OSO Wash

Natalie DeCario
External Affairs Coordinator, Coterra Energy

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[Editor’s Note: OSO Wash is an integral part of Coterra Energy’s supply chain, one of the many, many services so very essential to natural gas development and production.]

Keeping trucks clean in an industry such as ours in more than a matter of maintenance. It is an absolute necessity. That’s why so many of our contractors have come to rely on OSO Wash in East Lemon, Wyoming County, just south of the Susquehanna County line. Since 2018, proprietor Matt Austin and his crew have been providing confined-space clean-outs of vacuum trucks, frack tanks, dump trucks and more. They also steam-clean pipes for reuse.

“The thing about OSO is that it really is a critical service, both environmentally and in the regulatory sense,” Matt explained. In addition to the silt and grime that can accumulate on the outside of the truck, OSO employees go after the stuff that gets stuck on the walls of the tanks and in the valves.

Before Matt bought the business, which operated as Tomcat Truck for three years, tankers were traditionally cleaned on location, which required timing operations with a mobile company that had to deal with the elements. At OSO, the work is done inside a 6,000-square feet, two-bay garage.

“They don’t have to wait for a crew to arrive,” said Matt. Tankers are moved to OSO Wash by sister company Holcombe Energy Resource LLC, whose employees are also responsible for getting the truck or tanks to where they are needed next. OSO can stage as many as 80 frack tanks at a time. “It speeds up the developmental process by getting those tanks out of the way. And, if you want to start a job on Monday, you need to have a truck that is certified for freshwater use.”

OSO employs the Certified Clean process, providing contractors with needed documentation and a tag that goes on equipment that corresponds to electronically stored records. The company invested in an enhanced water filtration system and state-of-the-art process for solidifying polymers, which go to a holding tank for proper disposal. Waste water goes through geotextile bags to remove heavy solids and through a powerful centrifuge before the water passes through nine different tanks with 16-feet deep pits to drop out any remaining solids.

“It’s a 100% re-use system. We don’t release any water,” Matt explained. “When the centrifuge runs, we produce water that appears as clear as drinking water. It’s actually shocking.”

Nobody wants to risk a spill or any contamination, and OSO eliminates that possibility.

“We provide a solution to an environmental concern,” Matt says proudly, adding that OSO teamed up with Coterra Energy because he respected our approach to environmental protection. “Coterra has always facilitated business opportunities coupled with their stringent environmental standards, and OSO has found success in helping all vendors of Coterra Energy meet those responsibilities.”

OSO does not accept waste. “We only clean out the residuals from the last job,” Matt related. “We’ll reject it if it has too much waste.”

The uniqueness of OSO Wash is not limited to its clean-out services. There is also a retail center on site where truckers and truck companies can purchase tires, CB equipment, and other supplies, and OSO is continually building an inventory of things that truckers need.

“The big thing right now is CB supplies. There’s no other place in the county where people can get this when they need it,” Matt said of a ready stock of radios and antennas. OSO Wash also has more than 1,200 commercial truck tires in stock to cover over-the-road, regional, and off-road field operations and have been able to keep prices lower than their competitors.

Despite being less than a mile off State Route 29 – a vital highway through the gas fields – Matt told us that potential customers are often surprised to know that they are there. Coterra Energy’s contractors are highly satisfied with the services of OSO Wash, and we’re happy to help spread the word about this essential operation. Interested readers can contact OSO Wash’s customer service and sales rep Jamie Lundy at 570-665-4657 for more information.

Reposted, with permission, from Well Said Coterra.

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