New natural gas and produced water pipelines are planned to cross federal land south of Rifle, according to a new proposal.

TEP Rocky Mountain LLC is proposing to build about seven miles of pipeline directly north of West Mamm Creek. The proposed pipeline crosses 2.9 miles of U.S. National Forest land, 2.1 miles of land overseen by the Bureau of Land Management and another 2.1 miles over private property.

The White River National Forest and Bureau of Land Management Colorado River Valley Field Office seek public comments on the proposal. The pipelines require rights-of-ways from the BLM and a special use permit from the Forest Service for the sections crossing NFS lands.

Comments are being accepted through midnight, Sept. 11. Comments can be made here: https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/2025023/510.

TEP Rocky Mountain LLC and Grand River Gathering LLC’s proposed West Mamm Creek Pipeline Project would deliver produced water into a water management system and collect natural gas from an existing pipeline system for delivery to national markets, the release states. 

“The proposed pipelines would significantly reduce current and anticipated truck traffic in the area,” the release states.

According to the BLM, the West Mamm Creek Pipeline project would allow TEP to use public, federal lands to install, operate and maintain an 8-inch produced water pipeline between an existing well pad and newly proposed pads.

“The produced water pipelines would expand TEP’s water transfer system to allow transfer of produced water for use in well completions and to deliver produced water to the water management system,” the proposal states. “The proposed action would also authorize construction of two 10-foot diameter valve cans.”

Additional information about the Forest Service process is available at https://www.fs.usda.gov/project/whiteriver/?project=64353.