Next week, I am meeting with a representative from US Aqua Vac on site to look at our dredging project set to begin in January. This company will come in with a floating barge that will vacuum loose sediment from the bottom of the lake and pump it into giant textile bags on the bank to de-water. The water will seep from the bag, leaving the sediment behind. I am often asked when we will dredge the largest portion of swan lake. I think we would all agree that it would be more attractive if it was much deeper. The strategic Planning Committee is on top of it and in their list of priorities. However, when standing on the bank of #17 (above photo) you can see tree stumps in the water. Believe it or not, these were trees that were removed when Swan Lake was constructed; probably in the 1920's or 30's. This tells us, Swan Lake was never deep to begin with. It has always been a shallow lake because these stumps are at their original elevation. Dredging a lake to make it deeper beyond its original bottom is a totally different operation compared to the suction method we are using this winter to remove loose sediment. Dredging to go deeper requires excavating equipment and a lot of permitting through the DENR and the Army Corps of Engineers.
The method of hydraulic dredging being done this winter at HCC does not require any permitting through either agency. Their main concern is that any material removed from the lake doesn't re-enter the body of water. Building islands, or channeling a creek by building banks from the sediment would require a lot of oversight and permitting from these agencies.
One final challenge is the material (sediment) itself. Often times, this "muck" contains a lot of heavy metal elements to the point of being toxic. Disposing of it can create a headache itself.