Planning Horizontal Directional Drilling for Pipeline Construction

7.3 Social and Cultural Issues
Potential adverse effects on communities, land use and cultural resources can
result from the following causes:
• release of drilling fluids and mud into culturally or socially sensitive areas;
• spills of fuel or other hazardous material;
• noise or vibration from HDD site preparation or construction activity; and
• disruption of aquifer use for domestic or agricultural purposes.
In particular specific issues could include:
• destruction of archaeological sites (often associated with watercourses); and
• disruption of current land use including disturbance of nearby residents.
7.4 Site Investigations
Environmental site investigations are not critical to the determination of the
feasibility of HDD. However, these site reconnaissances and surveys should be
undertaken in situations where there is a risk that any of the following may be
present:
• fish and fish habitat within the potential zone of impact (e.g., up to several
thousand metres downstream on a fast moving watercourse);
• rare and endangered plant or wildlife species in the vicinity of the HDD entry
or exit points;
• critical habitat that would need restoration to pre-disturbance levels in the
event of an inadvertent release;
• archaeological sites; or
• nearby residents.
Site investigations should be undertaken in advance of the HDD to ensure that
there is sufficient baseline data to provide a bench mark for future clean-up or
reclamation activities.
September 2004 Planning Horizontal Directional Drilling for Pipeline Construction Page 7-3