Apr 7, 2015 2 min read

WAYNESBURG – Greene County Planning Commission granted conditional final approval Monday night to EQM Gathering OPCO LLC to construct a new compressor station in Morgan Township.

The station, which EQM is calling its Io compressor station, will house three compressors and be built on a 181-acre parcel of land off of Woodies Run Road.

The property is now contained in six parcels that the company will merge into one. The station itself will occupy about 3.4 acres of the site.

Planning commission approval was required for the construction of two buildings at the site, a 12,580 square foot compressor building and a 774-square-foot control building.

Though EQM had received state approval to install four compressors at the station, it will only be placing three compressors there, EQM representative Vanessa Baxter said at the meeting.

If the company would decide to install a fourth compressor at Io, it must return to the planning commission to seek additional approval, she said.

Final approval was granted with the condition the company submit a revised storm water management plan to the commission within two weeks. A revised plan was needed to address the construction of a paved 300-foot-long entrance to the site.

Paving the entrance to the access road off Woodies Run Road was a requirement by Morgan Township officials. The paving will be finished once the project is completed, Baxter said. The company’s state permit requires a gravel entrance during construction, she said.

Baxter also said the station will meet the township’s noise ordinance requirements of 60 decibels at the property line.

The commission granted three modifications for the project in regard to requirements for off-street parking, a paved parking area and off-street loading berths. The compressor station will be unmanned and employees will only visit the station every few days.