Okanogan County, Washington
Excavation in Brewster, Washington
Brewster, Bridgeport and Pateros sit on the Great Terrace of the Columbia. It is layered, inconsistent ground that was stacked up against a wall of ice, and it does not dig the same twice.
Working ground in Brewster
- The terrace is silt over sand over gravel, laid down in stages. One trench can pass through three different materials.
- Sandy and dune-sand ground here is excessively drained. It digs fast and it will not hold a vertical wall.
- A loess cap sits on gravelly outwash, so the first foot or two comes easy and then the tool stops.
- Escarpments between the orchard benches limit where a machine can stage as much as where it can dig.
- Pateros carries the Carlton Complex history. 111 homes burned in and around town in 2014, and state geologists note debris flow danger on burned ground can persist up to five years, with alluvial fans the exposed landform. Culvert sizing and drainage matter more here than most places.
- Bridgeport is in Douglas County, not Okanogan. Different code and different hazard rules, and it is worth knowing before drawings get made.
Backcountry Excavation LLC is a registered Washington contractor, licensed, bonded and insured. You can check all of it before you hire us.
Brewster questions
Do you do drainage work on burned ground?
Yes, and it is worth doing right. Burned slopes shed water at more than double the old rate, and undersized culverts are the usual failure point.
Is Bridgeport a different permit process than Brewster?
Yes. Bridgeport is Douglas County. Brewster and Pateros are Okanogan County, and each city issues its own permits inside its limits.
Start with a straightforward estimate
Got a job in Brewster?
Tell us where the site is and what you are trying to get done. We will let you know whether we can take it on and roughly when.