Officials in Connecticut are using a custom-built Volvo excavator to help restore ancient swamps that have been destroyed over the years to create landfills and other causes.
The Volvo ECR88 D-Series excavator has been fitted with unique swamp pads and grapples so that it can spread its weight over the delicate marshlands located in Silver Sands State Park, in Milford, Connecticut. The “anti-gravity” marsh excavator is being used to remove harmful plant life from the marshes as part of the Fletcher Creek Tidal Wetlands Project, which is being funded by the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP).
With each bucketful of debris that the excavator removes, natural plant species are given the opportunity to grow and flourish to create a more productive wildlife habitat. The excavator has a bucket capacity of more than 23 cubic feet and a digging reach of more than 20 feet.
It is ideal for use in swampy conditions because it has a ground pressure of about 1.15 psi, making it extremely lightweight and less prone to sinking into soft marsh land, according to Paul Capotosto, manager of DEEP’s Wetlands Habitat and Mosquito Management Program.
“The excavator is an absolute necessity here,” Capotosto said. “It’s one of the few pieces of equipment that can come in an dig a channel, and also restore the ponds.”