equippedcivil-2025

What does site rehabilitation involve?

Wed, 29 Jul 2020 06:51:23 GMT

When a site like a mine, dump or dam is no longer fit for its intended use, the land area can be rehabilitated to resemble its state before the site was built. This way, land can be reused for different purposes. Land rehabilitation is generally implemented after other events to restore a natural environment without using it again.

Who rehabilitates sites?

In most instances, the company using the site must organise site rehabilitation. Mining companies must acquire a rehabilitation security bond before activities begin and are regulated by state and federal governments to follow through on this agreement. Geologists, engineers, toxicologists, public health scientists and technical support personnel can all be employed to work on rehabilitating the land. Often, soil and planting companies will work on-site rehabilitation by replanting native vegetation on topsoil or soil cover to prevent erosion.

How do you rehabilitate a site?

Waste Dumps - Contour and flatten the land to prevent erosion.

Landfills - Cover the landfill with topsoil and plant native vegetation to prevent erosion.

Dumps - Plant native vegetation and fence off the site so livestock don't graze on the vegetation. When livestock reduces the amount of vegetation, the plant root system is less effective in consolidating the soil (and preventing erosion).

Open Pit Mines - Surround with a fence and leave it to fill with rainwater/ groundwater.

Tailings Dams - Leave to evaporate then cover with rock, clay and soil.

General tips for site rehabilitation

Cover any sulphides with a layer of clay or it will react with air and water to create sulfuric acid.
Revegetate with healthy, sustainable, native plants that support the existing ecosystem around the site. Revegetate with a variety of plants and depth of plant roots – a plant root system holds together soil to prevent erosion.
You don't always have to remove plant or infrastructure. If the site has cultural heritage or value that outweighs the destructive nature of the plant or infrastructure, you can restore the site around it and gentrify it instead.
If rehabilitating a mine, you may not have to fill it completely. Just because the ore you wanted from it has run out doesn't mean it doesn't have other uses. See if someone wants to use it for heat extraction, water harvesting or methane recovery. If so, you can rehabilitate around these needs.
Erosion is your worst enemy. When rehabilitating a site, you want the land to be useable afterwards. Erosion takes away the topsoil and anything you filled or covered the site with, re-exposing elements that not only damage the environment but negatively impact the next use for the land. Prevent erosion over almost anything else.

Contact Equipped Civil & Earthmoving

To organise site rehabilitation for your project site, reach out to the team at Equipped Civil & Earthmoving today . We provide a range of services and plant hire across South East Queensland including Dalby, Ipswich, Toowoomba, Brisbane, Gold Coast, Warwick and Chinchilla. Get a free quote today by giving us a call or filling out our online form.

What Are the Best Attachments for a Skid Steer Loader?

Thu, 28 Nov 2019 06:51:24 GMT

When trying to decide the right attachment you require to complete your project can be a daunting task. No matter the project type, there is always an attachment that can make your life easier and here are the six best skid steer attachments that can help you in any project situation.

Bucket
Trencher
Pallet Fork
Grinder
Rake

Bucket

If you are working on a construction site that requires lifting or removal of various materials, look no further than the bucket attachment. From steel and other metals to soil, sand and dirt, the skid steer bucket attachment can tackle any carrying project. There are a wide range of bucket sizes as well as added features that can improve efficiency.

Trencher

The trencher attachment is very useful to dig narrow trenchers at varying depths. The main uses for the trencher are for construction projects, farming needs and could be used for landscaping requirements. The trencher attachment can also be used for other projects such as drain piping and utility services. Depending on the size of the trench as well as depth, there are various trencher sizes that can accommodate for all trenching needs.

Pallet Fork

The pallet fork attachment is mostly utilised in a warehouse setting, either to lift or stack pallets. This attachment can be used instead of having to buy a separate forklift, you can just use your skid steer loader with the pallet fork attachment to do the same job. This attachment comes in a variety of sizes, allowing it to be able to lift or stack various pallet sizes.

Rake

The rake attachment for your skid steer loader is one of the most versatile attachments. From being able to prepare a seedbed, to removing old lawns and even removing weeds, the rake attachment can tackle any land project. There are various models of the rake attachment which allows anyone with a skid steer to utilise this attachment.

Contact us

Equipped Civil & Earthmoving offers a wide array of skid steer loader attachments as well as skid steer loader hire, excavator hire and more machinery that can complete the specific project type you're undertaking. Whether your project is in Brisbane or Toowoomba to Chinchilla, Equipped Civil & Earthmoving will be able to supply you with the best attachment for your project.

Give the team at Equipped Civil & Earthmoving a call and get a free quote - enquire now.

What is Hydro Excavation?

Mon, 18 Nov 2019 06:51:25 GMT

Hydro excavation in its simplest form is the removal or movement of soil utilising pressurised water; whether it is hot or cold water. Once the soil has been disturbed, the excess debris or soil is transferred to a debris tanker using an air conveyance. By employing this method of excavation, it allows for a safer and more accurate excavation to locate utilities for replacement or maintenance.

How hydro excavation works

How the vac truck operates is through combining both highly pressurised water and an air vacuum. By combining these two systems, it enables the pressurised water to slice through organic and inorganic materials and fracture these materials. By implementing an air vacuum, this lifts the broken-down debris and other materials from the excavation site into a debris tanker. This minimises clean-up and enables the excess debris to be used at a later date for compression.

Now, there are two main hydro excavation vacuum sources, these include a positive displacement blower or a fan system. A positive displacement blower enables the user to excavate at a greater depth than the fan system but has slower airflow. It can also flow the air at a substantial distance compared to the fan system. In comparison to the fan system, this option can disperse air in an immense amount which ultimately allows for rapid excavation. The fan system also is much easier to control and considerably lighter than a positive displacement blower.

Benefits of using hydro excavation

Many benefits can be attributed to hydro excavation, the primary benefit being improved safety. Hydro excavation provides improved safety and damage control when compared to mechanical excavation. Because of its much-improved accuracy, this decreases the injury rate and therefore improves the quality of the excavation.

Another benefit is that hydro excavation eliminates the worry of damaging important underground pipes and underground services such as gas, water, sewer and telecommunication lines. This in turn reduces the high costs of damaging underground services. By minimising the damages also allows for more time to complete the excavation rather than focus on repairs.

Where can hydro excavation be used?

Hydro excavation can be applied to various working environments including underground and subsurface utilities as construction for these are constantly being changed. Hydro excavation can also be utilised for the installation of pole, sign and line services as well as potholing or daylighting. As the equipment can be located a distance away from the worksite, this reduces obstruction of traffic in the excavation area and increases workflow.

Another application for hydro excavation is landscaping and earthworks as this enables accurate excavation without disrupting the underground soil and services around the area being excavated. This in-turn keeps the surrounding soil strong and compact. By using hydro excavation for pipe and sewer rehabilitation, this significantly diminishes the chance of puncturing a hole in the pipe works and adding more costs for repairs and replacement.

Equipped Civil & Earthmoving supplies and maintains a comprehensive selection of vacuum trucks as well as excavators, loaders, skid steers, tippers, graders and dozers in and around the Toowoomba region.

Enquire today on how we can provide you with the seamless vacuum truck for your project today.