NW Natural gas company intends to be able to tell affected property owners exactly where its planned $52 million pipeline will be laid by Oct. 1.

The news could affect dozens of property owners in rural areas near Wilsonville, Canby, Aurora and Molalla. Currently, the Portland-based utility is sending people out into the field to meet with potentially affected property owners and rural residents.

In all, about 5,000 notifications have been mailed out to people living along the proposed construction corridor. The pipeline would be buried 6 feet underground.

Hundreds of property owners have already been contacted by the Portland-based company about the planned 60-mile pipeline, said Gregg Kantor, NW Natural's vice president for public affairs and communication.

Along the proposed pipeline corridor south and east of Interstate 5, the company is studying 201 properties in Clackamas County and seven in Marion County, said Steven Sechrist, NW Natural's senior public relations specialist.

Properties near Canby, Barlow, Aurora, Hubbard and Wilsonville are among those being studied.

Northwest Natural needs to acquire easements for permanent right-of-way from property owners along the route. The permanent right-of-way is typically 40 feet wide. During construction, NW Natural will need an additional 40 feet of temporary right-of-way.

He said contracted land surveyors and geologists and other experts are now tackling fish passage, wetlands and other environmental issues.

The company's planned 24-inch diameter pipeline would begin in forest land near the Washington County/Columbia County border, and would travel primarily through rural lands near Hillsboro, Sherwood, Wilsonville, Aurora and Canby to the Barnards Road area near Molalla.

At its northern end, it would connect to NW Natural's South Mist Feeder pipeline at a point north of the Dairy Creek Valley.

At its southern end, it would connect at the Molalla Gate with Williams Energy Co.'s 24-inch pipeline, which is part of the interstate pipeline system.

About 15 miles to 20 miles of the 52-mile underground pipeline would be inside Clackamas County.

The exact route is now in the process of being identified, and NW Natural has chosen a preferred route, or "Balanced Corridor," out of four routes initially considered, Kantor said.

The company intends to submit its formal pipeline application to the state, including the exact alignment, on Oct. 1, which would start the Oregon Office of Energy's facility siting process and a public comment period.

Phase I construction from north Washington County to Sherwood is anticipated to begin in spring 2002, and is expected to take between six and eight months to build.

Phase II construction from Sherwood to the Molalla area is expected begin sometime in 2003 or 2004, and the work would take about the same time, Kantor said. "We've done quite a few large, high pressure pipelines," he added. "For us, it's a case of how to deal with our growing customer base.

''The biggest issues we are having is that we are going to need to go through a great deal of farm land in Washington County. We want to try not to cross onto properties, and stick to public right of ways and property boundaries to minimize the disruption to agriculture as much as possible.

''Agronomists and soil specialists will work with farmers, and a 1999 state law requires the restoration of disrupted farm land.

''People will still be able to grow on the land, and we are proud of our ability to work with property owners to meet both our needs."

Northwest Natural has the power of eminent domain, but is committed to negotiating amicable agreements with property owners, Kantor said.

"We haven't used condemnation and our lawyers, from memory, don't believe we've ever used it," he said.

The company has about 500,000 customers in its service area, which stretches from along the northwest Oregon coast down to Newport and across the Willamette Valley up to Clark County, Wash. and into the Columbia River gorge, and is growing at a 5 percent annual clip.

Last December, NW Natural officials met with Clackamas County's three commissioners to outline the company's plans to construct its pipeline, part of which would travel through the county.

Charlie Stinson, NW Natural's general manager of engineering and storage, said the company is adding about 25,000 customers a year during the current "very high growth mode."

"More underground storage is identified as the least-cost way of serving customers," he said.

Kantor said creating huge storage reservoirs in its depleted gas fields near Mist is the best and "least cost" option to consumers.

"More and more of our storage needs are being met by that storage facility, which is flexible," he said.

"Taking the pipeline from (Mist) is $300 million less expensive over 20 years for our customers than just connecting with the Interstate pipeline's capacity."

The commissioners were briefed on the five-year project because they are an advisory group to the seven-member Oregon Energy Facility Siting Council, the governor-appointed group which must approve the project.

The commissioners had few questions for NW Natural, but area residents raised numerous concerns with the planned South Mist Feeder Pipeline at a meeting held in Canby in early November.

Easements, land use, safety, roads, commuting, wetlands, endangered species, compensation, construction, leakage, rights of way and earthquakes were just some of the issues voiced by attendees of a Canby Adult Center meeting.

About 80 citizens, NW Natural staff and Oregon Office of Energy officials gathered last November, and large maps were displayed to show potential routes the pipeline could take.

"We know whatever route they (NW Natural) pick it's going to be controversial," the OOE's Adam Bless said at the Nov. 10, 1999, meeting.

"They have to meet our standards and Clackamas County's standards, as well. Northwest Natural has a long set of rules they have to obey."

The balanced corridor, which has been selected, will pose tricky construction problems because the pipeline would have to travel under rivers and major roads, but officials are confident the work can be done to schedule.

"The proposed route will cross two major waterways - the Willamette River and the Pudding River - and three highways: Highway 99 West southwest of Sherwood, Highway 99 East northeast of Aurora and Interstate 5 south of Wilsonville. Phase V will also cross both public and private lands in Clackamas and Marion counties. This phase will be approximately 20 miles long," NW Natural stated in its 51-page notice of intent document, which was filed Sept. 30, 1999.

Kantor said the hardest part of the construction work will be near towns and cities.

"The more populated the area, the trickier it gets," he said. "When you cross EFU land, there's a great need to take care."

Easements terms will be negotiated between the company and property owners, Stinson said, adding the value of easements are based on the appraised value of the property and the cost of construction impacts on timber and crops.

After construction, NW Natural would be required to restore the right-of-way as nearly as practical to its original condition, except that on the permanent right-of-way NW Natural workers must have access to the pipeline, if needed.

Other than the need to retain right-of-way, the impacts of the planned pipeline are primarily from construction, the company said. The major impact would be the soil removal during grading and trenching.

In agricultural land, NW Natural would be required to segregate topsoil and return it once construction is finished.

Since the pipeline would cross land zoned for exclusive farm use, the company is also required to analyze alternative corridors in accordance with Oregon Land Use law.

The pipeline is not expected to have significant socio-economic, scenic or recreational impacts because the construction will be temporary and because the pipeline will be buried underground, the company said.

About 100 people sent letters raising concerns and questions about the pipeline, and each received a reply, Kantor said.

"They were, generally, individual property concerns or suggestions for a better route," he said. "It's a little hard to address at this time because we don't know the exact alignment of the corridor, but we're working on it now."

Copies of NW Natural's notice of intent are available for review at the OOE office, 625 Marion St. NE, Suite 1, Salem, and at the Canby Public Library, 292 N. Holly St., and Wilsonville Public Library, 8200 SW Wilsonville Rd.

If you cannot get to any of these locations, contact OOE at (503) 378-4040, or toll-free at 1-800-221-8035.

For more information on the pipeline project and its timeline, call NW Natural at 1-800-422-4012.