After spending more than a decade stranded in Quill Lakes, an excavator that became a Saskatchewan landmark has been successfully removed from the water this summer. The excavator fell through ice in the lake about 160 kilometers east of Saskatoon 11 years ago during a highway project, and it has garnered attention ever since.
Janice Reynolds, a resident of Nokomis near Quill Lakes, mentioned that many landmarks are disappearing in the flat Saskatchewan landscape, making the excavator’s removal significant. The excavator’s saga began in March 2014 when it sank into the frozen lake during a construction project.
Over the years, the excavator remained submerged, becoming a symbol of the area and even earned a spot on Google as a historical landmark with playful five-star reviews. Reynolds highlighted the challenging conditions faced by local farmers at the time, with many machines getting stuck in the mud.
A team from Raptor Picker Services and Hotshots Inc. arrived at Quill Lakes in late July to attempt the excavation. Despite previous failed attempts by eight other groups, the team successfully devised a plan using specialized equipment to lift the 100,000-pound excavator out of the water over a five-day operation.
Lance Lund, the owner of the company, expressed satisfaction with the successful extraction, emphasizing the environmental concerns of leaving the excavator in the lake due to potential oil leakage. While some may lament the removal of the landmark, Lund stressed the importance of protecting the lake’s ecosystem.
The Ministry of Environment confirmed that no environmental impacts were reported during the recovery operation, emphasizing the significance of the Quill Lakes for bird breeding and staging. Lund expressed gratitude for the teamwork that led to the excavator’s retrieval, concluding a chapter that had stumped previous efforts.