What are the things to consider about hydraulic and mechanical dredging?
You have decided that your pond needs some dredging, and you have the names of a couple of companies in your area for the job. But, that is not where your responsibility ends. You need to decide between mechanical and hydraulic dredging. It is important to know a couple of facts about both these types to know which one is right for your pond. You will have to consider a couple of things when you are trying to choose between hydraulic and mechanical dredging. Some of those things are described below in detail. Read on to know more about hydraulic and mechanical dredging.
Tools: Mechanical dredging is all about using heavy equipment like excavators by keeping it on the edge of the water or on barges. It helps in digging out the bed of the waterbody and removing the sediment. This sediment gets hauled away than for reuse or disposal. As opposed to that, hydraulic dredging is all about using suction for removing the sediment. It gets transported using pipes, and then, deposited somewhere to get recycled or disposed of. The professionals need a certain level of experience and skill to get the right suction settings for different water bodies and sediment types. Don't use plagiarised sources.Get your custom essay just from $11/page
Intended area: Location plays a crucial role. For instance, hydraulic dredging is the right solution for the areas with environmental concerns. Mechanical dredging is suitable for the locations that have a high level of precision because, in most of the cases, it lets the tools have higher mobility. There are high-end hydraulic dredges that have increased precision and mobility to get the job done quickly.
Type of material: Dredging is something that can remove all kinds of bottom materials. The two methods are suitable for different types of dredging materials. The tools for mechanical dredging are robust and do not filter the material dredged. It usually gets used for removing gravel and rock. The tools for mechanical dredging get used for the removal of dirt, sand, and fine silt.
Material suspensions: It refers to this fact that at the time of dredging, some dredge materials, including contaminants, gets stirred up and suspended in the water. Jex Plant Ltd believes this to be more of a concern in case of mechanical dredging. Cutter head shrouds used during hydraulic dredging helps in containing the suspended material to pump it away easily.
Summing up all the points, it means that the benefits of mechanical dredging include accuracy, mobility, and speed, along with the ability to deal with large dredged materials. The drawbacks it has include a higher percentage of suspended sediment, along with the costs of maintaining, operating, and acquiring heavy equipment.