Pond Dredging Services
Restoring the storage capacity your stormwater ponds were designed to provide. Mechanical and hydraulic dredging, sediment removal, dewatering, and disposal - handled entirely by our crew and equipment.
Your pond doesn't fill on a calendar. Measure before you spend.
Every pond is filling up. How fast depends on what drains into it, and the published guidelines disagree with each other and with the research.
That spread is why we start every job with a survey, and why we'll tell you when your pond doesn't need dredging yet.
Does your pond need dredging? Check what you see.
No equipment needed. Walk the bank and tick anything you notice.
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Nothing yet. Keep watching.
Annual inspections catch sediment early. Tick what you see on your next walk.
Read the full sign guideTwo dredging methods. The right one depends on your pond.
Not every pond calls for the same approach. We evaluate your site conditions and recommend the method that delivers the best result for your budget and timeline. Sometimes it's both: we pump the bulk silt and dig out the compacted material at the inlets.
Mechanical Dredging
Mechanical dredging uses excavators and heavy equipment to physically remove sediment from the pond bottom. The material is loaded into trucks and hauled to a disposal or beneficial reuse site. It's a straightforward, proven method that works especially well in certain conditions.
Best suited for
- Smaller ponds where equipment can access the entire bottom
- Rocky, sandy, or debris-heavy sediment that doesn't pump well
- Sites with good road access for truck loading
- Ponds that can be partially or fully dewatered
- Projects that also require bank repair or outlet work
Hydraulic Dredging
Hydraulic dredging uses a pump-based system to suction sediment from the pond bottom as a water-sediment slurry. The slurry is piped to a designated dewatering area on-site, where the sediment settles out and water is returned to the pond or discharged. It's faster per cubic yard and requires far less truck traffic.
Best suited for
- Larger ponds with significant sediment volume
- Fine silt and organic sediment that pumps efficiently
- Sites where truck traffic needs to be minimized (HOAs, golf courses)
- Ponds that need to remain full during dredging
- Properties with available space for on-site dewatering
Four steps. One binder at the end.
Most ponds under 2 acres take 1 to 3 weeks on site. Larger ponds run 4 to 8.
- 01 Survey and assessment
A bathymetric survey maps the bottom and measures sediment depth across the pond, so we know how much comes out and where it sits.
You get: the sediment volume and a method recommendation - 02 Permits and planning
We coordinate with SCDES, GA EPD, the Army Corps, or local authorities as needed, and plan staging, dewatering, disposal, traffic, and schedule.
You get: a written scope, schedule, and price - 03 Dredge and remove
Our crew removes sediment against the survey targets, then hauls it off site or dewaters it for reuse on the property.
You get: progress against the target depths - 04 Restore and document
We repair any disturbed banks, inlets, and access areas, then run a post-dredge survey to confirm design capacity.
You get: the closeout binder
Your closeout binder
- Pre-dredge survey
- Sediment volume removed
- Disposal records
- Post-dredge survey
- Compliance report, formatted for your municipality
The paperwork the inspector asks for, in one place.
Your pond, your constraints.
A golf course and a shopping center want different things from the same job. Pick yours.
What you're up against
Ponds 15+ years old that have never been dredged, and a board that has to fund a major capital project, ideally 2 to 3 years ahead.
How we run it
We bring the survey data and the cost range your board needs to vote, schedule around residents, and leave the documentation your maintenance agreement asks for.
What you're up against
Shallow, silted ponds hurt how the course looks and how it drains, and members see every one of them.
How we run it
We schedule around play, restore depth to cut back nutrient-driven algae, and keep the stormwater function compliant.
What you're up against
Ponds next to parking lots and tenants, with tight access, and runoff that can mean sediment testing before disposal.
How we run it
We plan truck routes and staging around operations, test sediment when the site calls for it, and document disposal.
What you're up against
Deferred dredging on public ponds creates downstream flood risk and NPDES compliance issues.
How we run it
We work inside municipal procurement and provide the reporting public agencies require.
What you're up against
Decades of sediment make lakes shallow and murky, and property values around them follow the water.
How we run it
Dredging is the only way to restore depth and clarity. We phase larger lakes so the work fits the community.
What you're up against
Dry detention basins with silted floors and clogged low-flow orifices, and wetland forebays filling in.
How we run it
We restore the designed release rate and flow paths, and phase wetland work to protect established vegetation.
Build your dredging estimate. Watch it write itself.
Set your pond and your site on the left. The worksheet fills in with our published ranges.
Dredging Estimate Worksheet
What's moving your price
- Open access keeps equipment moving and the price per yard down.
- Reusing clean sediment on site skips trucking entirely.
- Room to dewater on site keeps handling simple.
- Clean silt pumps and dewaters easily.
Your written proposal replaces these ranges with your number. It starts with a bathymetric survey ($1,500 to $5,000). Full cost breakdown
Request a Site AssessmentEight questions every dredging bid should answer.
Dredging bids are easy to make look cheap. Put these to every contractor, us included, and the comparison gets honest fast.
- How many cubic yards, and from what survey?A price with no volume behind it can't be compared.
- Which method, and why?Mechanical, hydraulic, or both, tied to your site.
- Where does the sediment dewater?Location, footprint, and how long it sits there.
- Where does it go after that?Reused on site, or hauled. To where, and is trucking in the price?
- Is sediment testing included?And what happens to the price if it comes back dirty.
- Who pulls the permits?And whose name is on them.
- What gets restored afterward?Banks, inlets, access routes, turf.
- Is there a post-dredge survey?The only proof the storage came back, and what your inspector will want.
Not sure if your pond needs dredging? Start with a survey.
A bathymetric survey tells you exactly how much capacity your pond has lost and what it will cost to restore. It's the smartest investment you can make before committing to a dredging project. Call us to schedule.
fact_check Site Health Audit
No obligation to hire AUE Land for any service work.