As a result, dredging is a massive reengineering of a lake that should not be conducted without a thorough understanding of its full consequences (Gustavson et al. Sediment removal can cause a lot of turbidities and contribute to heavy metal mobilization due to oxidation. Existing species and organisms that rely on the original composition are endangered and may become extinct as a result of the alterations. A severe detrimental influence on sensitive ecosystems’ soil deposits is one of the environmental consequences. But unfortunately, sometimes dredging poses a significant threat to the health, shoreline, and scenery of the water body. Dredging has many benefits for the water body: increases volume and depth, rid of water surface plants and deep-rooted plants, reduces or stops the excess growth of plants, thus staving off oxygen depletion in the lake, removes nutrient-laden sediments, improves water quality, supports native wildlife, and removes contaminants that occur due to chemical spills (Evans et al.

Through consulting available literature concerning the impact of dredging, it was confirmed that there are significant existing direct and indirect, negative and positive impacts on the lake’s environment (Bridges et al. 2018).ĭredging is one of the lake’s restoration techniques and is currently the most commonly selected option for maintaining aquatic ecosystems and making them safer and more esthetic appeal (Hadnagy et al.

Dredging equipment and methods are chosen based on a variety of environmental factors including the volume, physical and geotechnical characteristics of the sediment to be removed, the presence of contaminants at various depths of the bottom layers, the dredging depth, and the distance to the disposal area (Choppala et al. With regard to the working principles for wet excavation, dredges may be categorized into two broad categories: mechanical and hydraulic dredges.

This type of dredging gives a lot of visibility while working, but from its drawbacks, native flora and creatures are displaced when all water is drained. In the dry excavation, the lake is drained, and the sediments are dewatered before being removed by traditional excavation equipment like backhoes, bulldozers, or draglines. Dredging activities are widely used in different water bodies by dry or wet excavation. Dredging is a worldwide excavation activity that involves removing islands, aquatic plants, infringements, and sediment from a water body and sometimes relocating them elsewhere.

Dredge data