Well Pad Reclamation - Day 10

Another clear sunny day and the cellars have been broken up and pushed into a pile.



The concrete, rebar and pipe from the cellars is ready to be removed from the pad.



The rebuilding of the side hill on the east slope of the pad is now up to the pad entrance and the old pad area is getting smaller.



A view looking to the southeast corner of the site where the original grade of the hillside has been restored and some of the topsoil from the stockpile has been spread.

Well Pad Reclamation - Day 9

The height of the dirt on the pad area continues to build up on the east side as the west slope is moved to the pad area.






Removal of the cellars continues. The excavator is just barely able to lift this section.

Milkweed and Insects

As the days pass from Spring to Summer, different varieties of wildflowers come into bloom. The milkweed is now starting to bloom and the insects are ready



Milkweed is another wildflower that requires a closer look. From a distance the milkweed flower looks like a ball but moving in closer you will see many small flowers.

Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca)


Most people are familiar with common Milkweed but the orange Butterfly Milkweed (Butterfly Weed) also blooms at the same time.

Butterfly Milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa) Butterfly Weed, Pleurisy Root, Orange Milkweed


A closer look at both milkweed flowers shows they both have 5 reflexed corolla lobes.

Butterfly Milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa) Butterfly Weed, Pleurisy Root, Orange Milkweed


Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca)

Well Pad Reclamation - Day 8

More dry weather and the dirt hauled to the pad area continues to fill in the base of the east slope.



The dry weather turns the clay from a wet sticky mess to a very fine dust which is easily blown by the slightest movement.



Excavator loading a truck with dirt from the south slope.



Dirt from the south slope is dumped on the east side of the pad to build up to the original grade of the hillside. The two domed objects mounted on each side of the blade are GPS receivers and can control the dozer to grade the dirt to the original hillside profile.



A view of the south end of the site where the hillside grade has been restored.



The cellars in the middle of the pad are starting to come out.

Making Hay

It has been a long time coming but the spring rains have stopped long enough to allow Jason Abell to start making hay. His grand kids following him on their ATVs.

Well Pad Reclamation - Day 7

Today was warm and sunny, and for the first time since construction/reclamation of the pad, it was dry enough for a large dust cloud to form over the site.



A view from the east slope shows the dirt moved from the southwest slope to the pad area. As the dirt is moved to the pad area it has started filling in the east slope.



Looking at the southwest corner of the pad from the base of the slope it shows a large amount of dirt has been removed.



The southeast corner of the pad is now close to the original grade.

Happy 50th Anniversary

Well Pad Reclamation - Day 6

The last of the crushed stone on the pad has been stockpiled for removal.



The dirt hauling appears to have a problem with one of the haul trucks.



View from the west berm showing the dirt that was removed from around the cellars.




The "Porta-John" has a new location on top of the north berm. Watch your step when you leave.

Well Pad Reclamation - Day 5

The removal of stone from the pad area continues with a steady flow of trucks entering and leaving the site.



Five or six bucket loads of stone from the stockpile and a truck is loaded in less than a minute.


A GPS base station is set up near the access road entrance. The GPS base station is used by GPS systems on the equipment to determine the location the original hillside contour.



View of the cellars looking east.


View from the cellar looking southwest.


View of the cellar looking northeast.

What's in your backyard?

I placed a game camera in a neighbor's backyard (by their request) and got the following photos.

Mother bear with two of the five cubs. The neighbor did see these bears as they walked by a window.


Turkeys




This raccoon shows up all the time.

Well Pad Reclamation - Day 4

Almost 2/3 of the crushed stone on the pad has been stock piled/removed and the end of the west berm has been hauled to the east slope.

Well Pad Reclamation - Day 3

The crew was busy today stockpiling the crushed stone from the pad area.



A steady stream of trucks removed stone from the stockpile on the pad.



While part of the crew worked on the stone removal, others continued to move dirt from the south slope of the pad to the east slope. All of the south berm has been removed.

Well Pad Reclamation -Day 2

The crushed stone at the south end of the well pad has been stockpiled in the middle of the pad and dirt is being moved from the south end of the pad to the uphill (east) side.



By the afternoon a sizable hole had been made in the south slope of the pad.


A view from the east slope.

Well Pad Reclamation - Day 1

The equipment started arriving at the JOYCE ROAD well pad late last week and today they started to remove the well pad and put the hillside back to the original grade. The first step was to remove the crushed stone from the pad area and stockpile it for hauling to another site. Once an area is cleared of the stone the dirt hauling will begin.