Enviromentally safe way to excavate slate

[thunderchicken68]

I would like to know if there is a safe way to excavate slate bedrock to install a new water and sanitary system.This project is to go around a major lake that is densly populated,making blasting or hammer-drilling impossible.The other drawback is this system project is in an enviromentally protected area in the Adirondack Park in up state N.Y.Another quirey,does a machine exist to do this or is this an impossibility.Any help would be of great service.Thank you for any help you can give me.
Needing some help,
Jerry F. Burdick

 

[phillyfrank]

Blasting has been done in some extremely sensitive places, hospitals, schools, historic structures, inside buildings, etc., etc. Very light charges with lots of blasting mats and a good contractor can be used to "fluff-up" the slate so it can be ripped.

 

[krd]

There may be a "rock trenching machine" that can do it depending on pipe diameter and depth. If deep enough then a "micro tunneling machine" might work. Look up in advanced search on Google.com.

 

[pigdog]

"Slate" in the Adirondacks could mean anything from granite to shale. If it is true slate, it breaks easily in one direction, and may be hard as the hubs in other directions. If you can cut it perpendicular to the cleavage, it should break out pretty easily. I have heard of diamond sawing and waterjet cutting in your sort of environment.