what is the easiest way to dredge in your backyard?

Question

I live on a large lake in nc. I was recently told that dredgeing would cost me around 25,000 to have professionally done. I only have about 20 feet of waterfront but it is severly full of silt. Probably 3 to 4 feet. I was wondering what people would recommend, I looked into a company called piranhapumps.com and they offered a cheap homeowners pump for like 10k but I dont want to buy, I would rather lease something or maybe even a diy way.any ideas are appreciated. I dont want to cause a big fuss either as Ive heard if its done by the homeowners themselves the local lake management will overlook it most times. and to get permits it would take over 6 months and another 10k in fees.

does anyone know of any easy way to dredge without just getting a bucket and a shovel, or what equipment would work that a homeowner could use by themselves. I searched the web and couldnt find any kind of drag bucket or similiar item. I've heard a trash pump wont work as it doesnt aggitate the silt and u just end up spending hours punching holes in it. this item looks perfect at www.pirahnapumps.com but he only sells them and wont lease it and he wants about 10k for the pump. Im doing this myself as Ive heard lake mgmt overlooks it if its the homeowners doing the work. If I go threw the proper channels they told me it would take over 6 months + another 10k in fees, and a professionally dredging company wont touch it for under 25k. I have about 20 feet of waterfront, and its 3 to 4 feet of silt on it. any suggestions appreciated. tia

Answer 1

I would talk with someone with a long reach backhoe and a dump truck...they should be able to help you...

Answer 2

Stop right there! Whoa, and back up! You will need EPA approval for anything you are doing in that lake. And I seriously doubt that they are going to allow you to "blow" that silt into the lake with a power pump. You will foul the lake for weeks, if not months! I could give you a very simple way of doing it that costs practically nothing, but I will not be a party to pollution of a lake. Be very careful here, you may well end up with some very substantial fines being levied against you, and some serious lawsuits by other lake front owners. Heed what I am saying. But if you insist, you insist. If you lake allows outboard motors on it, tie off your boat, put the motor in gear and blast away...the silt will be blown out of the area by the prop wash. Move the boat and start again. If you do this enough, all silt will end up somewhere else...nice of you to be so considerate of your neighbors. good luck on this one.

Answer 3

Issue #105, 2 May 2003

Survey & GPS:
Europe



Sponsored by


Valeport's low-cost survey breakthrough
Valeport Ltd, UK, has introduced what it claims is the first low-cost hydrographic survey system to have integral 12- or 16-channel DGPS positioning, a choice of single or dual frequency echo sounding and input from a range of other standard sensors.

The company says the main applications will be in port, harbour, estuary and river surveys as well as in support of dredging and other marine civil engineering operations.

It will be launched at the Oceanology International Exhibition, New Orleans, 4-6 June (www.oiamericas.com).

Called MIDAS (Multi Input Data Acquisition System) Surveyor, the standard system has a single high frequency (210kHz) transducer and integral 12-channel DGPS receiver. It can also be fitted with a 16-channel DGPS receiver and an additional 33kHz echo sounder transducer.

Both versions accept real-time correction data from external tide gauges, sound velocity probes, heave sensors and gyro compasses. MIDAS Surveyor is thus a complete hydrographic survey system that can be installed as an over-the-side package on a launchor RIB in under 20 minutes.

The standard configuration for measuring depth is with analogue transducers with Valeport's onboard digital processing. The system will, however, accept inputs from digital (RS232) transducers or from any other external echo sounder device. The MIDAS standard 210 and 33kHz transducers have an accuracy of greater than ±0.01m or ±0.02 per cent of reading, resolution of 0.01m, range of 0.3-100m and sample rate of 6Hz.

The 12-channel integral DGPS receiver with SBAS (EGNOS, WAAS, MSAT) correction has an accuracy of 2m. The 16-channel version also accepts IALA beacon corrections and has an accuracy of 1m. The internal receiver can be disabled to allow external GPS orRTK input.

Data output from Valeport's MIDAS Surveyor is real time RS232 of position, depth, tide, sound velocity, heave and direction. The data display shows depth (single or dual frequency), position and all other incoming parameters. The system has SurveyLog Windows-based software and all data are presented as ASCII text for easy import into standard hydrographic packages such as HYPACK and HydroPro.

MIDAS Surveyor is powered by an internal 8.4Ah lead acid battery to give 20 hours nominal working.




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Answer 4

We have a huge deck, wraps around half the house. But my backyard grass part is on a huge hill, which I hate because I want a pool. It gets flat at the top but then its woods for about an acre of just trees, which is good for manhunt and biking. So I guess I like it for different purposes

Answer 5

could you construct a jetty? If you dredge, you will only have to do it again in a few years' time.

Why is there so much silt? Has the water flow changed or are you on the inside of a curve.

Answer 6

Proper permits having been acquired; You need a small barge, centrifugal pump, lots of PVC pipe, and Styrofoam. Did I mention a generator?

Put the generator and pump on the barge, connect lengths of PVC pipe and float to middle of lake, using Styrofoam, for the discharge.

Answer 7

Well the cheapest would be a shovel.Or you could get a 5hp trash pump and hydro blast the silt.Or just extend your property lineout into the lake.