Instead, workers face the difficult task of removing a $300,000 45-tonne excavator from the river, where it became stuck in mud and was largely submerged in water yesterday afternoon.
The company was contracted by Contact Energy to do the work, which is required of Contact as a condition of its continued operation of hydro dams on the Clutha River.
Sediment is removed to mitigate flooding.
When contacted by the Otago Daily Times last night Bamford owner Graham Bamford said he was "not feeling so good".
He was not sure exactly how the excavator became stuck, but it appeared the driver had unsuccessfully tried to take it through a muddy patch just after lunch.
Time ran out to remove the excavator yesterday, and Mr Bamford said heavy equipment would need to be brought in to winch the machine free.
"When Contact starts generating [electricity] for the cold evenings, the Manuherikia River level rises as water is backed up.
The excavator will be submerged soon and we will have to wait until the water level drops again before trying to free it," Mr Bamford said last night.
He said a diver might have to attach cables to the excavator so it could be pulled from the river.
"It's not going to be a five-minute job," he said.
Once on dry land, an assessment would have to be made about its condition.
"The engine will be full of water . . . Unfortunately you can't turn back the clock," Mr Bamford said.
