PATECO SERVICES, LLC

What is Hydro-Excavation?

​

This service is most often used when the depth, size or type of underground utility needs to be verified by a contractor. Potholing is also employed as a protective procedure to safely excavate holes for light pole or utility pole installations. The potholing service Pateco Services provides is a necessity in the metro-area Atlanta for new development and redevelopment projects in order to protect existing utilities.

Like most hydro-excavation methods, the process starts with a simple pot hole. With the high pressure water vacuum tube hovering above the designated surface area, the operator excavates straight down into the ground until the marked, known utility is located.

If the utility is not present, as-builts plans are usually consulted for accuracy. Historically, however, as-builts are not always reliable. In some instances, in fact, they prove to be useless. In this situation, the pot holing procedure gives way to window trenching. Window trenching give you a window into the ground across a certain span and to a certain depth to be able to see any utilities which pass through that span.