General Excavating

General Excavating and Midwest Pump have been working together for over 15 years installing fuel tanks and delivery systems. "We have always had a good working relationship with General Excavating," states Dennis Walls, Vice President of Midwest Pump. Midwest Pump is a petroleum equipment and supply company specializing in the sales, service, and installation of fuel pumps, canopies, tanks, monitoring equipment, and piping. If a new convenience store and filling station is being built, there is a good chance Midwest Pump and General Excavating have been involved with the construction.

The team of General Excavating and Midwest Pump has been successful with installing over 33 fuel systems for convenience stores in the Midwest area. Fuel systems for U-Stops, Sinclair Stations, Salem Oil, Hergert Oil, Whitehead Oil and Mobil Squeegee Fills are a few of the many stores that Midwest Pump and General Excavating have helped to construct. "We have an experienced crew, so installation generally proceeds smoothly," according to Mike Stewart, Project Manager for General Excavating.

General Excavating's Environmental Division is involved throughout the construction process of the convenience stations. Work often begins with the removal of old tanks, (see Feature Method article). While excavation and backfilling are major components on these projects, General Excavating also installs the new tank, digs and pours the fuel islands, forms the canopy basins and installs the product lines. Typically two 10,000-gallon tanks and one 8,000-gallon tank are installed for each convenience station's fuel delivery system.

"Midwest Pump has been selling, installing, and servicing fuel delivery systems in the Midwest for over 18 years," says Dennis Walls. The partnership between General Excavating and Midwest Pump has helped convenience stations throughout the area get started. Next time you pull into a convenience store and begin fueling, remember, it all starts below the surface with General Excavating, "Your Underground Partner."

How do you remove a 10,000-gallon tank from underground? It's easy ‚ just ask Mike Stewart, Project Manager of General Excavating's Environmental Division. "We've installed or removed over one thousand underground tanks throughout the Midwest. We can do it in our sleep now," states Mike.

With the growth and expansion of many convenience stores, tank removal has become a more common task. Increased numbers of fuel pumps necessitate larger underground tanks. The removal of the old tanks is a task General Excavating specializes in performing. Safety on all projects is essential but the removal of old fuel tanks adds a greater risk. "We have been doing this type of work for a long time, so we have been able to develop a safe and efficient procedure," according to Mike Stewart. Tank removal generally involves the following steps:

One call to locate existing utilities

Apply for the necessary permits

Remove surface cover (asphalt, concrete, grass, dirt, etc.)

Place dry ice inside the tank ‚ it expands and forces air out to avoid explosions

Excavate dirt from around the tank

Remove tanks with excavators and the proper slings and riggings

Triple wash tank with a solvent and dispose of removed tanks

Backfill and compaction of excavating site

Removal of all product lines

Surface cover repair and general site clean up

An experienced and trained staff has allowed General Excavating's Environmental Division to become one of the Midwest's leaders in underground tank removal. Training includes: 40 Hour HAZWOPER, Lead Removal, Competent Person, CPR and First Aid, and continuous instruction through toolbox talks. A commitment to safety, utilization of the latest techniques and technology and client satisfaction has all made General Excavating, "Your Underground Partner" in tank removals.

General Excavating would like to express gratitude to our clients, subcontractors, partners, suppliers and employees for helping make this past year successful. We appreciate your friendship, kindness, business, and loyalty. We look forward to continuing and building upon our relationship with you in the future.

From all your friends at General Excavating.

The construction of duct banks and manholes were two of the tasks completed by General Excavating at Lincoln Electric System's Salt Valley Generating Station. Crews from General Excavating, working as a subcontractor for Hawkins Construction, constructed seven manholes and installed over 2,000 lineal feet of duct banks. "Although scheduling was tight, construction moved forward," stated Lowry Engstrom, Project Manager. The design engineer for the project was Burns & McDonnell.

General Excavating recently finished construction of a Subsurface Flow Treatment Wetland Project for Offutt Air Force Base. Contaminated water will be pumped to three wetland cells for treatment. In the spring, cattails will be planted in the layered cells to remove the chlorinated solvent. Piping was also installed by General Excavating's environmental team to carry the treated water to a nearby stream for discharge. The design engineer for the project was URS Group Inc.

Commitment by General Excavating employees means better service to our clients. THANKS!

15 YEARS - Mike Stewart

10 YEARS - Dave Waters, Yancey Keiser

5 YEARS - Dan Holley, Steve Crosby

This quarter's photo winner is Daryl Hopp. Daryl is a project foreman in our utilities division and has been with General Excavating for fourteen years.

This photo illustrates the installation of a duct bank for Lincoln Electric System at the Salt Valley Generating Station. General Excavating worked as a subcontractor for ABC Electric on this project.

Each quarter, employees enter photos in our contest for a chance to be published in our newsletter and win $100. Congratulations Daryl!