Summit Carbon Solutions partnered with more than 30 ethanol plants across Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota, to develop the largest carbon capture and storage project in the world. This multi-billion-dollar privately funded infrastructure project will have the capacity to capture and permanently store 12 million tons of carbon dioxide every year, while opening critical new markets for ethanol producers, bolstering the bottom line of corn growers, and generating substantial new tax revenues for local communities.
As part of our commitment to the safe and efficient development of the project, we conduct biological and cultural field surveys. Keep reading to learn more about our survey process.
Biological Surveys (Wetland/Waterbody)
Summit Carbon Solutions’ biological survey team will conduct a series of surveys across the entirety of the area where our project is proposed to be located. The purpose of these surveys are to identify wetlands, streams, and other water features. Using GPS enabled technology, this team will mark boundaries for these features and collect information on vegetation, hydrologic characteristics, and soils. Soil samples will be taken using a hand auger, or small manual drill, that will provide minimal disturbance of approximately four inches in diameter to a depth of approximately 24 inches. Once complete, soil will be returned to its original condition. Other information on habitats and land use will also be collected during the biological survey.
Cultural Surveys
Summit Carbon Solutions’ entire survey area will be inspected visually, which is known as a pedestrian survey. This process is designed to better understand surface features, foundations, densities of surface artifacts, or other surface indications of archaeological sites.
This type of pedestrian survey will be utilized in areas where the ground surface visibility is more than 25% per state guidelines. This approach will be used in order to assess the potential presence of certain cultural features, buried deposits, or relict landforms. Those areas determined to be unsafe will be photographed from a distance and documented appropriately. If seasonal conditions such as extreme winter weather prevent access, those conditions will be recorded and reported to determine when the survey can be conducted in the future.
The portions of the survey corridor with ground surface visibility less than 25% will be shovel tested at 15-meter intervals based on state guidelines. Any shovel test that cannot be completed, such as areas containing buried utilities or paved roads, will be documented and justification for non-excavation will be recorded.
For any landowner who has questions or would like to know more about this process, please contact Summit Carbon Solutions at (515) 531-2635 or info@summitcarbon.com