Pad Construction - Day 32

The rain stopped, the sky was clear and dirt was being moved. The crew worked non-stop since yesterday moving dirt to the southwest corner of the pad.



The hardpan dirt has changed from the tan colored clay to a deposit of blue-gray clay. It's time to check the site elevations more often.





View from the south end of the pad looking north.



Looking west toward our barn property.



Compacting the freshly moved dirt with the roller.



Not all of the dirt has dried out yet. The stockpile of dirt at the top (east side) of the pad area being moved with an excavator.

Pad Construction - Day 31

The heavy rains of the past few days gave way to some patches of blue sky with some scattered showers during the day.

The crew was back moving dirt on the well pad.



Checking the elevation at the southwest corner of the pad.



Grading the uphill slope above the pad area.



Another crew was on site to install a "super silt fence" to help control erosion from runoff water from the pad.



Digging a trench for the new fence.





New "super silt fence" on the west (downhill) side of the pad area.

Pad Construction - Day 30

"It's like deja-vu, all over again" - Yogi Berra

Since the rain storm two days ago, the damaged silt socks had been repaired ...
Last night's 1.7 inches of rain did it again. Multiple breaches of the repaired silt socks occurred in the same places as two days ago



Erosion on the well pad slope.



The silty/muddy water had enough force to move the silt socks and allow the water to run down the hillside.



The water had enough force to break the silt sock anchor stake.



The volume of muddy water was too much for the silt fence.



Muddy water running down the hillside below the well pad.



Hillside erosion.



Hay being spread on the hillside.



Excavator installing new rock between the well pad and the silt socks.


A truck load of mulch for repairing the silt socks needed a tow from a dozer to get up the soft soil of the access road to the well pad area.

Pad Construction - Day 29

Another rainy night but the 3/4 of an inch of rain didn't help in drying out the site. The major activity on the site was repairing and constructing new silt sock.



A new section of silt sock was added today



Testing the silt sock.



Several truckloads of large rock arrived at the site today.



Rock stockpiled near the stream crossing.



Kyle of Crescent Services was on site for an E&S (erosion and sediment) inspection of the site.

Pad Construction - Day 28

Yesterday afternoon's thunderstorms rumbled through the night leaving two inches of rain. At sunrise the thick valley fog hid the well pad construction site ...



but under the morning fog the overnight rain had done its damage at the construction site. The rainfall running off the hillside overtopped the silt sock and created damage in multiple sections of the silt sock.





Crews were quickly on site to start repairing the damaged silt sock. One of the many erosion cuts in the pad area are visible in the background.



The truck with wood mulch for the silt sock was parked on the edge of the pad.



View from the pad near some of the erosion. The silt sock repair crew in the background.



Some soft spots at the edge of the pad.




Silt sock repair.



View of the stream crossing. Pile of wood mulch for the silt socks and new drainage cut (rock area) to divert water off road.

Pad Construction - Day 27

The day started off with more rain and it looked like the only dirt moved at the well pad site was moved with manual excavators (A.K.A. shovels).



By noon the rain had stopped and the cloudy skies had cleared by early afternoon.



The afternoon sunshine was too little, too late, to dry up the water soaked clay soil.



The afternoon sunshine was good news for three snakes as they warmed their ectothermic bodies on the erosion control netting. The sunshine didn't last long and by late afternoon a thunderstorm rumbled through.

Pad Construction - Day 26

After an inch plus of rain yesterday, this morning started out cloudy and the crew was on site ready to move dirt. Sometimes Mother Nature overrules and plans change. By late morning a light rain had started and the saturated clay soil didn't need too much water to change it to mud.

By early afternoon the equipment was parked.



The access road from the stream crossing to the pad area.



Water running through the tracks of a parked CAT D8.


Mud dripping from the roller.



The access road near the stream crossing.



The pad area.

Pad Construction - Day 25

The dry weather didn't last long and overnight we got 1.1 inches of rain. Most of the equipment was parked on the high ground of the pad area and there wasn't much activity on the site.



Water was flowing in the ditches at the stream crossing ...



and the erosion control was working hard to keep up with the heavy rainfall ...



West slope of the pad.


Peter Crounse of Crescent Services was on site for an E&S (erosion and sediment) inspection of the site.