The Perks of HydroVac Excavation

What Is Hydrovac Excavation?

Hydro-excavation is a non-destructive alternative to excavation in precise or demanding project locations.   A high-pressured water process is used to safely expose utilities or other such sensitive areas without causing any damage.   This quick and effective solution is rapidly becoming standard for industries such as;

- Oil & gas
- Power
- Utility
- Transportation
- Engineering

The pressurized water is sprayed into the ground using a handheld wand to loosen dirt, rocks, clay, sand, and debris and liquefy them to create a slurry, the result is simultaneously vacuumed into a holding tank on the truck, and shipped for disposal.  The nature of this work, coupled with the option of on-board heaters, allows the extraction of soil even when the ground is frozen.   

All HydroVac operators are required to be licensed and trained in the proper safety protocols for HydroVac excavation in both dangerous and tight space locations. 

In general, HydroVac Excavating is a method that provides a safer and faster alternative for all equipment, materials and personnel working on an excavation project.

Hydro-Excavation and Contaminated Soil

Hydro-excavation can be used for both clean and contaminated soil materials.   However, only HydroVac trucks licensed with the Ministry of the Environment to transport hazardous and non-hazardous contaminated soils are permitted to excavate them. 

As HydroVac trucks use only high-pressurized water to excavate soils, no alien substances are added to the soil to contaminate it.   If the soils tested prior to hydro-excavation are clean, the soil will be disposed of as clean material.

  

Hydro-excavated contaminated soils are required to be disposed of at licensed treatment facilities. Licensed facility services reduce the impacts that customer waste materials can have on public health and the environment thanks to responsible management practices such as the recovery of reusable resources and the composting of organics.