Hydrovac excavation in Tampa BayDig safe. Expose utilities without striking them.
Pressurized water and vacuum that daylight buried lines precisely, instead of tearing into them with a backhoe. For contractors, utilities, engineers, and HDD crews across Hillsborough and Pinellas counties.
- Potholing & utility daylighting
- Slot trenching, line exposure & debris removal
- Culvert, catch basin & HDD support
Hydrovac services in Tampa Bay
Hydrovac excavation, also called hydro excavation or vacuum excavation, uses water to cut the soil and a vacuum to remove it. Nothing mechanical touches the utility. Here is what that makes possible on your jobsite.
Potholing & Daylighting
Precise test holes that confirm the exact location and depth of a buried utility before you dig, drill, or bore near it.
Learn more →Slot Trenching
Narrow trenches that trace utilities across an area or install lines where a wide open cut isn't an option.
Learn more →Debris & Spoil Removal
Vacuum removal of mud, slurry, spoil, and loose material from pits, trenches, and flooded excavations.
Learn more →Utility Locating Support
Hydrovac verification alongside locate work, so your crew works from confirmed positions, not paint marks alone.
Learn more →Underground Line Exposure
Careful exposure of water, sewer, gas, electric, and fiber lines for repair, tie ins, and inspection.
Learn more →Culvert & Catch Basin Cleanouts
Vacuum cleanouts of clogged culverts, storm drains, and catch basins so stormwater drains the way it should.
Learn more →Directional Drilling Support
Potholing and slurry cleanup for HDD crews: verify every crossing before the bore, and keep the site clean as it runs.
Learn more →Not sure what you need?
Describe the job in the quote builder and we will recommend the right approach.
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How hydrovac excavation works
It is nondestructive digging: water does the cutting, vacuum does the lifting, and the utility in the ground stays intact.
Water cuts the soil
A wand sprays pressurized water into the ground, breaking sand and clay into a slurry, even tight around pipes, conduit, and fiber.
Vacuum lifts it out
The truck's vacuum hose pulls the slurry straight into the debris tank as the hole opens, keeping the excavation clean and controlled.
You see the utility
The line is exposed in place, with its location, depth, and condition confirmed by eye, so the rest of the job can proceed without a strike.
Sandy ground caves in fast around a mechanical bucket. A hydrovac hole stays small and controlled, so the excavation doesn't slump into a crater around the line you're exposing.
Much of Tampa Bay sits just above the water table. The truck pulls water and slurry out as it digs, so you're not pumping a flooded hole before you can see anything.
Lines get marked first, every time. Florida law requires a call to Sunshine 811 before any dig. Daylighting verifies those marks in the ground; it doesn't replace them.
Hydrovac vs. backhoe vs. hand digging
A single utility strike can mean repair bills, fines, downtime, and a crew in danger. Here is how the three ways of digging near a buried line compare.
| Hydrovac | Backhoe | Hand digging | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Risk of striking a utility | Very low | High | Moderate |
| Hole size | Small and precise | Large | Small |
| Speed in sand and wet ground | Fast | Fast, but walls collapse | Slow, prone to caving |
| Standing water in the hole | Removed as it digs | Needs pumping | Needs pumping |
| Surface restoration | Minimal | Extensive | Minimal |
| Spoil left on site | None, hauled in the tank | Large pile | Small pile |
Built for the jobsite
Hydrovac work comes up anywhere someone has to dig near lines they can't afford to hit.
General contractors & subcontractors
Verify utilities before excavation, foundations, and boring, and keep the schedule clear of strike delays.
Utilities & municipalities
Expose your own lines for repair, inspection, and relocation, and add capacity during storm season.
Engineers & SUE providers
Collect Quality Level A test hole data under ASCE 38 for design drawings and conflict analysis.
HDD & fiber crews
Pothole every crossing before the bore and keep pits clean while it runs.
Property managers & HOAs
Clean catch basins, inlets, and culverts before the rainy season and after major storms.
Any crew digging near live lines
If a gas, water, sewer, power, or fiber strike would shut down the job, see the line first.
Where we work
We provide hydrovac excavation across the Tampa Bay area in Hillsborough and Pinellas counties. Pick your city for local details.
Also serving Riverview, Valrico, Seffner, Apollo Beach, Largo, Dunedin, Palm Harbor, Oldsmar, Safety Harbor, Pinellas Park, Temple Terrace, Lutz, and Wesley Chapel. See all service areas.
Utility data you can design from
Subsurface utility engineering under the ASCE 38 standard defines four quality levels of utility information. Only Quality Level A comes from physically exposing the utility, and that is exactly what a hydrovac test hole does.
- Depth to top of utility at each test hole
- Size, material, and direction of each line
- Photos in the hole and reference measurements
- Data delivered in the format your design team needs
Tell us about the job in six quick questions
Tap your answers, add your contact details at the end, and send. We review every request and follow up with pricing and scheduling.
Hydrovac FAQ
The things contractors, engineers, and property managers ask most about vacuum excavation in Tampa Bay.
What is hydrovac excavation?
Hydrovac, or hydro excavation, is a nondestructive digging method. Pressurized water breaks up the soil and a powerful vacuum lifts the resulting slurry into a debris tank on the truck. Because no bucket or blade touches the ground, buried utilities are uncovered instead of struck.
What's the difference between daylighting and potholing?
They are the same technique used two ways. Potholing digs a small test hole at one spot to confirm a utility. Daylighting exposes a longer run of a line so you can see its full path.
Do I still need to call 811?
Yes. Florida law requires notifying Sunshine 811 before you dig, at least two full business days ahead. Locating marks the lines on the surface; hydrovac verification confirms them in the ground. It works with the locate, never instead of it.
Why not just use a backhoe or hand dig?
A bucket can't feel a fiber line or a gas service before it hits it, and hand digging a deep, wet hole in Tampa Bay sand is slow and prone to caving. Vacuum excavation removes soil with water instead of steel, and the hole stays small and clean.
How is a hydrovac job priced?
Most hydrovac work is billed by the hour, often with a minimum, plus disposal of the material removed. The total depends on location, depth, soil, surface cutting, the number of holes or length of trench, and travel. The more detail you give in the quote request, the tighter the quote.
How deep can a hydrovac dig?
Most potholes and line exposures are within a few feet of the surface, but hydrovac trucks can reach much deeper with additional hose. Tell us your target depth and we will plan for it.
Does hydrovac work in clay or rock?
Clay takes longer to break up than sand, and very hard material or rock may need other tools to supplement the hydrovac. Let us know what ground you expect so the right setup is on the truck.
What happens to the soil that comes out?
It goes into the truck's debris tank as slurry and is hauled off for proper disposal, so you're not left with a spoil pile and a mud pit.
What if the truck can't get close to the dig?
Tell us about access: distance from where a truck can park, gates, fencing, and finished surfaces. Hose can be run a considerable distance from the truck, and knowing the setup ahead of time keeps the job efficient.
Do you work in the rain?
Light rain doesn't stop vacuum excavation, and the vacuum actually helps when water collects in the hole. Lightning does stop work, which in Florida summers usually means a short afternoon pause.
Who uses hydrovac services?
General contractors and subcontractors, utility companies, municipalities, engineers and SUE providers, HDD crews, telecom and fiber installers, property managers, and anyone who needs to dig near buried lines without damaging them.
What areas do you serve?
We serve the Tampa Bay area, including Tampa, St. Petersburg, Clearwater, Brandon, Plant City, and the communities around them across Hillsborough and Pinellas counties.