Yes, according to www.georgiapowerlakes.com:

• “Georgia Power is authorized to permit dredging of up to 500 cubic yards per property. Greater amounts will require further approval from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, FERC and additional agencies.
• Dredging plans must be submitted and approved before work can commence.
  • Georgia Power may exercise the option to require a certified engineer or surveyor verify the scope of the project at our sole discretion.
  • Removal of original lakebed/river bottom is prohibited. The sole purpose of dredging is to remove sedimentation/organic materials that have accumulated over time.
  • A turbidity barrier must be installed within the lake area for containment and equipment being used must work inside this barrier.
  • Silt must be either transported from site or pumped to a location off GPC property and/or project lands, or a minimum of 25′ from lake, whichever is greater. Material cannot be used to backfill seawalls or to “level up” land.
  • Silt/sediment removed must be stabilized in a way to avoid re-entry into the lake and to not to impact GPC property.
  • At Lake Jackson, it may be necessary to execute a property line agreement prior to dredging activity to establish pre- and post-dredging property rights.
  • Dredging of wetland areas or for the purpose of removing upland materials via “channeling” to create additional shoreline is strictly prohibited.
• Upon receiving a dredging permit from GPC, the permittee agrees to:
  • Abide by all government rules, laws, regulations, directives and statutes.
• Acquire all necessary governmental permits or licenses, which may include, but not be limited to, a land disturbance permit.”

Sediment can be collected as a core sample.  Samplers can be within a boat or done by hand for many small ponds or lakes.  Sediment samples can be tested for texture (sand, silt, clay), Munsell color, pH, and other parameters.

It may vary significantly, but you can find out.  One way is to hire a professional, but if you just want a general idea there are many methods to probe.  Depending on the sediment type you can use a piece of pvc pipe, rebar, broom handle, or other probe to push and work up and down throught the muck until you feel resistance that is the bottom.  Some really fine, consolidated sediment may not let you probe all the water through it but you will have an idea of the depth.

A sediment survey or bathymetric survey can help determine the amount of sediment within a lake.  Surveys involved finding the top of sediment and the bottom with a probe to determine the sediment depth in a particular location.  That location can be used to determine an area to calculate a volume.  Sediment is typically measured in cubic yards.  Sludge is usually measured in dry tons.

Many landscapers, contractors, operators, and property owners have only seen standard grading equipment moving dirt on a project or on the side of the road.  Many machine operators and contractors only have equipment designed for moving dirt and grading.  Dredging is different and there is a variety of specialized equipment specifically designed to get silt, sand, or muck out of a pond, lake, or lagoon.  Long reach excavators are one machine designed to reach 2 to 3 times further than regular excavators.  Hydraulic dredges are barges that float on water to enable them to vacuum up silt from the bottom of a lake.  They come in all sizes and may be the best solution for your project. 

Small hand operated dredges can be purchased for as little as $15,000, but they are only effective for limited types of projects and sediment.  The smaller dredge barges can be purchased for $100,000 to $150,000.  As you increase in size and effectiveness, most portable dredges cost between $500,000 and $2,000,000.  The cost only increases for dredges bigger and with more features extending through the millions and for the largest dredges into the tens of millions.  Auxiliary equipment and pipeline are an additional expense that needs to be considered as well in the cost of purchasing a dredge. 

Dredging around and beneath a dock is possible.  You should check the water depth from the main body to the dock to make sure that adequate depth is present past your boat dock as well.  Dredging costs vary signicantly depending on the type of dredging and amount of volume of silt to remove.  Usually, dredging costs are $20 to $50 per cubic yard.  Most docks require at least 100 cubic yards of sediment to be removed to make a significant impact on depth. 

Yes, docks are permitted to be dredged on reservoirs and lakes.  However, each lake’s manager or owner has requirements of how and when a dock can be dredged.  The US Army Corps of Engineers, Georgia Power, and TVA differ in requirements and dredging permits from each lake. 

There are a lot of products that claim to get rid of silt or muck from the bottom of your lake or pond.  Some products attempt to resuspend the silt.  Some attempt to re-aerate the silt.  Some products try to decompose it.  However, most silt removal is very limited with these techniques.  Dredging is a proven solution to removing silt from your lake or pond.  Dredging can be done by digging the silt out or pumping the silt from the lake or pond.