The dredged material is then lifted out of the water in the bucket or grab where it is usually deposited on some conveyance, such as a barge, for transportation to a designated disposal site. Hopper and hold dredgers can use either mechanical or hydraulic means to excavate the material and are characterized by their ability to store the dredged material onboard for transportation.Ī mechanical dredger scoops up the material to be dredged by applying mechanical force to the material by means of an implement, such as a bucket or a grab. Mechanical, and hydraulic dredgers are characterized by the method that is used to excavate the material from the bottom of the body of water. There is a very large variety of machines and vessels that are designed for underwater excavation, but all dredgers can be classified into three main categories: Since most of the visible evidence of dredging is submerged underwater, it is easy to overlook the critical role that dredging plays in our daily lives but without dredging it would be impossible to maintain our modern way of life.
Dredging also provides us with an economical source of sand and gravels for use as aggregates in cement and for use as road bedding. We use dredgers to prepare the underwater terrain for civil works such as dams, and bridges, and to create spillways, levies and other marine works. By extending and improving existing waterways, we can extend the benefits of waterborne commerce far inland. We can restore, improve or even create new habitats for marine and coastal animals and plants.īy the use of dredging, we can improve natural harbors, or create harbors where none existed before. By the responsible use of dredging, we can prolong the life of lakes, make rivers behave, and replace eroded beaches. We humans, however, want our lakes, rivers and beaches to stay put so that we can enjoy the aesthetic, recreational, and economic benefits that they provide. Left to nature, rivers flood and change course, lakes fill in, and coastlines change. We live on a dynamic and constantly changing planet. This type of dredger most commonly uses a pump to suck up the material from the bottom and pump it to a remote location, however, other means can be used to impart motion to the water, such as air lifts or siphons. If the crane is mounted on a barge, the entire vessel is referred to as a dredger.Īnother type of dredger uses moving water to suction up the material to be dredged and transport it in suspension through a pipeline. The crane could be located on the bank, or perhaps mounted on a barge. Developing this idea further, a motorized crane equipped with a drag bucket or clamshell (grabber) that is used to scoop material from the bottom of a body of water is also a dredger. For example, a scoop attached to the end of a rope or pole by which a man can draw sediments up from the bottom of a pond is a dredger. What is a Dredger?Ī dredger (or “dredge” as is the general usage in the Americas) is any device, machine, or vessel that is used to excavate and remove material from the bottom of a body of water. In this overview of dredgers and dredging, we provide a brief summary of the how, what, and why of twenty-first century dredging: what is it, how does it work, and why is it so imperative to the day-to-day survival of modern society. The construction industry would be severely hampered by lack of inexpensive sand and gravel, and many civil works projects – including important bridges and reservoirs – would be impossible. Many of our ports and waterways would quickly become untraversable, and much of the recreation and tourism made possible by our seashores, lakes, and rivers would slowly diminish and finally cease as beaches eroded, lakes filled in, and rivers changed course. Yet, without dredging, supply lines for hundreds of thousands of products would be shut down. Dredging is rarely on people’s list of life-changing technologies. When you consider the physical support systems for modern living, you may think of roads, electricity, computers, or even advances in farming and agriculture. Brantz von Mayer and The Writers for Hire Overview
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