Saving on dredging

A NEW system has been developed that could help with the dredging of the waterways, and save costs.

This is the Sedi-filter, developed by the Midlands company DRM that has just had trials on a pound on the  Birmingham & Worcester Canal, which uses a method of pumping the sediment from the waterway into giant porous bags, Alan Tilbury reveals.

Sediment contained

The water then passes through the fabric while the sediment is contained inside and can then be taken away.

DRM managing director Peter McGuinness, shown with part of a bag, explained:

"The main advantage is the removal of the water from the sediment, transferring it into a drier state, which helps handling, and enables the sediment to be disposed of to landfill or used elsewhere."

Volume reduced

The volume of solid waste that needs to be taken away is significantly reduced, it is claimed, as up to 90 per cent of the water is removed.

Simon Potter, of Blue Boar Contracts, that has a national contract to dredge the waterways for British Waterways, and was instrumental in testing the Sedi-filter system, reported:

"The use of the Sedi-filter system means that we don't have to add anything to the contaminated sediment to treat it before it is disposed of. That means we don't have to have a special licence to deal with the waste, and we are not increasing the weight of the sludge.

"We can dry it out so it can be accepted to landfill and, because the water is extracted, we are actually reducing the amount we are taking away, which means lower transport costs and less weight at the landfill weighbridge."

The system can also be used to create dams and weirs.