The construction industry is always developing new technology and innovations to make building easier. Hydro excavation is one such innovation that continues to help make jobs more efficient in the construction sector. Hydro excavation isn’t new, but this technology does continue to evolve. Let’s take a quick look at the history of hydro excavation.
Hydro excavation is a process of removing soil from an area using pressurized water. This differs greatly from other methods of excavation which uses mechanical tools. The pressurized water is applied to the area which creates a dirt slurry. A hydro vac can then be used to remove the slurry from the area. This is much faster than the traditional method of digging and excavating. It’s also a preferred method to be used in areas where there are buried utilities or other things present that would be damaged through digging such as lines and pipe systems.
According to the publication Hydro Excavation, this type of excavation has been around since the mid-1800s. It’s commonly held that this form of excavation was invented by gold miners in California. When gold was first discovered there in 1849, people flocked in droves to strike it rich, according to History.com. Digging in the dry California dirt was hard going, though. Miners began using pressurized water with a pump to start stripping out larger swaths of land.
This simple pump would release the pressurized water to cut through soil and rocks with the hope of finding gold. Originally, this method was called hydraulic mining, and it quickly spread to other industries.
It wasn’t until the 1960s that the first official hydro excavation device was invented. This device was called the ExcaVactor. These devices were installed into trucks in the 70s to make hydro excavation even easier, according to the publication Hydro Excavation. With mobile options, it was now a simple job to move from site to site and get an area successfully excavated. With these mobile options now available, this method became more common for commercial use.
Hydro excavation has come a long way since the early days of the California Gold Rush. Today, you can have excavation jobs done effortlessly with these services. If you need hydro excavation services, please contact Associated Hydro Excavating today.
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