How Directional Drilling Can Preserve a Landscape

Drilling for natural resources like gas and oil doesn't often leave a pretty landscape behind. So when a reserve is discovered under land that people don't want torn up, companies can turn to directional drilling to tap into the resource while not destroying the surface features. As odd as it sounds to call a facet of oil drilling "environmentally better", it is true for directional drilling because you can preserve landscapes and features instead of destroying what makes them so beautiful.

Equipment Can Be Placed Far Away From the Land Directly on Top of the Reserve

Horizontal directional drilling equipment doesn't have to be close to the oil or gas reserve. The equipment can be placed rather far away, although the cost of the drilling will go up as the machinery is placed farther away. But you can set up drilling equipment in one spot and then send bores out to surrounding areas, with no disturbance to the land at the surface.

The equipment can make noise, and while the bore that's deep underground might not be audible, the equipment at the centre of it all certainly is. You don't want that noise to affect surrounding residential or commercial areas, nor do you want it to be audible at, say, a nearby recreational lake. The drilling company needs to install sound barriers to cut down on the noise that escapes into the surrounding areas.

Drilling Can Be So Deep That Vibration Isn't an Issue at the Surface

Directional drilling for natural resources isn't done close to the surface. The bore is sent hundreds of feet down and then off to one side, either diagonally or by curving the bore at one point and heading off on a horizontal plane. Reserves of oil and gas are usually so deep down that any vibration from the drilling is basically void. However, any company attempting to drill near a wildlife preserve, for example, will want to verify that the animals and birds in the area are not sensitive enough to pick up on the vibrations that far underground. If it turns out that there are species that would be bothered, the drilling company will need to work with local governments to devise a way to drill that does not bother the animals and birds.

Directional drilling may not be perfect in that respect, but it is much better for most drilling situations where you don't want to disturb whatever is on the surface. If there are reserves of gas or oil that you're interested in but need to reach them using non-vertical drilling, contact a directional drilling service and see what can be done.