In most lakes, what is being dredged is often referred to as “muck.” This is generally a combination of silt, clay, and organics. The final question to answer is the material characteristics. This will yield an average elevation increase of six feet on land prior to consolidation. The closer this area to the lake, the cheaper the dredging costs will be with all other things being equal. Usually for every two acres of lake that you dredge, an average of three foot of sediment, you will need an acre of upland area to place the material. Most people underestimate the amount of space they need to place and contain the sediment that comes out of the lake. The size of area you will need will depend on many factors with the number one being the lay of the land. With this information, you can make an informed decision about how much more data is needed in order to get the most cost effective proposal for your dredging project.Īfter you have quantified how much sediment needs to be removed, the next step is to find a place to put it. It is money well spent at this stage to hire an experienced hydrographic surveyor with proper insurance and credentials. This will help protect the association if there is ever a dispute. The hyrdrographer will be able to give a general description for the soil characteristics and perform the sub-bottom profiling all in one site visit. In order to determine a quantity, the first thing that is required is to perform a pre-dredge hydrographic survey (bathymetry). This type of survey will provide water depth information throughout the entire body of water. At the same time a sediment survey can be performed providing soft sediment thickness information. What is the nature of the material to be dredged?.Where can you put the material that is coming out of the lake?.There are three questions that need to be answered to begin the process of getting a ballpark feasibility price: There are hundreds of variables that determine the cost of restoring a lake. When lake homeowner’s call for our assistance with their potential upcoming dredging projects, the first question we usually get asked is, “How much does it cost?” This is usually followed by, “Just a ballpark figure that I won’t hold you to.” Then we often hear, “We have a board meeting tonight and I wanted to report on dredging to get the project moving.”

How much does dredging cost is the most commonly asked question for many lake associations. We sat down with Dan McDougal, President of Dredge America and asked him that question.

Dredge a pond