Red tide is a harmful algal bloom with a higher than average concentration of a plant-like organism called microscopic algae. In Florida, the species that causes the majority of red tides is called Karenia brevis (or K. brevis). Florida researchers call K. brevis “Florida red tide” to distinguish it from other species of algae.

Keeping a boat in a marina is basically like putting something of value in storage and taking it out when the time is right.  Those who don't regularly deal with boating may assume you "park" the boat in a spot like an aquatic parking lot, tie it down, and off you go - no fuss, no worries! But there is a bit more that goes into maintaining the marina to keep those boats stored safely, mainly dredging the marina.

A nasty storm can bring in a lot of unwanted rain, which could end in flooding in some cases. This past hurricane season has shown just how much extra water a storm can bring in and the damage it can do. This is one reason why dredging wastewater treatment plants are so important. Flooding doesn't just mean a surge of rainwater; it carries much more than that. Wastewater can become a huge problem during a time of flooding, and it's important to be proactive and dredge before it's too late.

Proper hydraulic dredging of canals is vital to the maintenance of the canal's health, quality, and recreational enjoyment. The long-term benefits of proper canal dredging are crucial to the survival of a canal.

A hurricane can be over in a matter of hours, if that. But the damage is leaves behind can sometimes take months to repair. A big nuisance in the aftermath of Irma has been flooded retention ponds that, two months later, are still flooded and causing problems for certain Florida residents. Retention ponds along I-4 have been one of the more notable problems. Due to never-ending new construction, a house that had been around for over 40 years was a victim of the flooding mentioned here. It is something that can be avoided if caught before the storm hits.

Hurricanes tend to leave behind a nasty trail of destruction, and the southern east coast is no stranger to those situations. Mostly recently, Hurricanes Harvey and Irma have caused quite a massive amount of damage along the Gulf Coast, focusing mainly on Texas and Florida. Because of the sheer force and size of these recent storms, they've brought along a ton of rain. With this rain come all kinds of not-so-great surprises in the sun-filled days to follow. This is where dredging comes into play.

If you've ever taken a boat out onto a lake, river, or canal, you know you have to be careful to navigate around the amount of much in the water body. Much is comprised of sediments at the bottom of a body of water. The more muck the water has, the greater impact it will have on the quality of the water and the recreational activities that take place there. Dredging is used when the sediments begin to affect water quality and inconvenience to recreational activities.

Clay, sand, and silt left behind from dredging are repurposed as marshes and wildlife habitats. Benefits to local wildlife and the environment include the removal of contaminated sediments and their relocation to safe, contained areas, and the improvement of water quality through the restoration of water depth and flow.

Whether it's a storm water pond, retention pond or a lagoon, all ponds are in a dying process the moment they built. Algae, weeds, leaves and other organic material travel and settle at the bottom of the pond in the form of residue  or "muck."  Muck, over time, fills the pond and becomes the principal source of several problems that the owners of the pond are confronted with.

Clay, sand, and silt left behind from dredging have been repurposed as marshes and wildlife habitats. Benefits to local wildlife include the removal of contaminated sediments and their relocation to safe, contained areas, and the possible improvement of water quality made by the restoration of water depth and flow.

There are several factors that determine the level of each year's algae bloom in Florida and its relative harmfulness. Warmer than average winters, with no freezing temperatures to complete a normal nature cycle could really spell trouble for Florida waterways, beginning as early as this spring.

Drought conditions can severely impact waterways both vast and small as was the case with the Mississippi River after one of the worst droughts in recorded history. The Army Corps of Engineers deployed more than a dozen dredging vessels to address the drought's affect on the Mississippi to make the river, channels, and surrounding waterways passable once more. Dredging was beneficial on a massive scale in the case of the Mississippi, but dredging after a drought is advantageous for all waterways. A few benefits of dredging after a drought include:

Many Floridians are unaware of a "guacamole-thick" toxic algae has been strangling our state's waterways and polluting our beaches. This algae bloom has been happening since late June. The Army Corps of Engineers have spent months siphoning off water that is rich in nutrients from Lake Okeechobee in a preservation effort.

C&M Dredging was proudly featured as Dredging Today's "Picture of the Day" feature on August 22, 2014, focusing on our Ellicott 360SL Dredger at work on the Jackson Lake Restoration Project in Tennessee. To view the picture and article visit Dredging Today's website by CLICKING HERE.

The importance of keeping your marina dredged cannot be overstated. Routine dredging is vital to marinas in order to maintain the water depths on approaches and boat slips necessary for yachts and larger boats as well as avoiding the need for berthing smaller boats.

Stormwater runoff is excess rain water that flows into larger water bodies and local storm sewer systems largely due to the surrounding prevalence of hard surfaces, such as concrete. Large quantities of water that would ordinarily be absorbed into the ground in a more natural environment instead enter streams and lakes. Stormwater runoff collects pollutants, chemicals and debris as it flows over paved surfaces and into water bodies. It also causes erosion, decreases groundwater recharge and alters aquatic environments.

No matter how or for what purpose a pond was created, all ponds are in a dying process from day one. Muck is formed at the bottom of the pond in the form of organic material like algae, leaves, weeds, mold or mildew settling and building up a residue.

When you think about all of the physical support systems needed for living in this modern age, you may think of things like highways, electricity, phones, or even technological advances in farming and agriculture equipment. Dredging rarely crosses people's mind when they consider life-changing technologies.

In the world of dredging, geotextile tubes are referred to as sludge dewatering geotextile tubes. With benefits like cost efficiency, speed and very low impact on the environment, sludge dewatering geotextile tubes are rapidly gaining popularity in marine dredging, water and waste water treatment, construction dewatering, remediation of agriculture, and protection of precious shoreline.

According to scientists Claudia Wise and Joseph Green of the US Environmental Protection Agency, suction dredge mining does not harm fish and may actually improve the fish habitat.

According to a report by Madeline Urbish, a Senior Public Policy Advisor, billions if not trillions of cubic yards of sediment are removed from U.S. waters every year, but where does all the sand, salt and silt go?

Maintaining and making improvements to a golf course requires focus, a functional plan, a budget and a certain degree of environmental expertise. While day to day routine golf course maintenance is a very demanding job, the planning and execution of long range course improvement projects often pose the greatest challenge to the management of a successful course.

In the last few years, our power generation industry has gone through major changes. Electricity needs to be produced at the lowest costs possible, but also in a way that meets or exceeds changing regulatory requirements. Many operations are currently or soon to be faced with the responsibility of decommissioning these ash ponds. Typically, there are two options for decommissioning; in place closure or removal of the ash from the ponds. Your dredging contractor will work with your Environmental Managers to establish a plan to best serve your particular ash pond needs, whether excavation of decommissioned ponds, or hydraulic dredging to remove ash. Your contractor should also have the capacity to dewater these materials by means of mechanical separation or use of geotextile tubes and polymers.

Most people would be surprised to learn that every year, several hundred million cubic yards of material is dredged from the bottoms of ports, harbors, marinas and other waterways to maintain correct depths for boat passage (both commercial and recreational).

The boating lifestyle provides enjoyment for the entire family. A passion for boating can be passed down from generation to generation and provide a lifetime of memories and tradition to pass down from grandparents to parents and children.

For nearly the last two decades, the Public Works Department of Cape Coral have dredged the storm water canals that run for 400 miles throughout the area. Considered the largest municipal dredging project in the United States, their goal has been to deepen them by removing the layers of decaying material and soil from the canals &emdash; which were drag-lined in the 1950s and then neglected until the 1980s.