Lakes are part of the natural beauty of our living earth. They are not only water sources, but food sources for millions of people around the world. In modern society, natural lakes and wetlands also provide opportunities for recreational activities such as water sports, fishing and wildlife hunting.

Typical immersed aquatic vegetation in wetland

The Challenges and Debates

The removal of overgrown nuphar and water hyacinth are very common in the Southern States. This invasive aquatic plant has very dense and fine, fiber-like roots that are tightly interweaved. They grow rapidly developing into large floating mats or islands, especially during the high growth seasons. Left unchecked, trees eventually grow on these islands causing it to be far too costly and tedious to remove.

There are various tried-and-tested methods to maintain aquatic plants at the optimum level for the environment; broadly, biological, chemical, mechanical and physical methods. Biological control involves agents such as insects, fish and pathogens. Chemical  control refers to the use of specially formulated herbicide to kill or inhibit growth. Mechanical control refers to the use of machinery to cut, shear, shred, convey, transport, and remove, such as amphibious excavators, harvesters, shredders that slurry plants, and draglines. Physical control refers to the physical manipulation of plants or their habitat.

Each of these methods have their own benefits and limitations. However, the most commonly seen are the mechanical and chemical control methods, in spite of the latter being controversial. There are ongoing debates on its long term impact to the environment. Recently, there have been reports of aquatic plants developing resistance to the herbicides used in lakes and wetlands.

Mechanical Control

Mechanical control is one of the oldest forms of invasive aquatic plant management, and it remains effective for many waterways and wetlands. In this particular case study, an EIK-Cat320D long reach amphibious is used alongside with other equipment. The process begins with an amphibious machine trekking to the targeted spots to loosen and break the large floating mats of aquatic plants into small, manageable pieces. Some of these plants are rooted to the ground and are not easily removed by weed cutting machines. Once the plants are loosened and broken up, the harvester will go around to remove them from the water and convey it onto a floating pontoon. This floating pontoon act as a dumping platform for the harvested plants, which will be subsequently transferred inland for proper disposal.

Prior to the introduction of the amphibious excavator to the existing machines fleet, chemical agents had to be sprayed to kill the targeted plants before the harvester could remove them. A harvester is not designed to uproot or break up large size floating plants bundled tightly together. There is a necessary interval between the spaying and harvesting’, for the chemical to take effect. Furthermore, native plants are unavoidably killed as well.

“The amphibious excavator is saving me $3,000 per day.” Thom S.

Poultry is the second-most widely consumed meat in the world, after pork – a multi-billion dollar industry that provides millions of jobs. In the US alone, the poultry industry provides 1,682,269 jobs, $96 billion in wages, $441.15 billion in economic activity and $34 billion in government revenue. Many poultry slaughtering plants handle more than a million chickens a week, and generate millions of gallons of wastewater in the process. The waste from such facilities includes feathers, dirt, fecal matter, blood, slaughtering wastewater, carcass parts, and animal fat. These processing facilities need large swathes of land to hold discharged waste awaiting further treatment to meet the stringent environmental regulations enforced by the EPA.

If the waste is left untreated, contaminated wastewater and liquefied sludge will gradually seep into the surrounding groundwater, spreading contaminants for miles and polluting local clean water sources. The need for speedy and efficient methods to manage this waste is urgent. Apart from protecting the living environment of people residing near such facilities, it also an opportunity to revitalize the industry and generate employment.

Waste discharge to the temporary holding area

In this particular case study of a poultry plant, the discharged waste could be recycled and blended into a highly effective organic fertilizer beneficial to both the poultry and agricultural industries, a conscientious effect toward environmental sustainability. Crops grown with blended compost result in higher yield and provide lower-cost feed for the poultry industry. Recycling the waste discharged from the poultry industry for the growing of crops would create a sustainable ecosystem between these two industries, reversing the damage done to soil due to decades of intensive agriculture with chemical fertilizers. However, the waste had to be extracted first.

Recovery of discharged waste for processing into organic fertilizer

Smart Hands Make Quick Work

The waste holding areas of the poultry plant spread across acres of land similar to a tailing pond in a mining site. Waste management contractors used long reach excavators to  recover  material from the perimeter of pond, a slow  process that was not able to cope with the vast amount of discharge coming from the poultry processing plant. A long reach excavator is at best, able to reach out to 55ft from the fringe of the pond – material beyond this distance is unreachable. A standard crawler excavator is not able to trek to the center of the pond, where the waste deposit, mixed with waste water, is too soft for the machine to stay afloat. The use of pumps is also impractical due to the high viscosity of the waste and the presence of large debris.

“The amphibious excavator allows me to reach material that would otherwise require dewatering pumps. Productivity has increased by 23-24%.  We are able to collect 500 tons of material daily.”  Thom S.

The main features of the amphibious undercarriage comprises of two large hermetically sealed pontoons fitted with caterpillar track. Movement is accomplished by the ‘multi-synchronous’ hydraulic drive system on each pontoon. The pontoon undercarriage provides the necessary buoyance and extreme low ground pressure, and a higher level of tractive efficiency over wide range of soft terrains. An optional supplementary pontoons and hydraulic spud system can be added to enhance the stability and operability in the event of working in shallow water environment.

Size or Speed? You Can Have Both

EIK’s amphibious excavator is known not just for its high performance, patented ‘multi-synchronous’ drive system, but also its telescopic extendable pontoons that have unequivocally impressed customers. Once experienced, it is a feature that users cannot do without. The built-in hydraulic actuator in the pontoon enables it to be retracted and extended ‘on-the-fly’ from the comfort of the operator’s cabin. With it, a 20 ton class amphibious excavator can reduce its footprint down to a narrow 15’9” (4.8m), allowing it to be transported easily on a single low bed trailer. Without the need for disassembly and assembly when transporting the machine from one job site to another, time and cost is saved.

Patented Drive System

EIK’s patented ‘multi-synchronous direct drive’ system is credited for being the pivotal technology that positions us at the forefront of amphibious excavator products.  This paradigm shift in how modern amphibious machines are designed has won over the hearts of numerous customers, for both new and experienced amphibious excavator users.