3 Types of Dredging Technologies

Dredging comes in a variety of shapes and forms. It can be a large-scale operation under the supervision of giant corporations, or it can be a single individual manually removing sediment from a pond.

When deciding how to dredge a body of water, you need to consider cost factors, the quantity of material, environmental factors and the need for precision. Luckily, there is an abundance of dredging equipment Spring TX available to use today. See below for a brief description of sediment removal and its different techniques.

1. Mechanical Dredging

You have probably seen a mechanical dredger if you have been to a coastline or harbor. A mechanical dredger can be a bucket or shovel in its most basic form. In large-scale operations, they take the form of backhoes, bucket-ladder systems and other industrial-sized equipment. Mechanical dredges can operate from a shoreline reaching into the seabed or from the side of a barge.

2. Combination Dredging

For even greater dredging capacity, mechanical-hydraulic combination dredgers are used. Essentially, these combination dredgers utilize the mechanical action of a scoop or bucket with the added ability to suction up material at a faster rate. You will often see these machines on construction sites quickly removing large amounts of sediment.

3. Hydrodynamic Dredging

Hydrodynamic dredgers use the force of water to remove sediment from the seabed. Typically, these sediment removal devices are meant for continuous maintenance rather than single-use, massive volume projects. Hydrodynamic dredgers are also known as environmental dredgers because they can help maintain a healthy sediment equilibrium for the local flora and fauna. Hydrodynamic dredgers work in tandem with the natural currents of water to keep a consistent amount of sediment in one area.

Depending on the nature of the job, dredging can either be fast and high-volume removal or slow and consistent maintenance. If you have a waterway that needs dredging, contact a professional about your options.