Dredging from mine sites using a cutterhead dredge is an effective method. The cost can be as little as a few dollars a cubic yard or ton, but can increase up to $100 per cubic yard or ton depending on various factors.
Dredging from mine sites using a cutterhead dredge is an effective method. The cost can be as little as a few dollars a cubic yard or ton, but can increase up to $100 per cubic yard or ton depending on various factors.
Dredging is an effective method to remove tailings from one pond and transport it to another for additional storage.
MSHA regulates the safety aspect related to tailings pond (berms, railings, boats, etc.) and the Environmental Protection Division (EPD) regulates the discharge from the pond.
Cleaning out sediment ponds at a quarry can be tedious. Draglines were used in the past but have mostly been replaced by excavators to dig out settling ponds. Hydraulic dredges can also be useful to remove sediment from ponds in mine sites and quarries. Tailings, silt, and sediment can be removed and used in reclamation activities or placed in areas outside of the main processing facility.
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.
Dredging is the method to remove sediment, silt, and muck from a lake, pond, or lagoon. You can dig the dirt out with an excavator, or you can pump it out with a dredge.
Dredging projects take a few days up to a year to remove sediment. A common question before a project begins is “How long will this dredging last?” or “When will I have to dredge again?” One of the best ways to answer this question is the lake or pond’s history. How long has it been since the lake was dredged last time or if ever since it was created? If it was dredged, was there any record of the quantity removed. The watershed size and characteristics have the most impact on the amount of incoming sediment. Urban areas contribute a lot of stormflow than leads to streambank erosion. Suburban areas may be continuing to be developed leading to increases in both stormflow and sediment entering the watershed. A walk up the tributary can tell a lot about the sediment sources. The best way to track sediment is to perform a bathymetric survey or sediment survey to determine the water and sediment volume at a particular time and repeat the process to evaluate the change. The amount of sediment and water storage lost can be determined accurately and a plan can be developed based on those facts. Other options such as remediation efforts or enforcement of best management practices upstream from the lake can be implemented if severe issues are in the watershed.
Dredging can be an involved process that takes time and money. Most owners that ask, “how do I dredge a pond myself?”, end up with a lot of work and not much to show for it. The alternatives to dredging usually revolve around aiding the decomposition of organic matter with biological or nutrient treatments. If your pond contains a high percentage of organic materials (i.e. leaves, pine needles, manure) these methods may help decompose some of the sediment. Aeration is another tool that has developed to help keep the same portion of organic sediment with oxygen to speed the decomposition process. Sterile carp can help eliminate some of the aquatic weeds associated with too much sediment. Armoring the banks upstream and stabilizing the streambanks can help prevent sediment from incoming into your pond. However, once dirt (non-organic sediment) has entered a pond it is not going to be broken down with chemical, biological, or aeration treatments. The dirt must be removed at some time.
The cost to dredge a pond is highly variable. For a small pond, the cost starts around $5,000 to even bring the minimum sized equipment in and work to remove a small portion of sediment. Cost is factored by the amount of sediment to be removed and what you do with it after it is removed. So, for projects that require less quantity of sediment and it can be placed near the pond for permanent disposal the cost usually ranges from $5,000 to $50,000. For ponds that involve partial draining, and 1,000s of cubic yards to be removed and hauled away the cost is typically $50,000 to $100,000. The best way to get an accurate estimate is to give us a call for a free phone consultation.
In general, if you have lost a 1/3 or 33% of your pond’s volume from sediment filling it in then you should consider dredging. Many other ponds need dredging that have significant areas that have filled with sediment near the incoming stream or other tributary. There are many cost related factors that determine whether dredging is feasible. One factor is if the sediment can be excavated by reaching from the shoreline (within 50’ from one side). Once the sediment goes beyond this distance, more measures and cost are involved. Another factor is the amount of sediment in place. For very small amounts, it may not be worth the cost to bring in equipment to work on the pond. In our decades of experience though, most clients call when they know it is time to dredge or well beyond the time they could have dredged. If your pond is filling up, then dredging may be a great solution to clean out your pond.