Hydro Excavation Company in Portland, OR

Hiring a hydrovac contractor in Portland means trusting someone with live utilities, PBOT-managed right-of-way with active MAX corridors, and tight project timelines. We earn that trust with the right credentials and a track record of finishing what we start. Angelo Underground holds Oregon CCB# 243015, DBE/MBE/ESB# 13892, and WA Business License ANGELUL771QZ. We are Public Works and ODOT certified, SAM verified, and Avetta verified. We are also PGE-certified, which is a required qualification for any excavation or potholing work near Portland General Electric infrastructure across the metro area.

To verify any Oregon contractor, search the Oregon Construction Contractors Board license database before you hire. We encourage every client to check. In our experience, contractors who run into trouble on Portland vacuum excavation jobs are usually missing one of three things: a current bond, a City of Portland ROW permit, or a real sediment control plan that satisfies BES stormwater review.

Our crew understands the tight staging requirements of neighborhoods like the Pearl District and plans vacuum truck positioning to avoid blocking active MAX light rail corridors during utility exposure work. On narrower residential streets in Buckman, Sellwood, and Kenton, we give advance notice to nearby residents and set up traffic control that keeps driveways and mail routes accessible. That is why GCs, utility project managers, and PGE contractor teams call us back job after job.

Comprehensive hydro excavation services

Our hydro excavation services cover every phase of a project, from first locate to final backfill:

• Utility potholing and daylighting to expose live lines safely
• Slot trenching for conduit, water, gas, and sewer installation
• Non-destructive excavation near fiber, electrical, and gas infrastructure
• Foundation and footing exposure for repair and new construction
• Storm drain locating and repair support
• Soil removal and disposal to permitted facilities

Every utility locate and tie-in we support meets City of Portland Engineering and BES standards for trench depth, bedding, compaction, and surface restoration.

Advanced technology for precision work

We run low-decibel vacuum units specifically chosen to meet Portland’s noise variance requirements for work in dense residential zones and near sensitive commercial corridors. Our hydrovac truck and trailer deliver high-pressure water and vacuum extraction sized to the job. This matters in the West Hills, where the soil transitions from Willamette silt loam in the lowlands to basalt and hard rock in the upper elevations, and a mechanical bucket can deflect off hard substrate and clip a gas line. For PGE-adjacent work, our PGE-certified operators follow Portland General Electric’s dig protocols from start to finish.

Recently in the West Hills, our crew used slot trenching to install a new water service line through four feet of basalt without disturbing the existing fiber optic trunk running parallel in the same corridor. We completed the work in two days, saving the homeowner three days of manual chipping and keeping the fiber line live throughout. That kind of site-specific problem solving is what Portland’s underground conditions demand.

Environmental responsibility

Hydrovac work near Portland’s waterways, stormwater inlets, and combined sewer system carries real responsibility for sediment and runoff control. We follow BES erosion and sediment control standards on every job. Silt fence, inlet protection, and stabilized construction entrances are built into our site setup, not billed as extras. Our vacuum excavation equipment also runs quieter and with a smaller footprint than conventional mechanical methods, which matters in dense Portland neighborhoods and along the MAX corridor where site access is tight and neighbors are close.