Concrete and Dirt Work for Oil, Gas and Midstream Owners

Minus 42 degrees Fahrenheit is in the climate record for Midwest, Wyoming, and so is 106 on the hot end. That 148 degree swing is what an oilfield pad, a tank berm or a pipeline crossing has to survive, and it is why oil, gas and midstream owners in Natrona County should plan concrete and dirt work around weather first and drawings second. We build the pads, containment, access roads and trenches that production and pipeline operations rely on.

The Salt Creek Oil Field north of Casper is the long view. It had produced more oil than any other Rocky Mountain field by 1970, about 20 percent of Wyoming's output, and the Dutch No. 1 gusher was drilled in 1908. The field now uses CO2 enhanced oil recovery. Owners in that world do not want a contractor who needs a briefing on mud, wind and wells; they want one who shows up with a plan. We write ours before we load a truck.

Old wells, new pads, and what is under them

Oilfield ground carries a history. In 2016, CO2 leaking from an abandoned well at the Salt Creek oilfield led to the temporary closure of a school, a reminder that old wellbores and gas migration are a real site condition in the area. Before we excavate we ask for well locations, flowline maps and any known contamination. We hand-dig or pothole near marked facilities, and we stop work if we find something not on the map.

Pads also change with the operation. A wellsite or compressor pad has to carry heavy equipment, resist erosion and stay put through freeze and thaw. We build the base with an engineered gravel section, compact in lifts and test the density. Where the owner wants concrete, we form and reinforce it for vibration and uplift rather than assuming a residential slab will do.

Where the work sits

The Casper area serves oilfields to the north and a refinery in Evansville, and its roads and rail connect them. Edgerton sits at the edge of the Salt Creek field and was created to serve the oil businesses and residents supporting it; only people who worked directly for an oil company could live on the field. WYO 387 begins at a diamond interchange with I-25 at exit 227, runs about 6 miles east to Midwest and continues through Edgerton, so haul routes to the field run along a state highway with long stretches between services.

A 2005 report described a CO2 flood at the field with a 125-mile pipeline, a figure that shows how much linear infrastructure this business can involve, though the operator and numbers date from that time and may have changed. The point for a contractor is scale: pipelines, flowlines and pads are built in distances measured in miles, and logistics matter as much as the work.

Containment, pads and access roads

Our common scope for oil and gas owners includes site clearing, grading, access roads, tank pads and secondary containment, plus trenching and backfill for flowlines. Containment slabs and berms need concrete and soil work that holds liquid; read about containment pads and secondary containment to see how we cast, seal and test them.

Roads and yards get heavy use. We prepare subgrade, place geotextile where it helps and haul in base material sized for loaded trucks, then manage runoff so rain does not wash the road away. Our page on erosion control and SWPPP describes the controls we place and inspect, and import, export and haul-off covers the trucking.

Hazards we plan for in a field setting

Remote sites mean slow emergency response, so we plan for first aid, communication and a way out. We carry a site-specific hazard analysis, run tailgate meetings each morning and keep a muster point. Near wells and flowlines, we follow the operator's rules for gas monitoring, ignition sources and vehicle access.

Weather is its own hazard. Wind can overturn a plastic enclosure and strip the water from a fresh slab; cold can freeze a wet cutting. We stop work when conditions say stop and we restart when they allow. If a pour is in progress when conditions change, we have a plan to protect it.

Planning around the field calendar

Oil and gas schedules move fast when a rig is booked and slow when prices change. We keep crews flexible and carry a short-notice plan for pads and roads: material sourcing lined up, testing arranged, concrete plants alerted. When a rig needs a pad by a certain day, we count backward and tell you whether the number of working days is realistic.

Seasonal limits are real. Roads can be posted during thaw, snow can close the highway and a freeze can stop a pour. Midwest and Edgerton sit about 40 to 45 miles north of Casper, so each trip has a cost; we load trucks to cut trips and stage materials on site.

Pricing remote work honestly

Mobilization and haul are the first costs. Aggregate may come from one source, concrete from another, and a truck that runs forty miles one way costs more per yard than one that runs five. We show hauling as a separate line, so you can compare it with another source or another method. Hot-weather and cold-weather methods have their own lines, as do dewatering and standby.

We discuss alternatives where they save money, such as a gravel pad in place of concrete where the equipment allows it, or a lined earth berm where the rules allow. Our related pages for industrial owners and utility owners show how the same ideas work for plants and corridors.

Send us the location and the rig date

Give us the pad size, the haul route and the date you need it done. We will price the work and tell you what the weather allows.

Questions Owners Ask

Can you work in the field in winter?

Yes, within limits. Ground work continues through much of the winter, though frost makes compaction harder and slows trenching. Concrete requires protection, heated water, blankets or enclosures, and a mix designed for cold placement. We price winter work with its protection included and tell you if a pour should wait.

How do you deal with abandoned wells or old pipelines?

We ask for records before we dig and compare them with what we find. If we locate an unmarked well, line or tank, we stop, secure the area and notify the owner. We do not guess about what is in an old line.

Do you build secondary containment to code?

We build to the engineer's drawing and the operator's specification, using the rules that apply to the facility. We do not set the containment volume; we make sure the concrete, joints and sealant do what the design requires and we leave test records.

How far from Casper will you go?

The Salt Creek area is roughly 40 miles north and Midwest and Edgerton are on WYO 387, so those distances are routine for us. We price travel and haul honestly, and we say when a closer source of concrete or gravel changes the number.

What is the most common mistake owners make on pads?

Underbuilding the base. A pad that looks fine in July can pump, rut or heave by spring. A tested, compacted section with drainage is cheap compared with rebuilding a pad under production.

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