Concrete Pads and Trenching at the Salt Creek Oil Field

Every dig at Salt Creek starts with the question of what is already under the ground. The field has been producing since the Dutch No. 1 gusher was drilled in 1908, and a century of wells, flowlines, pits and pads leaves a lot behind. We build equipment pads, containment slabs, yard paving and trenches for operators and service companies working there, and we plan each excavation as if something old is waiting in it.

By 1970, Salt Creek had produced more oil than any other Rocky Mountain field and made up about 20 percent of Wyoming's output. Today it uses CO2 enhanced oil recovery. That changes the concrete work. Pumps, compressors, separators and tanks need foundations sized for vibration and weight, and they need containment that holds a spill until someone arrives to clean it up.

The field is about 40 miles north of Casper, so every job is a haul. We name the yardage, the trucking plan and the weather window before we mobilize.

Abandoned wells, gas and the dig plan

In 2016, CO2 leaking from an abandoned well at the field led to the temporary closure of a school. That event is a reminder that old wells are not just a map problem, they are a safety problem. Before we open ground, we ask the operator for well locations, pipeline maps and any site-specific hazard plan. We hold a pre-job meeting, review the plan and set a stop-work rule that any crew member can invoke.

Where gas is a possibility, we use monitors, ventilate low spots and keep the crew upwind. Trenches that could collect heavy gas are watched, and no one enters one without a competent person's clearance. Hot work, ignition control and site access follow the operator's rules. If a smell, a bubble or a stain shows in the cut, we stop, back out and call. Nothing about a schedule is worth a person's air.

Where the money went and where it is going

A 2005 news report said the operator planned to invest up to $624 million in a CO2 flood, including a 125-mile pipeline, with a goal of recovering at least 200 million more barrels. The same report put cumulative production near 655 million barrels and noted that output had fallen from 6.3 million barrels in 1978 to 1.7 million in 2004. Those figures are from 2005 and may have changed, but the direction is clear: the field is mature, and the work is about keeping aging infrastructure running and adding the equipment that enhanced recovery needs.

For a contractor that means pad replacement, containment upgrades, new foundations for pumps and compressors, trenching for lines and cables, and repair of roads and yards that heavy trucks have worn down. Owners in oil, gas and midstream tend to buy this work in small packages on short notice, and we staff.

What we build on a lease

Our scope on a lease is concrete and dirt. We prepare the pad, compact it, form and reinforce the slab and pour it with the mix the engineer calls for. Equipment foundations get anchor bolts set to template and grouted after the machine is leveled. Containment pads get a curb, a sloped floor and a sump, with joints sealed to the spec.

We also trench for conduit, water and drain lines, set manholes and vaults and restore the surface. See how we handle containment pads and secondary containment and equipment pads and machine foundations for the details we apply here: reinforcement placement, joint spacing, curing and the final inspection before the equipment is set.

Hauls, access and the long season

The field sits far from town, and ready-mix has a short life in a drum. We work with the batch plant on the travel time, use retarder when it helps and keep the crew ready so the load is placed on arrival. For large pours we stage a second pump and a backup truck, and we have a plan if a load is rejected.

Lease roads can be soft in spring and slick in winter. We check the route in advance and look for weight limits and gates. Material deliveries wait for dry weather when we can. Our neighbors in the field are working operators, so we coordinate with them on traffic and keep construction equipment out of their way. The work also reaches the small towns nearby, including Midwest and Edgerton, which sit at the field's edge.

Sequence on a working lease

We build in a fixed order so nothing is done twice. First comes the locate and the hazard review, then clearing and rough grade. Underground work follows while the ground is open: sleeves, conduit, drain lines and any piping the operator wants under the pad. Only then do we compact the base, set the forms and steel and call for inspection.

The pour is the shortest part of the job and the one with the least room for error, so we rehearse it. The pump or chute position, the washout location, the finishing crew and the curing method are all set before the first truck arrives. After the concrete gains strength we strip forms, backfill and restore the edges. Trench work for lines and cables uses the same discipline described under trenching and backfill, with bedding, lifts and compaction tests recorded.

Who calls us for field work

Operators, midstream companies and the general contractors who work for them are our main buyers. A production company may need a small containment pad on a short deadline. A pipeline contractor may need a slab and a trench for a compressor station. A construction manager may need the whole site package, from clearing and grading to the foundation and the yard.

We also serve utilities and energy companies that run lines and substations across the area. Each of these buyers wants the same thing: a crew that shows up with the right equipment, follows the safety plan and leaves the site in better shape than they found it.

Send us the pad and the plan

Give us the location, the equipment and the hazard plan. We will return a scope, a schedule and a price that accounts for the haul.

Questions Owners Ask

How do you deal with abandoned wells on a new pad site?

We ask the operator for well and pipeline records before we mobilize, then pothole and probe before we dig. Known wells get marked and kept clear. If something unexpected appears, we stop and call the operator and engineer. We do not dig it out ourselves.

What does a containment pad need?

A containment pad needs a sloped, reinforced slab, a curb or berm and a sump or drain for collected liquid. Joints must be sealed so spills cannot leak through. The engineer sets the capacity, and we build to it.

Can you pour equipment foundations with anchor bolts set to template?

Yes. We set the bolts to the manufacturer's template, check them for plumb and elevation before the pour and protect the threads. After the concrete cures, we grout the base once the equipment is leveled.

How does the long haul affect the concrete?

Travel time shortens the working life of the mix. We plan with the batch plant, adjust the mix for temperature and haul time and keep finishing crews ready so the load goes in quickly.

Do you work in cold weather on the field?

Yes, with protection. We thaw or replace frozen subgrade, use blankets or heated enclosures and cure slowly. If conditions are too severe, we wait.

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