The Dredge: How It Works

This is the dredge sitting in the center of the new channel it is digging out of Wiggins Pass on the way to the Alpha marker. The black diamond markers on the top indicate which side of the barge is safe to pass. Notice the blue rigging extending out of the front of the barge. This is the suction auger which stirs up the sand and water, making slurry.

Text and Photos by Michael DiPierro

The slurry is then pumped out the back of the machinery shown at left at very high volume and pressure. The mix is about 10% sand and 90% water. The pipe you see is steel which feeds into a very thick-walled polyethylene plastic, welded into one length.

The slurry is pumped about three-quarters of a mile north to a discharge end on another flat barge, shown right. The Backhoe is used as a “Poling Stick” to constantly move the barge up and down the beach, back and forth to spread the discharge sand evenly across the bottom.

Text and photos by Michael DiPierro