Hydro Excavation

Safely and efficiently remove soil with hydro excavation.

Vacuum excavation and hydro excavation are nonmechanical and nondestructive processes that use pressurized water and industrial strength vacuum to simultaneously excavate and evacuate soil.

As hydro excavation safely breaks up soil, the soil and water slurry is conveyed by vacuum to a debris tank. This method is preferred in undisturbed and cohesive soil scenarios.

When water is not necessary to break up material, such as when applied to backfill areas with loose gravel or sand, the use of a powerful vacuum truck is all that is necessary.

Hydro excavation has gained rapid popularity as a complement to conventional methods or as a stand-alone method used for digging and moving soil. Highly pressurized water is utilized along with a powerful vacuum to complete the hydro excavation system.

The Power of Hydro Excavation

To get an idea of the power that is used in the hydro excavation process think of a standard shop vac that is used around the home. It has a vacuum power of around 80 to 100 CFM. Seneca Companies’ 15 and 18 cyd wet/dry vacuum trucks deliver 5,500 to 6,000 CFM of vacuum at 28” HG (mercury).

The Waste Solutions team offers the perfect solution for when mechanical excavation is limited due to space limitations or when unknown or known sensitive subsurface utilities may be present. With our fleet of powerful 5,000 and 6,000 CFM wet/dry vacuum trucks complemented by our variable pressure water equipment, we can effectively remove materials around manholes, tanks, sewers, pipelines, utility lines, conduits or alongside buildings or structures where conventional excavation would be of higher risk or destructive.

Safety Is Our Top Priority

There are many benefits to hydro excavations but the most predominant is safety. This less destructive method results in fewer repairs to the surface area and less backfilling requirements. Manual digging is very intensive for laborers and very time consuming. Heavy machinery poses safety risks and causes damage to the surrounding area.

Variable applications include: exposing utilities, piling hole excavation, remote digging, potholing/daylighting, slot trenching and debris removal.

Safety and customer satisfaction are top priorities for Seneca, and this service eliminates unnecessary downtime, risks and property damage for you and your project.