Dredging a Pond?

[MossRoad]

Hello,
I have a pond that is about 3/4 acre in size on my property and is probably about 50 years old. It is spring fed and also fed with a small run off creek that runs through the woods and into the pond. It is very clean and clear water.
Over the years the pond has filled up with silt and muck to the point where it is now only about 4 ft. deep. Since we built our house close to this pond a few years ago my wife would like to make a small beach out of one side of it and have a swimming area for the kids. If I were to just throw the gravel/rocks/sand into it now to make the swimming area all the material would most likely just sink into the silt.
Any idea how to dredge this pond successfully without spending a fortune on renting a large crane to do the job?

Thanks,
Shawn

I would look into a local excavator company that specializes in pond work. They will have an excavator with a really long boom and dipper... something like the units pictured on this page. They will get in and get it done fast and be gone. We have several local contractors that will do this around here for what I consider vary reasonable prices.

 

[CurlyDave]

Any idea how to dredge this pond successfully without spending a fortune on renting a large crane to do the job?

I would look into the possibility of using something that works on the same principal as a gold dredge. Essentially it uses what is called a bubble pump to make an underwater vacuum cleaner.

If you can get one to work right, you would use a boat to support it and control it. This would eliminate the possibility of getting an excavator or a backhoe stuck in the mud.

I know a lot of dredging of bays, harbors and waterways is done with this type of dredge. This type of gadget puts the spoils onto a barge. You could use your tractor to drag the barge out of the pond and off to a disposal site.

It is not really advanced technology -- I bet you could build one on-site.

The spoils are going to stink like a large pile of dead fish, for a long time, so think long & hard about where to put them.

 

[BTDT]

If you had some high floatation tires, a dirt scoop, and some channel iron, might make something like this. Back it out into pond, lower front so it will dig in, and drive out. May be more trouble than it's worth, and may take longer that you like, but might be just the ticket.

 

[scesnick]

After looking at all the possiblities, I think Mossroad hit the nail on the head. When I said crane, I was thinking more of a big drag line stlye piece of machinary. I think the excavator with the long boom would reach atleast 90% of my pond and I should be able ro get it in my road with no problems ( hopefully). That might just be the ticket. I willl have to call around for rental prices. Thanks fot the ideas guys...

 

[MossRoad]

After looking at all the possiblities, I think Mossroad hit the nail on the head. When I said crane, I was thinking more of a big drag line stlye piece of machinary. I think the excavator with the long boom would reach atleast 90% of my pond and I should be able ro get it in my road with no problems ( hopefully). That might just be the ticket. I willl have to call around for rental prices. Thanks fot the ideas guys...

If you do not want to deal with the spoils on your land, consider asking the excavator if they can make an island at the far end of their reach. Just dump it out there. An island in a pond is a great place for waterfowl to nest as land predators cannot get to the nests. Also, get references from past customers and ask if you can see their handiwork.

 

[scesnick]

MossRoad,

Good idea but I have plenty of places to put the silt. I just don't want it in the bottom of my pond...

 

[MossRoad]

Have you considered adding a silt trap to the inlet of your pond?

 

[deereman64]

I 'm faced with a similar problem. Old Pond that has probably silted up, particularly around the edge so I was thinking that a back hoe would do the job. I live in New York area and was worried about the DEC etc. You probably dont have the same issues down there?

 

[California]

I like CurlyDave's suggestion of a suction dredge. You might make an island with it.

This is cheaper than running heavy equipment for hundreds of hours, and less fuss. See:

Keene reclamation dredges and scroll down to their Dock Clearing example.

 

[MossRoad]

I like CurlyDave's suggestion of a suction dredge. You might make an island with it.

This is cheaper than running heavy equipment for hundreds of hours, and less fuss. See:

Keene reclamation dredges and scroll down to their Dock Clearing example.

A 3/4 acre pond is huge...[SIZE=-1] if you want to remove just 1 foot of sediment from the bottom of a 3/4 acre pond, that's 32,670 cubic feet of material. That translates into a little over 1200 cubic yards of material which equals 60 twenty yard dump truck loads. [/SIZE]The contractors around here could dig out that pond in a couple days at most, not hundreds of hours. I don't know how fast a small dredge could do it. Anyone got experience with one here on TBN?
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