Dredging is required when sediment fills bodies of water such as lakes, marinas and ponds. It’s a natural process called eutrophication, which evolves over a number of years. However, accelerated eutrophication takes place when ground cover vegetation in the drainage basin is disturbed during natural disasters, farming operations, construction projects or any other time the ground cover is disturbed.
What occurs naturally over hundreds of years or more can occur in a few months during a construction project if no effective measures to combat erosion have been put in place. All too often, silt fences and other steps to control erosion are not correctly installed or maintained after installation. This causes topsoil to end up in the water, and over time, the surface water disappears. If dredging is not performed, the water line’s character declines to the point of becoming detrimental to the community. An area that once had clean water now has mud.
The clarity of a pond, marina or lake can have a significant effect on property values in a community. In fact,a 1-meter drop in water clarity can cause market values to drop by 10 – 15%. In some cases, people have bought waterfront property, and after a few years of up-stream development, they cannot sell their “swamp-front” properties due to the fact that dredging did not take place.
From dredging services and dock systems to retaining walls, floating docks and sea walls, our team at Renegar Construction can help with any project in the Lake Norman area of North Carolina. Contact us today for more information.