Showerthought: A simple clogged suction line cost me a full shift

We were pulling sediment in a small river near Bend, and the pump pressure dropped to nothing. I figured it was a rock jam, maybe an hour to clear. Turned out a thick mat of roots and plastic bags had wound itself into a solid plug about fifteen feet down the line. It took me, plus two guys from the shore crew, almost eight hours to rod it out and get the cutters through it. We lost the whole day. What's the weirdest thing you've ever pulled up that caused a major delay?

2 comments

2 Comments

thompson.finley10d ago

Ever think about how much of that junk is basically modern fossils? That plastic bag and root plug is a perfect example. It's not just trash, it's a whole new layer of stuff that'll never really break down. What's that going to do to the ground in a hundred years? Makes you wonder if we're just building future problems right into the dirt.

dylan_stone3310d ago

That "thick mat of roots and plastic bags" sounds like a real nightmare. A buddy of mine was doing some dredge work in an old canal and pulled up what they thought was a huge log. Turned out to be a fully intact, rusted-out bicycle frame from like the 1950s, completely tangled in fishing line and crab pots. They spent an entire afternoon just cutting it all free, and the magnet they brought in to help just stuck to the bike. Total mess that cost them the day.