Reasons for dredging and dredged material disposal solutions

Dredging is a process in which a partly submerged area tends to be excavated. This process can include anything from a river, harbor to the open seas. There can be a number of reasons for dredging a waterway, but the most common reason is to remove the sediment from the bottom of the lake or portion of ocean and then redeposit or dispose of this sediment somewhere else. This process is also known as dredge disposal.

Dredging basics

In most cases, the logic behind performing a dredge of a water channel is to keep the sediment from piling up. In sea waterways, for instance, if too much sediment collects, larger vessels may not be able to operate normally in the waterway. To such a degree, dredging can also be utilized to grow a channel's or lake's water capacity to help fend off flooding in some other area. Here are some of the common reasons for dredging.

Dredging to removed erosion material

Dredging can be used for various reasons and one of the common reasons is coastal erosion. This kind of erosion involves waves of water and air that over time, irregularly sheds soil, stone, and other material and sits in waterways. Waves are the reason why some tourist beaches become unattractive because they eliminate a good amount of sand from beaches. Dredging up sediment and sand from bottom can be unloaded on the beach to help rebuild its lost shape. There is permanent disposal solution for unrecyclable sediments.

Fishing

Fishing is another reason for dredging. Edible seafood such as crabs, clams, and fishes can be exhibited from the ocean bottom. Once the sand is removed, these edible items can be sent to restaurants and food packaging units for processing and consumption. Bottom-dwelling species are hard to trap and professionals use specialized scallop dredge to carry out the job. This type of dredging is also used for other purposes such as searching for things like gold, rare minerals, and other essential metals. Dredge disposal is the process of containing and making these materials reusable.

Dredged material disposal

Some environmentalists have opined that dredging creates problems for the aquatic ecosystem. They are right to some extent because dredging causes chemicals and metals to dislodge and enter the water. There are also examples of contaminating a whole site where sediment taken from other ocean site is deposited. However, experts mostly take proper samples of sediments before disposing of somewhere else.

Without dredging to clear harbors, channels, and rivers, cargo ships could not access many ports. Recreational boating, too, would be impaired, with all but the smallest ships able to sail on some lakes, rivers, and seas. For a permanent disposal solution of dredged material, one can approach a dredge disposal service provider. For more information contact us