Dredging Business in the Environmental Arena

Fresh water lakes and rivers provide great recreational resources to those who enjoy fishing, boating, swimming, picnicking and anyone wanting some outdoor enjoyment. They also provide desirable real estate locations, as less and less land is available along their pristine shores. So, it makes sense that private and public lakes be maintained and preserved so that their longevity may thrive. 

Rain water, though, can bring all kinds of sediment with it as it flows into streams. Naturally, streams begin to accumulate silt as more is brought in from upstream. Silt begins to accumulate, especially in areas where streams are dammed into lakes. As sediment builds up, storage within these lakes are lost and may at times increase risk of flooding along the banks or cause boats to get stuck. This is where dredging can assist.

Dredging is the process of removing unwanted debris from the bottom of a water system, be it a lake or river. In the commercial aggregate world, this can be beneficial to operators who wish to mine the deposits along the lakebed and repurpose them for construction or reclamation use. As with most mining operations, dredging is often required to adhere to various regulations set by some authority, such as the Army Corps of Engineers, who oversees much of this activity nationally, or the Lower Colorado River Authority, an entity that oversees portions of the Colorado River in Texas.   

At Westward Environmental, we serve clients whose private, commercial, or industrial business may benefit from using or removing dredged material. Our team coordinates with various authorities, including the Army Corps of Engineers and others, in permit acquisition needed for producing and procuring sediment and other dredged material. As an environmental and engineering firm, we also conduct various environmental surveys and create civil design plans to further assist our clients for a truly turn-key sediment management solution.