of land and clear navigational access to the open ocean. The large initial 

 investment required for a new yard, and the fact that existing yards can 

 supply distant fields make it unlikely that new yards will be located in 

 the United States in addition to the two planned by Brown and Root, Inc., 

 at Cape Charles, Virginia, and Astoria, Oregon. However, additional 

 "specialty" or "satellite" yards may be built near offshore fields to 

 produce a variety of individual platform components. 



The sizes of platform fabrication yards vary depending on production 

 demand and range of products; a new site may occupy between 200 and 1,000 

 acres of coastal land [15]. A land surface grade of less than three 

 percent is normally desired. At a steel platform yard it is estimated 

 that 50 to 60 percent of the area will be used for fabrication and about 

 40 percent for storage [16]. 



Operations at a steel platform fabrication yard require moderately 

 large supplies of fresh water for such activities as cooling of steel, 

 washing of steel after sand blasting, and, where incorporated, pipe 

 rolling. Electric power requirements may be moderate unless the yard has 

 its own pipe mill. The numerous welding units may be largely driven by 

 individual diesel -powered generators. 



A new site for a steel platform fabrication yard will necessarily be 

 adjacent to a navigation channel large and deep enough for the barges used 

 to transport the jackets to offshore sites and for the largest ships that 

 may bring steel and other materials to the yard. Yards are generally 

 located seaward of low bridges and other navigational obstructions. 



Convenient transport of materials, personnel, fuels, equipment, and 

 supplies to the platform yard requires adequate road and rail systems. 

 Thus, land transportation systems are another important siting consideration. 



3.5.3 Potential Sources of Disturbance 



Platform fabrication yards have a comparatively high potential for 

 adverse effects. They occupy large tracts of waterfront land, receive large 

 quantities of heavy industrial materials, and require a larger labor force 

 than other onshore OCS-related facilities. Dredging, bulkheading, road 

 construction or improvement, site clearing and grading, excavation of an 

 enclosed graving dock, and fresh water withdrawal are characteristic 

 activities that may cause adverse effects on fish and wildlife and' 

 their habitats. 



A coastal tract of the dimensions of a platform yard can include 

 significant components of terrestrial and avian wildlife habitats, which 

 would be largely eliminated or degraded during site clearing and develop- 

 ment. In addition, other areas may be used to obtain fill, with similar 

 damaging effects on wildlife habitats and on aquatic resources. 



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