Do you really come over from South Dakota?

Yes. Our yard in Summerset is just off I-90, which runs straight through Spearfish, Sundance and Moorcroft to Gillette. Newcastle is reached through the southern Black Hills. Grouping work in one trip keeps mobilization down, so tell us if neighbors need ponds done too.

Do I need a permit to work on a reservoir or stock pond in Wyoming?

Cleaning out an existing pond to its original size usually doesn't. Building, raising or enlarging a dam or reservoir is permitted through the Wyoming State Engineer's Office, and work in a stream can need a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers permit. Check before the work starts, and we'll build to whatever is approved.

Who calls in utility locates?

We do, through Wyoming 811, before any digging, unless your contract already covers it. Pipelines are common across this country, so locates matter here more than most places.

Long Reach Excavation in Northeast Wyoming

Northeast Wyoming is ranch and energy country, and both run on dirt work that needs reach: stock reservoirs silted in from the breaks, dugouts in flat pasture, ditches and draws that have to stay open, and ponds and channels on industrial sites.

Black River Contracting brings a Cat 324E with a 60-foot long-reach front over from Summerset, SD. It digs from the bank or the dam crest, so the machine stays on solid ground while the bucket reaches into the water or across the ditch.

Towns and counties we cover

Sundance and Crook County, on the Wyoming side of the Black Hills, closest to our yard.
Moorcroft, with ranches along the Belle Fourche River and around Keyhole Reservoir.
Newcastle and Weston County, reached through the southern Black Hills.
Gillette and Campbell County, ranch country and the energy industry’s supply and service base.

Work we do here

Stock pond and dugout cleanout: restoring depth so water lasts through a dry summer.
Reservoir and dam work: rebuilding settled dam crests, clearing spillways, cleaning out silt.
Ditches and draws: reopening ditches and channels from the top of the bank.
Contractor support: our long-reach excavator with an operator for primes and excavators who need reach for a few days.

Black River is a certified Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB). For the service in full, see long reach excavation.

Common questions

Do you really come over from South Dakota?: Yes. Our yard in Summerset is just off I-90, which runs straight through Spearfish, Sundance and Moorcroft to Gillette. Newcastle is reached through the southern Black Hills. Grouping work in one trip keeps mobilization down, so tell us if neighbors need ponds done too.
Do I need a permit to work on a reservoir or stock pond in Wyoming?: Cleaning out an existing pond to its original size usually doesn't. Building, raising or enlarging a dam or reservoir is permitted through the Wyoming State Engineer's Office, and work in a stream can need a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers permit. Check before the work starts, and we'll build to whatever is approved.
Who calls in utility locates?: We do, through Wyoming 811, before any digging, unless your contract already covers it. Pipelines are common across this country, so locates matter here more than most places.

Learn more about Long Reach Excavation

Long Reach Excavation
A Cat 324E with a 60-foot long-reach front for stock ponds, dugouts, ditches and work near water, digging from the bank across Western South Dakota and Northeast Wyoming.