Terra Contracting, LLC is a premier remediation contracting company that provides exceptional environmental services to clients throughout the United States. We have earned a reputation for excellence in handling a wide range of projects that include soil, water and sediment remediation; landfill management; hazardous waste removal; and related services. Terra has developed particular expertise in the area of sediment removal and remediation on major river projects. Terra has even developed its own patented Sed-Vac® (U.S. Patent No. 7,526,884) technology for efficiently removing contaminated sediment from rivers and lakes. In 2007, Terra was selected as the prime subcontractor on the Kalamazoo River Superfund project in Michigan, one of three major river projects identified nationally. We work with a wide range of clients across the country including several Fortune 100 companies.

As the remediation industry has developed over the years, Terra has grown with it, even helping to advance its practices through our own contributions. Our company’s roots reach back to 1952 and through the decades, we have acquired a wealth of industry knowledge and experience. Terra Contracting services include:

• Contaminated soil, groundwater, and sediment remediation
• Drum handling, characterization, packaging and removal
• Landfill cell construction and operations
• Landfill/waste pile capping and closures
• Landfill gas system installation and maintenance
• Groundwater treatment
• Treatment system installation and operation
• Underground storage tank installation, removal, and cleaning
• Building decommissioning and demolition
• Wetland construction
• Abandoned site cleanup and remediation
• Facility Closures
• Lagoon construction, closure, and cleanup
• Pipeline and sewer line installation
• French drain installation
• Erosion control
• Road construction
• Sheet piling
• Earth moving 

To see the SED-VAC® in action, click here to view our video.

Terra’s patented SED-VAC® (U.S. Patent No. 7,526,884) technology is a unique system for removing sediment from water utilizing industrial cleaning technology; most notably, industrial vacuum loaders capable of pulling 5,300 hundred cubic feet per minute at up to 28 inches of vacuum.

The benefits in using Terra’s SED-VAC® process include:

• Quick set-up
• Capability to remove sediment with pinpoint accuracy
• Automatic separation of heavy solids
• Removal of soft or hard deposits
• Low turbidity
• Ability to work around debris

The use of an industrial vacuum loader allows sediment to be pulled from the affected area with little or no re-suspension of contaminated sediments. Similar to asbestos abatement whereas operations are conducted under negative air, the vacuum removal process pulls surrounding materials, sediment and water toward the vacuum pipe without creating a turbid environment. Soft sediments are easily removed, and as harder substances are encountered, the use of high pressure water blasting technology is incorporated into the process.

High pressure water, up to 20,000 PSI, is conveyed to the suction end of the vacuum pipe through flexible hose. The suction pipe is outfitted with high pressure nozzles that are angled towards the removal area. Hardened sediments are broken loose with the high pressure water and immediately vacuumed from the affected area.

A critical component of the process includes the use of vacuum boxes within the vacuum pipeline. As the sediments are pulled into the vacuum boxes, the heavier solids drop out. With the sediments and water being vacuumed at a speed of 60 miles per hour, the sediments in the vacuum boxes de-water by the hydraulic force being placed on them. Suspended solids and water are simultaneously pumped from the industrial vacuum loader while sediment removal operations continue. Materials can then be pumped to an on-site treatment system, geo-tubes or hauled off in tankers.

The SED-VAC® technology is a patented process only offered by Terra. It’s an effective tool used to complement our other services for the remediation of contaminated sediment sites.