Sierra Exploration Drilling Company was founded by Robert L. Strahan and incorporated in the state of California in 1975.
Robert became employed as a mineral exploration geologist after his attending college and then worked in that field throughout the western United States. He remains a Registered Geologist to this day.
Robert’s goal in establishing Sierra Drilling Exporation was to bring higher quality water wells to the tri-counties area. He felt his knowledge of the sub-surface would aid him in achieving that. The first drilling project the company did was for the Hollister Ranch near Gaviota, CA. Soon after that, they had the honor of drilling the well for President Ronald Reagan’s ranch (Rancho Cielo) in the mountains near Santa Barbara.
Through the years, Sierra has developed a reputation for providing quality irrigation & domestic water wells and services at competitive prices.
Sierra developed several innovations over the years to improve the quality of the wells they drill. These include:
- an engineered gravel pack which creates a sand-free pumping condition in the water well
- a drilling mud processing machine that keeps the down hole solids under 3%, resulting in a higher well yield
- steel well protection sleeves and reinforced concrete pedestals
- an understanding of the importance of properly sized well screen and meshed gravel in well design, thereby increasing well efficiency; not a one size fits all approach
- using down hole stabilizers and drill collars for the straightest possible hole; a technique adopted from the oilfields
- using a higher grade of PVC well casing; we feature North American Specialties patented Certa-Lok well casing (SDR-21 & SDR-17; a non-solvent weld PVC casing that is stronger than traditional solvent welded joints
Sierra cares about giving each client the best quality and best performing well possible by using premium products and applying years of field proven experience. To this day, Robert remains an asset to Sierra and is available to interpret or otherwise add his knowledge to any situation.
Robert’s son, David, has recently taken the reigns of Sierra Exploration Drilling Company. He has been around the drilling business most of his life, working summers in his younger years and then becoming full time lead driller in 2004. He enjoys the challenges of the job and working outdoors. It’s a job that requires many skills: mechanical ability, fluid dynamics knowledge, machine operation, drilling experience, truck driving skills, and fabrication skills. David feels honored to have earned the privilege of owning Sierra Drilling and plans on continuing his father’s tradition.
Products and services Sierra offers:
- PVC water wells ranging in diameter from 5″ to 12″ and depths to 1200″
- Mud rotary drilling
- Air rotary drilling
- Air jetting services
- Submersible pump service and installation
- Well yield testing and annual inspections
- Complete water systems
- Water well siting services