Commercial and industrial HDD for conduit, fiber, water, sewer and gas in Austin, Pflugerville, Lakeway and across the county, planned around rock, aquifer rules and right-of-way coordination.
Texas Hawk is headquartered in Southlake and our crews are based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. Austin is a long haul south on the I-35 corridor, so for Travis County projects we plan the rig and crew mobilization into the schedule and price from the start. When a program outgrows one crew, our 300+ crew network can mobilize nationwide.
Travis County straddles the Balcones Fault Zone, so rock dominates the west and clay and gravel appear toward the Colorado River and the east. The USGS state geologic map lists more than a dozen surface units. Site soil borings set the final tooling and fluid program; this is the general picture.
Glen Rose Limestone is at the surface across about 32 percent of the county, more than any other unit. It is a layered limestone with softer marly beds, so hard ledges and softer zones can sit side by side in one bore.
The Edwards Limestone covers about 3 percent of the county and the Fredericksburg Group about 5 percent. Hard, fractured limestone like this can hold voids and fractures, so the drilling fluid program includes a plan for fluid loss.
Austin Chalk covers about 9 percent of the county, Navarro and Taylor Group clays about 11 percent, and Navarro with Marlbrook marl about 7 percent more. Chalk can bore well, while clay-rich ground sticks to tooling and moves with moisture.
Terrace deposits cover about 7 percent of the county, high gravel about 5 percent and alluvium about 3 percent, mostly along the Colorado River and creeks. Gravel and cobbles are hard on tooling, and river bottoms can bring shallow groundwater.
Walnut Clay, Pecan Gap Chalk, Hensell Sand and the Ozan Formation each cover a few percent. A single alignment can cross several of them, so a boring log matters more here than a county average.
Soil data drives the entry and exit layout, tooling, drilling fluid and vacuum capture. Rock changes the schedule and the tooling, so we price and plan for it up front.
In Travis County the City of Austin’s permit system, the Edwards Aquifer rules and TxDOT all matter. Each has its own paperwork, and we line it up early so it does not hold up mobilization.
Any soil disturbance in the City right-of-way needs an Excavation permit, and each street cut needs its own permit. Contractors need a City right-of-way contractor’s license and must name their subcontractors. A utility crossing may require a Horizontal View and Bore Profile sealed by a Texas professional engineer.
Excavation of 300 feet or more, or 25 feet or more in the Downtown Austin Project Coordination Zone, goes through the City’s utility coordination committee. Utilities must be located and marked in standard colors before digging, and City entities and franchised utilities receive permits for a maximum of one month downtown and two months elsewhere.
The Balcones Fault Zone belt of the Edwards Aquifer runs through nine counties including Travis. South of the Colorado River the recharge zone is managed by the Barton Springs/Edwards Aquifer Conservation District, and TCEQ regulates it under 30 TAC Chapter 213, generally requiring a Water Pollution Abatement Plan for regulated activity. Directional drilling is not specifically addressed, so we confirm with TCEQ and the district.
Austin Energy’s service area covers about 437 square miles, mostly in Travis County with the rest in Williamson County, and includes Bee Cave, Lakeway and Pflugerville among other cities. The Bluebonnet and Pedernales electric cooperatives serve other parts of Travis County.
Travis County is in TxDOT’s Austin District with Bastrop, Blanco, Burnet, Caldwell, Gillespie, Hays, Lee, Llano, Mason and Williamson counties. Work in state right-of-way is permitted through TxDOT’s utility process.
Pflugerville, Lakeway, Bee Cave, Manor and the other cities run their own right-of-way processes, separate from Austin’s. We confirm the street owner for each address before a permit is filed.
Travis County work runs from downtown Austin infill, where right-of-way coordination is tightest, to commercial development in the surrounding cities and rock-heavy sites on the west side.
Plans, utility records and soil data reviewed up front, with the bore profile set to the rock, the aquifer rules and every crossing.
Texas811 notice at least two working days ahead, utilities verified where the bore crosses them, and Austin or TCEQ paperwork started early.
Bore the path, track it, and capture drilling fluid so it stays out of creeks, storm drains and the aquifer.
Daily production reports and as-builts for close-out.
Yes. The City requires a separate Excavation permit for each street cut, plus a licensed right-of-way contractor with subcontractors named.
It can. For a utility crossing the City may require a Horizontal View and Bore Profile sealed by a Texas professional engineer, so we recommend asking for it at the start.
It depends on the location and the work. TCEQ regulates the zone under 30 TAC Chapter 213 and generally requires a Water Pollution Abatement Plan for regulated activity there. Directional drilling is not specifically addressed, so we confirm with TCEQ and the district before planning the bore.
For excavation of 300 feet or more, or 25 feet or more in the Downtown Austin Project Coordination Zone, so long runs and downtown work need extra lead time.
It slows one. Glen Rose and Edwards limestone calls for the right tooling and a longer schedule, which is why soil borings and early planning matter on the west side of the county.
Commercial and industrial projects only: developers, general contractors, utilities and electrical, telecom and mechanical contractors.
Commercial projects only. Fill out the quick form or call us — we’ll take it from there.