Stabilization and Storage of the Pioneer Oil Refinery
Between January and March of 2021, the one chimney still standing was stabilized, some of the brickwork under the stills was repaired, and the five tanks were moved to a close by offsite location. This was done to protect the refinery while construction around the site was being done. As of late 2023, that construction was still ongoing.
1/14/2021
1/14/2021 - The blue tags note the object and location on the object of each piece. Some fell off, but were later reattached when the base was moved into storage.
1/14/2021 - Tank in front of stills.
1/27/2021 - Storage tanks need to be dug out before they can be moved.
1/27/2021 - The pump house has been dismantled and stored, but the pump and engine are still there (see my other site on the pump house).
1/28/2021 - Digging around the storage tanks.
2/5/2021 - Acid and wash tanks moved. I wasn't there to film.
2/5/2021 - Here they are at a close-by site. New bases were built for them. The original bases may, or may not, be used when the tanks are returned to the refinery site.
2/6/2021 - The original bases for the tanks are still there and you can see the tanks in the background behind the blue lifter by the storage bin. The pump and engine of the pump house have been moved into the storage bin.
2/6/2021 - Base for the wash tank has been disassembled.
2/6/2021 - Base for the acid tank still standing.
2/8/2021 - More digging around the storage tanks.
2/8/2021 - Close-up of the two tank bases, which are still on site.
2/8/2021 - All the digging was done manually. They did not use any equipment because they did not want to damage anything underground, since they didn't know what might be there.
2/12/2021
2/12/2021
2/12/2021 - On the left is the new base for one of the tanks.
2/12/2021
2/13/2021
2/13/2021 - Tank bases still on site.
2/15/2021 - Good look at the rear of the storage tanks. A lot of digging had to be done. Note the pipe between the two tanks. I wonder if the tanks could contain two different volatile liquids if the gases could mingle like that.
2/15/2021 - Front of tanks. Again, all the digging was done by hand.
2/18/2021 - Finally, the day of the move. The first tank being lifted.
2/18/2021
2/18/2021 - Ready to be layed into base.
2/18/2021
2/18/2021 - The tank and base will be moved together to the storage site.
2/18/2021 - Leaving the refinery site. You can see the acid and wash tanks in the right middle of the photo. The storage tanks will be going there.
2/18/2021
2/18/2021
2/18/2021
2/18/2021
2/18/2021 - Laying the first tank down next to the acid tank.
2/18/2021 - Done. Heading back to the refinery site to get the next tank (no photos of that).
2/19/2021 - The next day, the tank in front of the stills will be moved.
2/19/2021 - First, it is lifted from its original base. The new base is on the left.
2/19/2021 - The old base is lifted...
2/19/2021 - and placed on the new base.
2/19/2021 - Now the tank will be placed on the new base.
2/19/2021
2/19/2021 - The tank is carefully placed over the old base, both on the new base.
2/19/2021 - Now both the tank and new base will be carried to the storage area.
2/19/2021 - They are carefully lifted.
2/19/2021
2/19/2021 - And taken out of the refinery site.
2/19/2021
2/19/2021
2/19/2021 - Entering the storage site with the other tanks.
2/19/2021
2/19/2021 - All the refinery tanks safely at the storage area.
2/20/2021 - Refinery site with all tanks and the pump house gone (towards the west).
2/20/2021 - Refinery site looking the other direction (east).
2/26/2021 - Work started on stabilizing the stills and chimney.
2/28/2021 - Cement for brick work.
3/3/2021
3/3/2021
3/5/2021 - Working on the bricks.
3/5/2021 - Bricks being added at the top where the original ones are missing.
3/5/2021 - The bricks around the furnace door at the bottom have been repaired.
3/5/2021
3/5/2021
3/7/2021
3/14/2021 - They are done. The chimney has been completed covered and is braced in all directions.
3/14/2021 - Bricks on still 1 have been repair and replaced as needed.
3/14/2021 - Bricks also repaired on still 2.
3/14/2021 - The refinery site has been graded smooth.
3/21/2021
3/21/2021 - Site ready for construction.
5/22/2022
6/6/2022
6/6/2022
9/9/2022
9/9/2022
There is a drainage issue that will need to be corrected. 4/5/2023
4/5/2023
10/4/2023