Frequently Asked Questions

Amphibious excavators have tracks that move over the top of large pontoons.  They are driven by hydraulic motors that turn gears at one or both ends of the tracks.  The tracks slide along tracks within the pontoons.  This allows the amphibious excavator to travel on land, mud, or water. 

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. 

The best way to determine the amount of silt in a pond or lake is to perform a bathymetric or sediment survey.  You can set up a grid with a long tape measure and calculate the volume of sediment along with the depth for a general idea.  A GPS or rangefinder with a probe can also be used to estimate the volume.  The most accurate method is to have a survey completed by a professional.  Otherwise, you may just be guessing until you find out when you dig it out. 

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 is highly variable in cost.  Cost involved for dredging projects are typically as follows:

• Permitting – local, state, and federal are considered in most projects
• Planning – designing engineered plans usually for the dewatering area and disposal
• Mobilization – both of the equipment, the setup for dewatering, and disposal site
• Depth of Sediment – water and sediment depth determine much of the cost involved (i.e. shallow sediment depth takes much more time to dredge)
• Type of Sediment – texture of the sediment determines the type of dredge and dewatering process; debris can add to cost significantly
• Run-times – 24/7 or 5 days for 8 hours; weather is also a major factor depending on the project
• Export and Transport – the time for the dewatering (immediate vs. months) and distance to the disposal area
• Disposal –  the setup of the disposal area and final reclamation; or the tip-fee for a landfill
• Remediation – clean-up of the project site and installation of best management practices

Costs to operate the dredge include wear parts, labor, fuel, and maintenance.  Dredges are unique in that break-downs and maintenance usually have to occur on the water so adequate support personnel and equipment must be available.  All of these factors is why dredging cost range from a $3 to $300 per cubic yard.  Dredging is often limited by other factors such as dewatering or disposal, so costs can be affected by the entire process as well. 

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.

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. 

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. 

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. 

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.