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03 February 2025

Novel River Dredging Approach Attracts Media Attention

Following the success of the trial scheme in 2024 by the Somerset Rivers Authority (SRA) to combine traditional ‘mechanical’ dredging using long reach excavators with water injection dredging (WID) on the River Parrett, a significant dredging campaign was recently completed with this innovative method. Timed with high spring tides, the VAN Oord WID vessel ‘Borr’ removed sediment from the channel by placing it into suspension using its high flow pump jets. WM Longreach supplied a 20 tonne long reach excavator equipped with GPS technology working from a floating pontoon to cut the bank back to its original design profile. The material was placed in the channel for dispersal by WID downstream assisted by the outgoing tide. This technique is proven to maintain the channel capacity in the most sustainable and affordable way without needing any land and is crucial to prevent flood events such as the one in 2014, with Chairman of the River Parrett Tony Bradford stating “…it is vital in keeping surrounding villages flood free.” This cost effective and innovative solution caught the attention of the local MP and BBC news as well as a site visit from other IDBs. Following the success of the trial scheme in 2024 by the Somerset Rivers Authority (SRA) to combine traditional ‘mechanical’ dredging using long reach excavators with water injection dredging (WID) on the River Parrett, a significant dredging campaign was recently completed with this innovative method. Timed with high spring tides, the VAN Oord WID vessel ‘Borr’ removed sediment from the channel by placing it into suspension using its high flow pump jets. WM Longreach supplied a 20 tonne long reach excavator equipped with GPS technology working from a floating pontoon to cut the bank back to its original design profile. The material was placed in the channel for dispersal by WID downstream assisted by the outgoing tide. This technique is proven to maintain the channel capacity in the most sustainable and affordable way without needing any land and is crucial to prevent flood events such as the one in 2014, with Chairman of the River Parrett Tony Bradford stating “…it is vital in keeping surrounding villages flood free.” This cost effective and innovative solution caught the attention of the local MP and BBC news as well as a site visit from other IDBs.
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