Hydro Excavation in Midland-Odessa, TXGet your dig in front of the right local hydrovac crew. One request. Trucks, crews and timing sorted.
Tell us about your project once. We pass it to one independent local hydro-excavation contractor who serves your area and handles this kind of work, and they contact you to talk through scope, schedule and price.
- Potholing, daylighting, slot trenching
- Oilfield, utility and commercial
- Free request, no obligation
Free matching service by Voraus LLC. We're not a hydro-excavation contractor and don't perform the work. Independent providers quote and contract with you directly.
Start your free request
About 2 minutes · rough answers are fine
Goes to one independent provider, never a list. Privacy
From one request to a real conversation, in three steps
No accounts, no bidding wars, no list of strangers calling you.
Send the job details
Location or lease name, county, what needs to be exposed, approximate number of holes or trench length, and timing.
We pass it to one local contractor
Your request goes to one independent hydrovac contractor serving the Permian Basin.
The contractor follows up, you decide
They'll confirm scope, site access, safety requirements and the Texas811 ticket, then quote. Pricing, scheduling, insurance and contract terms are directly between you and the contractor.
The simple way to get a big project moving
Send the location, scope and timing of your dig. We pass the request to an independent hydrovac contractor working the Permian Basin, and they contact you about trucks, crew and pricing.
Big projects are hard to start. Finding someone who does exactly this kind of work, explaining it over and over, and waiting on callbacks eats weeks. One clear request, sent to one provider who fits it, gets you to a real conversation faster.
Start my free requestOne free request
Describe your project once instead of calling around. It's free to you, and you never pay us anything.
Matched by project type & size
We use your project type, size and location to choose which independent local hydro-excavation contractor receives it.
You stay in control
Your request goes to one provider, not a list. Ask questions, compare other quotes, or say no.
No obligation
Sending a request doesn't commit you to anything. Any contract is between you and the provider.
Fast response goal
Our goal is to pass every complete request to a provider within one business day. When you hear back depends on the provider and the season.
Common hydrovac requests
Pick the closest match in the form and add details. The provider will confirm the rest.
Potholing & locating
Expose lines to confirm depth and position before you dig or bore.
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Slot trenching
Narrow, clean trenches for new lines near existing utilities.
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Pipeline & facility work
Daylighting and crossings on leases, pads and pipeline right-of-way.
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Potholing and line verification
Exposing pipelines and utilities at crossings and tie-in points to confirm exact depth and location before boring or trenching.
Daylighting
Exposing longer sections of pipe or cable for inspection, repair, coating work or integrity digs.
Slot trenching
Narrow, precise trenches for new lines, conduit or cathodic protection, with minimal surface disturbance.
Pad and facility work
Excavation around existing lines during pad construction, compressor station or facility expansions.
Pole and pile holes
Clean holes for poles, piles, signs and fence posts near buried utilities.
Valve, riser and vault cleanout
Removing soil and debris from around valves, risers, cellars and vaults.
Tank and sump cleaning
Vacuuming sludge or debris from tanks, sumps and catch basins, depending on the contractor's permits.
Emergency and leak response
Rapid excavation to expose a damaged or leaking line, coordinated with the operator.
What affects hydrovac pricing
Every job is quoted individually by the provider. These are the factors that usually move the number, so you know what to expect and what to put in your request.
Hourly truck and crew rate
Most hydrovac work is billed by the hour for the truck and crew, often with a minimum. Some contractors offer day rates or per-hole pricing for repeat work.
Soil and caliche
Hard caliche layers common in the Permian Basin slow excavation compared with sandy soils. Harder ground means more hours per hole.
Depth and volume
Deeper holes and larger excavations fill the debris tank faster and take longer. Trips to dump add time.
Travel and location
Remote leases far from Midland or Odessa add drive time. Many contractors bill portal-to-portal.
Disposal
Excavated slurry has to go to an approved disposal site. Disposal fees and haul time, especially for contaminated material, add to the cost.
Site requirements
Safety orientations, standby time, permits, water supply and after-hours work can all affect the final bill.
Non-destructive digging in the Permian Basin
The ground under the Permian Basin is crowded. Gathering lines, transmission pipelines, produced-water lines, electric and fiber run under pads, roads and pastures across Midland, Ector, Andrews, Martin and surrounding counties. Before anyone trenches, bores or sets a foundation near those lines, the lines have to be found and exposed safely. Hydro excavation, often called hydrovac, does that by using pressurized water to break up soil and a powerful vacuum to pull the slurry into a debris tank on the truck. Because nothing sharp touches the line, the risk of striking a pipe or cable is much lower than with a backhoe.
Hydrovac is used for potholing (exposing a line at a point to confirm depth and location), daylighting longer sections, digging slot trenches, cleaning out around valves and risers, excavating holes for poles and signs, and working in tight spots where machinery can't reach. Around Midland and Odessa, a lot of this work supports pipeline crossings, tie-ins, pad construction, facility expansions and utility work for the region's growth.
We don't own trucks or do excavation. MidlandHydroExcavation.com is a free request service run by Voraus LLC. You send the job details once, and we pass them to an independent hydrovac contractor that works the area. The contractor quotes, schedules and performs the work under its own contract, insurance and safety program. You're never obligated to hire anyone.
