and independent petroleum production and refining companies for ten years. Our knowledgeable and dedicated staff have conducted compliance audits and performed Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) Phase I Site Assessments and Phase II Facility Investigations at major refineries within the state of Texas, assisted clients with due diligence activities related to the sale and purchase of pipelines, and provided response activities to pipeline releases.

Cirrus' experience with U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) regulations, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) guidance and regulations, and the latest rules and regulations promulgated by the RRC places our personnel in a position to provide high quality services to meet environmental issues and needs involving pipeline operations.

  • Contaminant Delineation: The staff of Cirrus has experience in investigating and reporting releases that have occurred to both the surface and subsurface environments to the RRC with successful results. Cirrus has a proven track record of negotiations with regulatory agencies, such as the TCEQ, to arrive at a common sense scope of work for our clients.

    • Aquifer testing, characterization and interpretation
    • Fate and transport modeling of reactive and non-reactive contaminants in saturated and unsaturated soils
    • Conceptual design of ground-water contaminant recovery systems using one-, two- and three dimensional groundwater transport models to predict potential contaminant migration pathways and receptors
    • Design, installation, development and sampling of groundwater monitoring wells, recovery wells and piezometers
    • Surface and subsurface soil investigations
    • Hydrogeologic investigations and reporting
    • Design and maintenance of soil and groundwater remediation systems utilizing multiple methodologies
    • Geophysical investigations using electrical (conductivity and resistivity), and magnetic technologies
    • Hydrocarbon/contaminant cut-off wall integrity assessment
    • Expert witness testimony

  • The Railroad Commission of Texas (RRC) Voluntary Cleanup Program (VCP) was established to provide an incentive to clean up property contaminated by activities under Railroad Commission jurisdiction.  Any party applying to participate in the VCP is required to submit an application that includes an environmental assessment of the actual or threatened release.  Cirrus will:

    • conduct a site visit to visually observe site conditions, describe the physical characteristics of the site (including a legal description of the site), photograph the property and any items of interest, and generate a site map
    • contact local authorities such as Fire Departments, Pollution Control Districts, and emergency response services to inquire about any response activities or complaints that have been registered with respect to the subject property or adjacent properties
    • provide a geologic description of the site in order to evaluate the potential pathways for human exposure to contamination at the site
    • generate a report that identifies any areas of concern along with recommendations for sampling, additional assessment, or no further action

  • Cirrus also offers expertise in the following areas of concern to pipeline owners and operators:

    • Pipeline integrity assessment & due diligence
    • Pipeline construction