11/12/2023 0 Comments Dredge cattails![]() ![]() And finally, additional nutrient rich sludge can be released and circulated, which can rapidly lower oxygen levels in the water. Fish breeding and feeding habitat can be altered enough to affect populations negatively. As digging begins there is a good chance that bottom sediment may be disturbed enough to affect the ecology of the pond. In many cases the water in the pond will need to be drawndown, or lowered to allow easier access to the bottom. It’s a very direct way to increase the depth of a pond and a necessary step in most large pond restorations.ĭredging is not without it’s risks however. The benefits of dredging a pond, as noted above, include a very rapid and efficient reduction of sedimentation build up which can lead to many water quality problems. Once the muck is removed all the wet sediment should be dewatered or dried out to allow for easier removal from the pond site or it can be used in the area for structuring the landscape surrounding the pond. These tend to be very efficient in terms of how much sediment they remove and how much manpower is needed to do the work. Of the methods of hydraulic dredging used, the most common are the auger dredge, or some type of cutterhead dredge. The waste material is routed far away from the pond and released through a discharge pipe. It’s similar to a very big muck vac that will remove sediment with great precision. Hydraulic Dredging PumpsĪ hydraulic dredge will actually float on the surface of the water and uses a pipe to suck stuff off the pond bottom. Because fairly heavy equipment is used in all of these operations, rainy weather can affect work times. The mechanical approach to dredging will involve some form of equipment such as a clamshell bucket and crane, a dragline, which uses a bucket with holes in it which is dragged across the bottom, or excavator dredging that uses something like a backhoe device. Let’s look at the most common approaches to pond dredging. Planning and using the best tools for the job is important, and it could be said that there is not a single solution for every pond. Dredging equipment can help make pond restoration a relatively quick task where a great deal of build up can be removed in one to several days of work. The second option, and one that is much quicker although usually more expensive, is to dredge out the pond bottom. On average with proper aeration running to help these aerobic bugs do their work, one could reasonably expect 3 to 6 inches, and possibly more muck reduction in a six to eight month season. This is nature’s method of cleaning and it works very well, and quite safely, but it does take a fair amount of time. The first process would be to use beneficial bacteria, or microbes and enzymes, to help break this sludge down and in effect, eat it away. This fact makes it pretty obvious why a pond owner would want to clean up the bottom of their water-filled basin. Good for vegetables, bad for algae unless you’re using it for bio-fuels. We all know that you can get any plant to grow better with good nutrients and anything organic that’s breaking down, in soil or water, will improve the vitality of a plant. ![]() Things like leaves and other stuff fall or get blown into the water and sink and erosion might also play a part.īeing made up of organic elements, most of this sediment is a lot like compost in a garden. One of the main causes of pond algae blooms is the build up of organic material, muck, and sludge at the bottom. Large ponds and lakes will fill in over time and in time, that grand old pond that once stayed clean and clear, now has algae or other problems. Is pond dredging the best way to clean and restore your pond? As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. ![]()
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