The thrill of the drill

Firm bores holes for utility pipes under river

Drivers on U.S. 93 north of Kalispell are having their curiosity piqued as they cross the span over the Stillwater River these days.

A drilling rig, a water truck, an orange-fenced pit and lots of duct pipe resting in the ditch on the west side of the highway are prompting drivers to stop and ask the roadside workers just what's going on.

They're installing duct work for sewer lines to service Silverbrook Estates. The drilling project involves 850 feet of duct - under the river.

A successful drilling operation, proven by a drill head and reamer that are backed out of the drill hole, provides its own reward.

"It's absolutely elation when you pull that all the way back to the drill rig - and it is every time," Janice Scott said.

She, her husband, David, their son Buddy Evenson and employee Clark Dutton run Badger Directional Drilling.

They were hired to lay the groundwork for Kalispell city sewer and water lines to Silverbrook, the housing and commercial development going in 2 miles north of town at Church Drive.

The Flathead Valley natives started their business in 2001. Seven years of laying the way for utilities to run through tough terrain haven't dulled the thrill of the drill for Scott.

"It's just the miracle of it all," she said of their underground trenchless installations. "It makes you feel good to see the whole thing."

Beginning this week, the Badger crew will start the elation all over again as they repeat the process for water lines on the east side of the highway.

Here's what has been happening since the local family drilling business set up shop at the Stillwater River Oct. 8:

. On Monday, they drilled a horizontal pilot hole starting on the north side, curving under the river, and ending on the south side.

Evenson runs the drill. Dutton runs the above-ground locater, reading radio-wave information from the underground drill stem telling depth, lateral distance, rotation and other data needed to steer the drill.

They already located existing utilities a week earlier so they knew areas to avoid.

Janice Scott watches for the moving pipe from the south end. David Scott paces; as owner and supervisor of the company, it's his job to be sure everything is done correctly and on schedule.

They finished off the pilot hole by pulling back an eight-inch reamer to clear away the debris.

. On Tuesday, they ran a 14-inch reamer back and forth through the hole to make it bigger.

. On Wednesday, they pulled the 10-inch high density polyethylene duct through the under-river hole, leaving the ends exposed on either side of the river.

. On Thursday, they moved 10 feet to the west and started over with a larger duct.

The first hole is for a 10-inch sewer line to be connected to city sewer now, Scott said. The second, she understands, is for a 16-inch sewer line to accommodate future expansion.

Next in the process, after Badger runs duct for the 16-inch water line east of the highway, will be COP Construction of Billings coming in to bury pipes so Silverbrook can connect to city services.

The Badger crew has replicated the process hundreds of times since 2001.

Badger has an annual contract with Flathead Electric Cooperative, "so we've been in almost every subdivision in the last seven years," Scott said. They go into existing subdivisions and install new ducting when the old has deteriorated.

They're doing work on Bison Drive. Next, they'll be on Lake Blaine.

An 800-foot-long installation going under McDonald Creek and up the side of Apgar Mountain to supply a new water system for the town of West Glacier in 2003 presented their trickiest situation, Scott said.

They dealt with monumental forest fires, evacuation orders and a broken drill stem.

The work started in June and didn't finish until November, after the crew was put on hold for July, August and much of September.

Last year Badger ran an 18-inch duct under the Whitefish River near the bike trestle for the city of Whitefish.

On a Rabe Road job up the North Fork once, they ran into a massive boulder that forced them to pull back and relocate their line. That was a surprise, since every other time they have been able to drill through the underground rock they encounter.

For a guy who used to be a drywall contractor in the Flathead, David Scott and his family have learned plenty since 2001.

"We thought we knew more than we did," Janice Scott said. "Every day and every bore is a new experience. You never know what you're going to run into underground."

Reporter Nancy Kimball can be reached at 758-4483 or by e-mail at nkimball@dailyinterlake.com