Taylor Springs

A right-of-way easement will give Ameren Illinois the right to use another’s land for a specific, limited purpose of installing and maintaining the natural gas facilities being installed. It does not grant ownership of the land to Ameren Illinois. Representatives of Ameren Illinois will contact landowners to negotiate the purchase of an easement so that the pipeline can cross their land.  

Ameren Illinois will be requesting a permanent right-of-way easement that is 50 feet in width along the length of the new transmission pipeline. A permanent right-of-way easement 100-feet by 200-feet in width will be requested at the pressure/flow control station location. The Company will require an approximate 20-feet by 20-feet in width site for an above-grade valve station. Ameren Illinois will also require a permanent right-of-way easement 30-feet in width along the length of the new 6-inch steel pipeline. Additional 100-feet by 200-feet temporary right-of-way easements will be requested at the pipeline’s origin and terminus points. Additional temporary right-of-way easements may be requested for construction purposes.

The approximately 4.5 miles of 12-inch diameter steel pipe were installed along the south and east sides of Taylor Springs. The associated pressure/flow control station and valve station facilities were installed along the pipeline route both north and south of the Taylor Springs area.

The purpose of the Taylor Springs Reliability Enhancement Project was to modernize and strengthen the safety, integrity, and reliability of Ameren Illinois’ natural gas system, and to enhance operational flexibility to meet our customer’s needs.

Prior to this project, Ameren Illinois delivered natural gas to Taylor Springs, Illinois and Staunton, Illinois through 1950s and 1960s vintage 8-inch pipe with legacy construction.

As part of Ameren Illinois' efforts to comply with the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) regulations and modernize its natural gas system, Ameren Illinois did the following:

• Ameren Illinois replaced existing pipeline with new 12-inch steel pipe. The new pipe was installed in existing easements with only minor adjustments. However, a portion of the previous pipeline diagonally crossed an abandoned zinc smelter property that has been designated as an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) superfund site.
• The EPA recommended ground disturbance be avoided within the superfund site and the new pipeline be rerouted around the site. Accordingly, Ameren Illinois installed 4.5 miles of new 12-inch diameter steel pipe from a point south of the superfund site, east along the south side of Taylor Springs, and then north along the east side of Taylor Springs to an existing 12-inch steel pipe.
• Ameren Illinois also built associated facilities, including a new pressure/flow control station south of Taylor Springs, pipeline inspection launching/receiving facilities, a regulator station, a valve station near Route 185, and a new 6-inch steel pipe connecting the regulator station and valve station.

Ameren Illinois applies the highest safety standards as it upgrades natural gas delivery systems through its 43,700 square-mile territory. The Taylor Springs area pipeline was modernized through the installation of new pipe and associated facilities; replacing pipe that is a half-century old.

Yes. We are committed to open and transparent communication throughout our projects. Ameren Illinois hosted two public open houses in October and November of 2017 and presented educational materials to the public. Subject matter experts were available to speak with the public to better understand their needs and concerns. The information gathered was incorporated into the routing study and used to determine the proposed routes submitted to the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) for review. The public was also able to participate in the ICC's review of the project and submit comments to the Commission for consideration.

On December 19, 2018, the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) approved the project and determined the project’s final route. The ICC regulatory review process took into account the routing study, which reflected public input.