Frequently Asked Questions

Yes, dredges can be equipped with guides or wheels to protect the auger or cutterhead from damaging the liner while pumping sludge or sediment. 

Yes, geotextile tubes are a great method to dewater coal ash as it is pumped or dredged from a pond or lagoon.  The tubes allow for the material to be safely stored, without the risk of eroding, until the material is dry enough for final disposal. 

No, draining a pond is not necessary to dredge it and remove the muck or sediment.  Dredging can be done with the water at the full level or it can be lowered slightly to help dredge.  The water left in the pond will remain for fish, turtles, and irrigation. 

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. 

Excavators are a great tool to remove sediment or muck from a lake, pond, or lagoon.  You can work from the shoreline to reach into the water and excavate the sediment.  Excavators can also work from barges or mats within the water or mud.  Specialized excavators, such as long reach excavators and amphibious excavators, are made to remove sediment from water effectively. 

Dredging is an effective method to remove tailings from one pond and transport it to another for additional storage. 

Dredging is the solution to removing the silt or muck out of your pond.  Silt can be dug out of the pond with an excavator or it can be pumped out with a dredge.  Planning for the disposal of the silt is key as it will be sloppy, wet, and difficult to deal with. 

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 a way to remove ash from a pond.  Coal ash or fly ash can be dug with an excavator or pumped with a hydraulic dredge from the pond. 

Over time, ponds fill up with sediment (silt and muck) and most of the time vegetation starts growing within this sediment.  Dredging is a method to clean out a pond by removing the sediment.  It can be done by digging it out with an excavator or pumping it out with a dredge.  The sediment is usually completely wet and takes time to dispose of it.  It can be placed either nearby or hauled away to get rid of it permanently.  Dredging with excavators usually requires skilled operators to stay on a surface where they do not sink in the mud.  It is not typically performed with a bulldozer pushing mud out of the pond like traditional dirt work.