Hydrovac excavation digs with pressurized water and a powerful vacuum instead of a bucket. The water breaks up the soil, the vacuum lifts the resulting slurry into a debris tank on the truck, and buried pipes, cables and utilities are exposed without being struck. Contractors, municipalities and utilities use it wherever a mistake underground would be dangerous, expensive or both.
How a hydrovac truck works
A hydrovac truck carries two systems:
- A water system that sprays pressurized water through a hand-held wand to cut and loosen soil. Heating the water lets it cut through frozen ground.
- A vacuum system, driven by a large blower, that pulls the loosened soil and water up through a hose and into a sealed debris tank.
The vacuum hose is carried on a boom, so the truck can work from beside the dig rather than on top of it, and remote hose reaches spots the truck can’t get to. When the tank is full, the slurry is hauled away for disposal, leaving a clean, open excavation.
Hydrovac vs. a backhoe or shovel
Backhoes are the right tool for moving large volumes of earth. Around buried infrastructure, hydrovac has clear advantages:
| Factor | Hydrovac | Backhoe or shovel |
|---|---|---|
| Risk of damaging utilities | Minimal: water doesn’t cut pipes or cables | High: metal teeth and blades can sever lines |
| Precision | Exact, controlled holes and trenches | Broad, rough cuts |
| Ground disturbance | Small footprint, little backfill | Large excavation and backfill |
| Tight or restricted access | Works from a distance with remote hose | Needs room for the machine |
| Frozen ground | Heated water cuts through it | Slow and difficult |
| Bulk earth moving | Slower | Faster |
What hydrovac excavation is used for
- Daylighting and potholing: exposing buried utilities so crews can confirm their exact location, depth and condition before they dig, drill or install anything. See hydrovac daylighting.
- Trenching: narrow, controlled trenches for utility installation and repairs near existing lines.
- Holes for poles, signs and posts: clean, accurately sized holes with little disturbance to the surrounding ground.
- HDD slurry cleanup: collecting drilling mud at the entry and exit pits during horizontal directional drilling.
- Debris removal and environmental cleanup: removing wet material and debris from trenches, catch basins and other work areas.
- Remote excavation: digging in landscaped yards, busy urban sites and confined areas that equipment can’t reach.
Digging in winter
Frozen ground stops most excavation, but not hydrovac. Heated water cuts through frost, so utility work can carry on through an Okanagan winter. Read how we keep hydrovac trucks working in the cold.
Safety comes first
Hydrovac doesn’t replace utility locates. Before any ground disturbance in British Columbia, request locates through BC 1 Call; hydrovac then confirms exactly where the marked lines are. Because nothing hard touches the line, the chance of a strike is far lower than with mechanical digging.
Our crews hold ground disturbance, confined space entry and H2S Alive training, and D&L Environmental is COR certified, an ISNetworld member and ComplyWorks verified.
Hydrovac service from D&L Environmental
D&L Environmental has more than 35 years of experience in hydrovac and vacuum truck work. Our fleet includes newer hydrovac trucks with 10-inch booms, large blowers and remote hose capability, all on DOT-certified trucks, and two full-time heavy-duty mechanics keep the equipment in top shape. Our primary service area runs from Kamloops and Merritt through the Okanagan, and we take hydrovac work across British Columbia, with emergency response 24/7.
See our hydrovac truck services, request a quote, or call 250-765-0999 for urgent work.
Frequently asked questions
It’s the safest way to expose them. Pressurized water and vacuum loosen and remove soil without the metal edges that can cut a line. Locates should still be requested first.
Yes. Heated water cuts through frost, so hydrovac work continues through the winter.
A vacuum truck removes and transports liquids, sludge and slurry. A hydrovac truck adds a pressurized water system so it can dig, which makes it the tool for non-destructive excavation.
It’s held as slurry in the truck’s debris tank and hauled away for disposal. Regulated material is documented with environmental waste manifests.
Yes. Our primary area runs from Kamloops and Merritt through the Okanagan, and we take hydrovac work across British Columbia.