What to have ready when you request hydrovac
The fastest quotes come from clear scopes. Note the number of potholes or the length of trench, the target depth, and what you're trying to expose: gas lines, fiber, electrical, water mains, or pipeline crossings. Share drawings, locate tickets or line markings if you have them, and say whether the site is a lease road, a pad, a city street or a yard.
Think about water and disposal. Hydro excavation uses pressurized water and a vacuum to remove soil as slurry, which then has to go somewhere. Ask how the contractor handles water supply and spoil disposal, and whether your site or operator has rules on where slurry can be dumped. In the Permian, many oilfield sites have their own requirements.
Plan for site safety. Most operators and general contractors require site orientation, specific PPE and safety certifications, and sometimes a pre-qualification on a contractor management platform. If yours does, say so in your request. Remember that Texas811 notification rules still apply to hydro excavation, and line locates should be in place before work starts.
Safety, compliance and what to check
Texas doesn't issue a specific license for hydro-excavation. What matters is safety and compliance: a written safety program, trained crews, appropriate insurance, DOT compliance for the trucks, and approval by the operators whose sites you're working on. Many operators require contractors to be registered with third-party compliance platforms and to meet their safety metrics.
We don't vet, insure or supervise any contractor, and a match isn't an endorsement. Confirm insurance, safety requirements and who holds the Texas811 ticket before work starts.
Questions worth asking a hydrovac contractor
- What's your hourly rate, minimum, and is it portal-to-portal?
- How do you handle caliche, and what production should I expect?
- Where will the slurry be disposed, and how are disposal fees billed?
- Who will call in and hold the Texas811 ticket?
- Are you approved on the compliance platforms my operator requires?
- What truck size and water capacity will you bring?
What's different about digging in the Permian Basin
Caliche is the local signature. This hard, cemented calcium carbonate layer sits near the surface across much of West Texas and can be tough to cut even with high-pressure water. Experienced crews adjust pressure, nozzles and technique to get through it efficiently. Expect production rates to vary from site to site depending on how thick and hard the caliche is.
Pipeline density is unusual here. Many leases have multiple operators' lines crossing the same corridor, some installed decades ago with incomplete records. That's why potholing to physically verify every line before crossing is standard practice, and why many operators require hydrovac or hand digging within the tolerance zone around marked lines.
Texas law requires anyone who intends to excavate to notify Texas811 no earlier than 14 days and no later than 48 hours before digging, not counting weekends and legal holidays, and to confirm that facility operators have responded before excavating. For pipelines, the Railroad Commission of Texas enforces damage-prevention rules. The excavating contractor is responsible for the locate request, so confirm who holds the ticket for your job.
Water and disposal logistics matter in a dry region. Hydrovac trucks need water to work and somewhere approved to dump the slurry. Contractors who work the basin know where to fill and dispose, which keeps trucks working instead of driving. In winter, northers can bring hard freezes, and crews use heated systems to keep water lines and pumps working.
Requests in the Midland area range from pipeline crossings and daylighting on lease roads to utility locates for new commercial construction, fiber installs and water line repairs inside city limits. Rural jobs often involve long drives on caliche roads, so give clear directions, a pin drop or GPS coordinates, and lease or gate access details. In town, mention whether the work is in a street, alley, sidewalk or private lot, because work in public right-of-way may need a city permit and traffic control. Caliche layers and hard, dry soils common in the Permian Basin can slow digging, which a contractor will want to know about when estimating time.
Areas we take requests from
Midland, Ector, Andrews, Martin, Howard, Ward, Winkler, Crane, Glasscock, Upton and Reeves counties are the main coverage area.
- Midland
- Odessa
- Gardendale and Greenwood
- Andrews
- Stanton
- Big Spring
- Monahans
- Kermit
- Crane
- Pecos
- Garden City
- Seminole
- Lamesa
Common questions
Straight answers about hydro-excavation around Midland and how this free service works.
Are you a hydrovac company?
No. MidlandHydroExcavation.com is a free request service run by Voraus LLC. We pass your request to an independent hydro-excavation contractor, which does the work under its own contract, insurance and safety program.
Does it cost anything to send a request?
No. It's free. Contractors may pay us a referral fee. You never pay us anything, and you're free to get other quotes.
What's the difference between hydrovac and air vac?
Hydro excavation uses pressurized water to loosen soil; air excavation uses compressed air. Water cuts hard ground and caliche faster but creates slurry that must be disposed of. Air leaves dry spoil that can often be backfilled. Some contractors offer both.
Who calls Texas811?
The excavator, meaning whoever is doing the digging, is responsible for the locate request, at least 48 hours before digging, excluding weekends and holidays. Confirm in your agreement who holds the ticket.
How is hydrovac billed?
Usually hourly per truck and crew with a minimum, often portal-to-portal. Disposal, standby and travel may be extra. Ask for all charges in writing.
Can hydrovac cut through caliche?
Yes, though it's slower than in sandy soil. Production depends on hardness and depth.
Ready to get your hydro-excavation project moving?
Even a brief request helps: "Pothole 6 crossings on a gathering line north of Midland, Martin County, next week, operator requires hydrovac within 24 inches."