Environmental Dredging: A Double-Edged Sword?
- Limited removal efficiency
- Multiple passes, "overbite" generally required
to meet removal targets
- Removal hindered by debris or presence of
bedrock or "hardpan"
- Large quantities of potentially contaminated water
generated
- Environmental dredging conditions tend to
increase produced water
- Most environmental dredging operations achieve
less than 10% solids produced
- Contaminant losses during operation
- Silt curtains limit impact of resuspended sediment, minimal
impact on released contaminants
- Efforts to reduce contaminant losses at point of dredging tend
to slow operations and increase volumes of water produced
- Losses to air, water from holding cell (confined disposal facility)
