Most Canadians are familiar with pipelines; they’re nearly impossible to ignore, as the oil and gas industry is one of our nation’s largest export sectors. If you asked the average person what they know about pipeline life cycles, that might be less obvious. So, how do pipelines start? Who decides where they go? And what happens when a pipeline has been decommissioned?
Meridian Surveys is here to answer all your questions about pipeline life cycles— and the role that pipeline surveying plays at each stage of development. From planning to final reclamation, surveying helps keep Canada’s pipeline projects safe, compliant, and cost-effective.
Planning, Application, and Route Selection (Inactive Lifecycle)
Every single pipeline project begins with planning before a single shovel even breaks ground. This is known as the inactive stage of the pipeline life cycle. At this point, engineers, developers, and regulatory agencies come together to determine if a pipeline is feasible and safe to place.
Surveying plays a crucial role at this stage. A route selection survey helps identify the safest, most efficient, and least disruptive path for a pipeline to run; these surveys involve topographic mapping, boundary identification, and environmental assessments. Planners then use this data to understand land elevations, existing infrastructure, bodies of water, and property ownership.
In Canada, pipeline routes often cross Crown, public, and private land. That’s why legal land surveys for pipeline operations are essential, to help prepare applications and easement agreements. These ensure the pipeline route complies with all local, provincial, and federal regulations. Simply put, a project can’t move forward without accurate pipeline survey data that lays the groundwork— quite literally— for everything that happens next.
Development, Mapping, and Building (Active Lifecycle)
Once permits are issued and a route is finalized, the pipeline project enters its active lifecycle— the phase where construction and eventual operations will occur. Surveying doesn’t stop here; in fact, it becomes even more important in assisting with safe builds and community protections.
During this stage, construction and engineering surveys for pipeline construction help guide the physical development of the pipeline. Surveyors mark out locations for digging, trenching, and pipe placement. They also measure angles, distances, and elevations to guarantee alignment with the original route designation and pipeline design so the pipeline conforms to its planning.
Another essential service for pipeline engineering surveying is an as-built survey, which documents the exact location and position of the installed pipeline. This data is used to update project records and ensure long-term accuracy for maintenance, servicing, and inspections.
An environmental monitoring survey is typically conducted in this phase to help ensure that construction meets all compliance and regulatory requirements if the pipeline crosses any environmentally sensitive areas. These surveys are vital in tracking disturbances to vegetation, water flow or quality, and wildlife habitats, keeping pipeline projects aligned with environmental commitments. In short, during active pipeline development, surveying keeps the project on course— physically, financially, and legally. It’s a critical stage of pipeline life cycle management.
Usage, Abandonment, and Reclamation (Deactive Lifecycle)
While a well-constructed pipeline has an expected life cycle of 40 to 50 years, they don’t last forever. Eventually, every system reaches its deactivated lifecycle— when it’s no longer in use and must be abandoned, decommissioned, or reclaimed. Even here, surveying plays a vital role.
In the deactivation cycle, a pipeline abandonment survey assesses the condition of the pipeline and surrounding land. Surveyors help determine whether the pipeline can be safely removed or left in place. This involves documenting the location and state of the existing infrastructure, identifying any environmental risks, and assisting with safe closure planning.
Once the pipeline is removed or sealed, reclamation surveys can begin. These ensure that land is returned to a natural or usable state, as close to the original condition of the land pre-pipeline as possible. These surveys support topographic restoration, erosion control, and replanting strategies, as well as tracking wildlife populations to assess the impact of decommissioning.
Whether it’s to benefit farmlands, forests, rural communities, or wetlands, accurate pipeline decommissioning surveyshelp guarantee the land can be safely repurposed. It also provides evidence of life cycle compliance and environmental regulations, which is vital for safe project closure and future land use planning. Once a pipeline’s life cycle ends, reclamation surveying allows the land to return to its original state, safeguarding its future populations and usability.
From Ideation to Deactivation, Meridian Surveys Can Meet Your Pipeline Life Cycle Demands
From ideation to reclamation, Meridian has every pipeline life cycle surveying service you need for robust, profitable, and secure pipeline creation and management. Whether you’re in the early planning stages or navigating complex environmental regulations, our team of expert surveyors guarantees your pipeline project is safe and effective— every step of the way. Visit our website or contact Meridian Surveys today to explore our full range of pipeline survey services.