MidAmerican plans natural gas pipeline extension in Washington, Johnson counties

RIVERSIDE — MidAmerican Energy Company tentatively plans to extend an underground natural gas pipeline between Hills and Riverside into Iowa City and rural Ainsworth, according to documents the company shared with the Iowa Utilities Commission.

The current pipeline was built in 2009 and 2010, according to IUC documents, and while it currently only runs from rural Hills to rural Riverside, a MidAmerican Energy spokesperson said the existing line served customers “from Washington County to Linn County.”

MidAmerican Media Relations Manager Geoff Greenwood said the proposed extension was spurred by recent moves at another utility company, Alliant Energy.

“The project is the result of Alliant’s request to increase the natural gas supply to its Prairie Creek Generating Station,” Greenwood said, in response to another question about how many customers the proposed extension would add.

In another part of the email, Greenwood clarified that MidAmerican supplies natural gas, but doesn’t produce the fuel itself.

“We are connected to multiple interstate pipelines that transport it into our service area and, through our system, we distribute it to customers,” he said.

He said MidAmerican would “seek voluntary easements” from property owners along the path of the proposed extension, if it’s approved by the Iowa Utilities Commission.

A map of the proposed project should be public by this week’s end, according to the company. Greenwood said the extended infrastructure would reach as far south as the Ainsworth Town Border Station along 200th Street, north of the city’s limits. That’s about 5.8 miles from the pipeline’s current southern edge, on Old Captains Road near Riverside.

The northward extension would go 7.1 miles, reaching a spot roughly south of Highway 1 and west of Highway 218 in Johnson County, according to Greenwood.

In another IUC filing, MidAmerican Attorney Jeffrey Cook said the company had two public information meetings planned to discuss the project with community members. Both are scheduled for Feb. 25, with a backup date of March 4 at the same times. The first will be from 12:30-3 p.m. at KC Hall in Washington, the second will run from 5:30-8 p.m. at the Hills Community Center in Hills, according to that letter.

The project requires both counties involved to arrange a pipeline inspection, a move Washington County supervisors said they expected to outsource to a private company, given the rigorous paperwork that comes with such construction. The counties will be compensated after the fact, however, for those expenses, according to Washington County Engineer Jacob Thorius.

“All costs are borne by MidAmerican, so I’m not too worried about trying to go get the dirt-cheapest (option),” he said at a meeting Tuesday morning.

Comments: Kalen.McCain@southeastiowaunion.com