Tanker Trucks Stage at IBM Country Club Site for Pipeline Work
Several large tanker trucks have been staging in a normally-empty parking lot on the property of the old IBM Country Club near Johnson City.
A few people who drove through the area west of the Oakdale Commons and the Wegmans supermarket on Sunday were concerned about the presence of the tankers.
Some of the trucks were observed at a fenced-in control point for a major petroleum pipeline that passes through the town of Union. The site is located on Watson Boulevard east of the Pour House Pub and Grill.
The unusual activity in the area was related to planned maintenance work on the Buckeye pipeline. The pipeline - owned by Buckeye Partners of Houston, Texas - carries petroleum products from New Jersey to points across upstate New York.
A few workers were busy at the Buckeye facility near the Valley Plaza before dawn Monday morning.
A supervisor said they were engaged in a purging process needed before maintenance activity can begin on a section of the pipeline between Broome County and Auburn.
The procedure involves the injection of nitrogen gas into the pipeline. The supervisor said the work was routinely done before a pipeline maintenance job gets underway.
Contact WNBF News reporter Bob Joseph: bob@wnbf.com or (607) 545-2250. For breaking news and updates on developing stories, follow @BinghamtonNow on Twitter.