Layne Christensen Company Announces Acquisition of W.L. Hailey & Company, Inc.

MISSION WOODS, Kan., Nov. 3, 2009 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Layne Christensen Company
(Nasdaq:LAYN) today announced the acquisition of W.L. Hailey & Company, Inc., a
water infrastructure company. Morgan Joseph & Co. Inc. provided investment
banking services to W.L. Hailey and served as exclusive sell-side financial
advisor to the company in connection with this transaction. The acquisition
purchase price was $15 million and was funded from Layne Christensen's current
cash balances and net of cash, Layne Christensen remains debt free.

W.L. Hailey, founded in 1925 in Nashville, Tennessee, is a leading provider of
water and wastewater infrastructure solutions in the Southeast and is ranked
among the largest environmental construction firms in the U.S. W.L. Hailey adds
to the list of acquisitions made recently to expand Layne Christensen's
geographic coverage in its water infrastructure business. W.L. Hailey will be
added to Layne's heavy/civil construction arm with approximately $80 million and
$5 million in trailing twelve month revenues and earnings before interest and
taxes, respectively. The acquisition is expected to be accretive to earnings
after all acquisition adjustments. W.L. Hailey builds water and wastewater
treatment facilities and systems, builds and installs water and sewer mains and
has marine construction capabilities.

Jeff Reynolds, President of Layne's Water Infrastructure Group, stated, "This
acquisition further solidifies our efforts in the Southeast water markets. The
'bolt-on' acquisition strategy we have used to expand the company's footprint in
water infrastructure continues to pay dividends. We welcome the W.L. Hailey
team."

Don Ackerman, President and CEO of W. L. Hailey, said, "The management team at
W.L. Hailey is excited to be part of the larger water infrastructure services
group inside Layne Christensen Company. With the support and resources of Layne
Christensen, we will be able to accelerate our growth in the water challenged
Southeast markets."

Layne Christensen's Water Infrastructure Division includes:

* Water Resources Group providing single source, full service
capabilities with expertise in geosciences, well drilling, pumping
and water treatment.
* Heavy/Civil Construction Group (Reynolds, Inc.), providing design
and construction services for treatment plants, pump stations and
pipelines.
* Pipeline Rehabilitation Group (Reynolds Inliner), an industry
leader in cured-in-place pipeline renewal, offering municipal and
industrial customers a safe, cost-effective and long-term pipeline
rehabilitation solution.
* Geoconstruction Group, offering a wide array of soil stabilization
services including jet grouting, drilled micro-piles, vibratory
ground improvement and construction anchor technologies.
With over 50 offices strategically located across the country, Layne Christensen
is uniquely positioned to offer comprehensive, integrated solutions to solve the
most demanding needs of our customers. Layne Christensen Company provides
sophisticated services and related products for the water, wastewater, mineral
and energy markets.

The Layne Christensen Company logo is available at
http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=3466

About Morgan Joseph & Co. Inc.

Morgan Joseph & Co. Inc. (www.morganjoseph.com) is a full-service investment
banking firm serving middle market companies. The firm's primary focus is on
providing financial advisory and capital raising services, including mergers and
acquisitions services and equity and debt private placements and public
offerings. In addition, Morgan Joseph provides research and trading services for
institutional clients.

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of
Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Exchange Act of
1934. Such statements may include, but are not limited to, statements of plans
and objectives, statements of future economic performance and statements of
assumptions underlying such statements, and statements of management's
intentions, hopes, beliefs, expectations or predictions of the future.
Forward-looking statements can often be identified by the use of forward-looking
terminology, such as "should," "intended," "continue," "believe," "may," "hope,"
"anticipate," "goal," "forecast," "plan," "estimate" and similar words or
phrases. Such statements are based on current expectations and are subject to
certain risks, uncertainties and assumptions, including but not limited to
prevailing prices for various commodities, unanticipated slowdowns in the
Company's major markets, the risks and uncertainties normally incident to the
construction industry and to the exploration for and development and production
of oil and gas, the impact of competition, the effectiveness of operational
changes expected to increase efficiency and productivity, worldwide economic and
political conditions and foreign currency fluctuations that may affect worldwide
results of operations. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties
materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results
may vary materially and adversely from those anticipated, estimated or
projected. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this
release, and the Company assumes no obligation to update such forward-looking
statements or to update the reasons why actual results could differ materially
from those anticipated in such forward-looking statements.

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CONTACT: Layne Christensen Company
Jerry W. Fanska, Sr. Vice President Finance
913-677-6858
jwfanska@laynechristensen.com