Mueller Lake Park is a favorite attraction for Austin, Texas locals. With a six-and-a-half acre lake and 140 acres of parks and spaces, it’s a beautiful landscape for Austinites to slow down from city life and reconnect with nature.
But as happens with all bodies of water, soil erosion and weed overgrowth eventually took over the ponds within the park. That’s where ENVIROdredge came in to get the ponds back to picture perfect.
Restoring the first pond was simply an issue of removing sediment accumulation, restoring the depth of the pond back to its original water holding capacity, and bringing back the health of the ecosystem.
Two ponds were full of vegetation growth, so removing weeds was the first objective in order to get down to dredging. The vegetation growth was extensive and the removal process took a couple of weeks, with some vegetation being left behind to promote a healthy ecosystem and leave homes for animals habitating the pond. After the vegetation was removed with an amphibious machine, the dredging process was able to begin.
Cleaning up the Mueller ponds included using a polymer-assisted hydraulic dredging process. Polymers used in dredging typically come in two forms — flocculants and coagulants, both of which bind small particles together.
Polymers cause sediment particles to collect together in large clumps and separate from water. The process, known as dewatering, is much faster with the use of polymers, making it more efficient. It’s also cost-effective, as faster dewatering and the resulting drier, solid material reduces hauling and disposal costs.
After the dredging process was complete, the difference in the clarity and depth of the ponds was apparent. Water quality was improved, and aesthetics of the ponds were restored for locals to enjoy.
