Geotechnical Borings — Daniels Property, Dickens TX

Project Overview

IET completed geotechnical soil borings B271 through B278 (8 borings to 30 feet each) at the Daniels Property in Dickens, Texas for ECS Southwest LLP (Proj# 10363-D — Helios Future). The program required a 2-man crew over 3 field days, with a single rig mobilization.

A secondary site was originally planned as part of the same mobilization but was not ready to drill, resulting in hotel offset costs. IET managed the logistics efficiently, completing all 240 linear feet of soil borings at the Daniels Property on schedule.

The Helios Future project designation indicates this geotechnical investigation supports renewable energy (solar) infrastructure development — an expanding market segment where IET's Texas operations provide rapid-response geotechnical drilling support.

Scope of Work

• Eight (8) geotechnical soil borings to 30 feet (B271–B278)
• 240 total linear feet of soil investigation
• Single rig mobilization with 2-man crew
• Project #10363-D (Helios Future) for ECS Southwest LLP
• Completed over 3-day field program
• IET Sales Rep: Brad Eskue

Project Details

Technical Approach & Methodology

Geotechnical soil borings for renewable energy (solar) infrastructure projects require specific consideration of foundation loading conditions, soil bearing capacity, and settlement characteristics across large site footprints. Solar array foundations — whether driven piles, helical anchors, or shallow spread footings — depend on accurate characterization of near-surface soil strength and variability to optimize foundation design and prevent differential settlement across the array.

For the Daniels Property in Dickens, Texas, IET advanced 8 geotechnical borings (B271–B278) to 30 feet below ground surface using a buggy rig — a tracked, highly mobile drilling platform ideal for the variable terrain conditions typical of West Texas ranch and agricultural land. The buggy rig's low ground pressure enables access across soft or uneven ground where truck-mounted rigs would be limited, ensuring complete coverage of all boring locations across the site.

Standard Penetration Testing (SPT) was performed at 5-foot intervals in each boring, with soil samples collected for visual classification and laboratory index testing (Atterberg limits, grain size, moisture content). The 240 total linear feet of investigation — completed over a 3-day field program with a 2-man crew — provided the geotechnical engineer (ECS Southwest LLP) with the subsurface data needed to design foundations for the Helios Future solar infrastructure project.

Site Geology & Regional Context

Dickens County is located in Northwest Texas within the Rolling Plains physiographic province, east of the Llano Estacado (High Plains). The shallow geology consists of Quaternary-age alluvial and colluvial deposits overlying Permian-age red beds of the Pease River Group — predominantly shale, siltstone, and sandstone with variable cementation. Soils in this area are typically clay loams and sandy loams formed on calcareous parent material.

The 30-foot boring depth is appropriate for shallow solar array foundation investigations, targeting the active zone for soil moisture variation and the primary bearing strata for driven pile or shallow foundation systems. The Helios Future project designation indicates this investigation supports utility-scale solar infrastructure development — an expanding market segment across Texas where IET's rapid-response geotechnical drilling capability and buggy rig access provide critical scheduling advantages for fast-track renewable energy construction programs.