Hydrovac

Hydrovac excavation combines two fundamental mechanisms: a high-pressure water system that cuts and loosens soil, and an industrial vacuum system that lifts the water-soil mixture into a debris tank mounted on the truck. This combination allows operators to excavate with surgical precision without the risk of damaging buried utilities, pipelines, cables, or other subsurface infrastructure.

The hydrovac industry has grown rapidly since the 1990s, driven by increasing regulatory requirements for non-destructive excavation near underground utilities, growing awareness of the costs and dangers of utility strikes, and the expansion of underground infrastructure networks. Modern hydrovac trucks are sophisticated machines that can carry 1,000 to 1,500 gallons of water and 10 to 15 cubic yards of debris, with vacuum systems generating up to 6,000 CFM of airflow.

The term "hydrovac" is used interchangeably with hydro excavation, hydrovac excavation, vacuum excavation, and non-destructive excavation in common industry parlance, though technically vacuum excavation can also refer to air excavation systems. Hydrovac services are used across virtually every sector that involves working near underground utilities, including oil and gas, telecommunications, municipal infrastructure, transportation, and commercial construction.