How Marinas Benefit From Scheduled Dredging

Scheduled dredging enables marina owners to increase their profits and minimize their environmental impact.

The purpose of this article is to highlight the importance and value of scheduled dredging for marinas.

Maintaining adequate water depths in each boat slip and on approaches to marinas at low tide is essential to attract and keep the largest yachts in the regional market – yachts that generate the largest marina fees.

Without regularly scheduled dredging, marinas can be temporarily forced to close their slips for their best paying customers. Dredging just part of a marina can have costly and adverse environmental consequences in tidal areas by accelerating silt build up in slips for larger boats, and compromising water flows and drainage throughout the marina.

Environmental issues are more complex and include:

• Protection of water quality and marine life.
• Protection of docks, slips, and boats.
• Removal and disposal of clean sediment.
• Removal and disposal of contaminated sediment.
• Traffic, noise, and odors disturbing neighbors.

Since sediment build up is ongoing and predictable, a dredging schedule should be seriously considered. Key benefits of a dredging schedule include: 

• A budgeted expense rather than an unpredictable cost.
• Uninterrupted use of the marina.
• A reduction in problems caused by the permitting process often related to sediment disposal.

Most experts recommend dredging at two or three year intervals.