These environmental impacts can significantly hurt marine wildlife populations, contaminate sources of drinking water and interrupt economic activities such as fishing.ĭescription Excavator dredger in Neeme harbour, Estonia (April 2023)ĭredging is excavation carried out underwater or partially underwater, in shallow waters or ocean waters. Dredging systems can either be shore-based, brought to a location based on barges, or built into purpose built vessels.ĭredging has significant environmental impacts: it can disturb marine sediments, leading to both short- and long-term water pollution, destroy important seabed ecosystems, and can release legacy human-sourced toxins captured in the sediment. Usually the main objectives of dredging is to recover material of value or use, or to create a greater depth of water.

In all but a few situations the excavation is undertaken by a specialist floating plant, known as a dredger.

Possible reasons for dredging include improving existing water features reshaping land and water features to alter drainage, navigability, and commercial use constructing dams, dikes, and other controls for streams and shorelines and recovering valuable mineral deposits or marine life having commercial value. For the fishing boat, see fishing trawler.ĭredging is the excavation of material from a water environment.

Definition dredging