About ENVIROTUBES

Dean Wickoren ENVIROTUBE Technical Director Industrial Fabrics, Inc. Dean Wickoren has over 40 years of experience in the dredge and dewatering industry. Dean's resume and accomplishments

ENVIROTUBE Advantages

• No capital investment
• The process is neat and clean
• No Smell
• No open pit (liability)
• Clean, decant water (Controlled)
• No heavy equipment
• Up to 70% haul-away reduction

ENVIROTUBES are made from a woven geotextile that is in a 15 ft. width. This makes 15 ft. the common denominator for the circumference sizes. The tubes are 15 ft., 30 ft., 45 ft. and sometimes 60 ft. in circumference. Standard lengths are 50 ft., 100 ft., 150 ft. and 200 ft. When the tube has been pumped, it can be measured by height and width. The maximum height that a tube can be pumped will vary some with the material and by application. The height also determines the width.

Although this is a relatively new method, many regulators and engineers are familiar with the procedure. In fact, in some areas, the use of ENVIROTUBES can help in the permitting process.

Currently the most common reason ENVIROTUBES are used is for limited areas near a project for containment and dewatering of material. Mechanical excavation for site preparation is minimal.

Hydraulic dredging would typically require the construction of a spoil area. The space to position such a spoil area is often very limited and sometimes totally unavailable. The use of ENVIROTUBES opens a whole realm of possibilities. A marina can be dredged using the parking lot; a sludge lagoon can be cleaned by placing the ENVIROTUBES on the levy dam; a suburban lake surrounded by homes can be cleaned using the commons ground. The use of ENVIROTUBES in these applications is also much neater and safer than an open spoil area for use in parks or golf courses.

The other common factor in the decision to use ENVIROTUBES has been cost savings. Despite the many logistical advantages of using ENVIROTUBES, it is often the most cost effective way to do the project as well. This has been proven in many sludge applications that had previously been done by other methods; from projects where material had been hauled wet in tank trucks, to projects where presses and mechanical dewatering equipment was used.

From small ponds and municipal lagoons, to huge paper mill jobs with many hundreds of thousands of yards of material, the overall operations cost of the project was reduced by the use of ENVIROTUBES.