Water on a slab behaves like a surveyor: it finds every low spot. In Midland the rain is infrequent, but when it comes it often arrives hard, and wash-down water, equipment drips and dock runoff are daily realities in plants and yards. A trench drain or concrete channel that sits a quarter inch high at one end will pond, freeze in a cold snap or leave a stain, so we set drains by laser and not by eye.
We build trench drains, concrete flumes and ditches, drainage swales, inlet aprons, curb inlets, wash bay floors and sloped slabs that lead to catch basins. The concrete around a channel has to be placed carefully, since forms, frames and grates all need support during the pour. Buyers include general contractors, plant owners, hospital and campus facility groups and municipal departments.
What follows describes the standards, safety practices, building types, related trades, schedule and method we apply.
Drainage design, load class and approvals
Drainage layouts come from the civil engineer or architect, and they set the slope, the channel width, the grate load class and the discharge point. A grate in a pedestrian walk differs from one in a forklift aisle or a truck wash, so we check the load rating against the traffic on the drawings. We submit product data for approval before ordering channels and grates.
Many drainage systems also fall under the site's stormwater plan, and discharge to a storm drain or detention area may be reviewed by the local permit office. A state accessibility filing for the I-20 reconstruction at Cotton Flat Road lists main lanes and frontage roads from STA 750+00 to STA 824+00 at an estimated $46.7 million, with work from May 1, 2022 to January 1, 2025. Public projects of this kind carry their own drainage standards, and we follow whichever set applies.
Open channels, wet floors and heavy grates
Open trenches and channels are fall and trip hazards during construction. We barricade and cover them overnight, and we keep walking routes marked. Heavy grates and frames move with a lift or a crew of two, and we keep hands clear of pinch points during placement.
In finished buildings, drain safety shifts to the floor surface. Floors around drains need traction when wet, and grate openings must suit the traffic, whether it is wheels, heels or forklifts. We discuss the finish with the owner and choose a texture that drains without becoming slippery or hard to clean.
Where we install drainage
Manufacturing plants and food processing facilities need floor drains and trench channels that handle daily wash-down and meet sanitation requirements. A manufacturing plant may also want sloped floors that lead to a central sump. Warehouses need dock drains and apron swales that keep water from the building.
Hospitals and clinics need drainage in ambulance bays, loading areas and mechanical rooms. Midland Memorial Hospital began a $156 million master plan project in 2024 that includes a four-story professional office building and demolition of the oldest part of the hospital slated for 2026. Large healthcare projects bring new service courts, loading docks and equipment yards, all of which need reliable drainage.
Drainage and the surrounding work
Drainage rarely stands alone. It ties to storm drain installation, which a utility partner handles, and to detention and retention ponds that hold runoff. At the building edge, it must work with slab on grade elevations and door thresholds.
Where a drain crosses a containment area, we coordinate details with the containment design so seals and sumps do not conflict. We keep a single set of elevations for all of these items, since a drain that is correct in isolation can still be wrong if the slab it serves is poured a half inch off.
Sequencing the channel and the pour
The usual sequence is subgrade approval, utility connections, channel set and fixed in place, reinforcement, concrete placement and finishing. A channel must be fixed so it does not float or shift as concrete rises around it, and we check its elevation at several stages. If utility work is behind schedule, the pour waits, because a drain set before the pipe is ready usually has to be reset.
TxDOT moved the bid letting for the Loop 250 and Todd Drive interchange up to December 2025, with the Midland Development Corp. committing $974,060 to design it and nearly $26 million in state funding secured. A September 4, 2025 City of Midland release lists the I-20 and Midkiff signal among the projects completed in 2025. Corridor work like this can affect trucking schedules, so we monitor detours before we order delivery times.
Who installs what
Concrete trade partners set forms, place and finish the concrete around drains, and they set channel sections and frames when the scope is flatwork. Underground piping, catch basin structures, connections to storm drains and trenching are handled by trade partners we coordinate. Qualified trade partners carry out the utilities and earthwork scopes.
Early in a project we ask the utility partner for the invert elevations and outlet locations so the surface plan can be checked against them. Conflicts between a channel run and a buried line are far easier to move on paper than after the base is placed, and the same exchange tells us where sleeves, boxes and cleanouts must be left in the concrete.
That division helps accountability. The utility partner owns pipe slope and invert elevations, we own the surface slope and the concrete, and the surveyor checks both. We exchange as-built elevations at each handoff so the final surface drains the way the engineer intended.
Setting drains to slope
We start by establishing control with a laser or total station and marking the invert at each outlet. Channels are set from the outlet upward, so slope is built on the actual discharge elevation. We secure channels with brackets or rebar, brace them against uplift and fill the channel with temporary material or water-resistant blocks to prevent distortion during the pour.
During placement, we consolidate concrete beside the channel with care, since poor consolidation leaves voids and weak edges. After finishing, we check slope and clean the channel before the concrete cures around debris. Before handover, we run water through the system to confirm it drains. A visible test on a Tuesday saves a complaint on the first rainy Friday.
Send the drainage plan
Send the site grading plan, drain details and product schedule. We will price the concrete work around each drain and coordinate the utility connections with your team.
Common Questions
What slope should a trench drain run at?
The engineer sets the slope, and it depends on the channel and the surface. Some channels are pre-sloped and some are level with a sloped floor. We build to the drawings and confirm the result with a flow test.
What load class should a grate have?
Match it to the heaviest wheel that will cross it. Walkways can take light grates, and truck lanes or forklift aisles call for heavy ones. The submittal and drawings give the class, and we confirm it before anything is ordered.
Can you add a drain to an existing slab?
Yes, by saw cutting a trench, setting the channel, connecting to a drain line and patching the concrete. It takes planning around utilities and floor reinforcing, and we scan the slab before cutting.
Do drains need maintenance?
Yes. Debris builds up in channels and grates, and sediment can block outlets. We give owners a simple cleaning schedule and show them how to lift the grate.