Dean Wickoren ENVIROTUBE Technical Director Industrial Fabrics, Inc. dean@envirotubes.com 913-221-5345 (mobile) Resume and Accomplishments (over 40 years experience) Frequently Asked Questions

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ENVIROTUBE Dewatering Applications

ENVIROTUBES are where you put the dredged materials when there is no where else to store or dewater the slurry. The dredging and cleaning (removing the sediment) of small water bodies as well as marinas, canals and lakes has become a common and needed practice. Just because these areas are underwater does not mean they do not require maintenance. A park is a park. The lawn needs to be mowed, trimmed and fertilized. The parking lot and walkways paved, swept and patched. The trees trimmed and replaced.

The water quality of the pond needs to be controlled, the vegetation and algae controlled or removed and periodically, the sediment must be removed. Out of sight should not be out of mind.

Small water bodies include among others; golf course ponds, amusement parks, picnic parks, storm water collection ponds and city lakes. These small water bodies are usually surrounded by streets, lawns and buildings. There are two common ways to remove sediment.

One is to remove the water by breaking the dam or pumping out the water and remove the sediment with mechanical excavating equipment.

The advantages are:

• There are usually local contractors that have this kind of equipment available.
• Regulators and engineers are familiar with these processes so design and permitting is more standard.
• A water body created by damming a creek or stream may contain tree stumps or other obstructions. These are more easily removed by avoided by mechanical excavating equipment.

The disadvantages are:

• Access to the water body with heavy equipment and trucks is often difficult.
• This process is messy, smelly and noisy.
• The haul trucks often damage the residential or park streets and lawns.
• It is very difficult to get a good patch or plug in the dam if it was broken.
• The job is very weather dependant.
• The water and the fish are usually lost.

The advantages are:

• Trucks and heavy equipment do not have to access the pond.
• The pond does not have to be drained.
• The fish and water are not lost.
• Much less noise.
• No mess or smell.
• The job is not weather dependant.
• Under some conditions there may be a cost advantage compared to the other method.
• Using ENVIROTUBES the material can be dewatered at a distant site or at multiple local sites. The dewatered material can then be used on site or hauled away dry with smaller equipment.

The disadvantages are:

• The process is less recognized by engineers and regulators.
• Local contractors are usually not equipped to do the work.
• Under rare conditions, there may be a cost advantage to the other method.