Lakes & Waterway DREDGING – Small Dredge Applications
Mud Cat is recognized around the world as the inventor of the horizontal auger maintenance / environmental dredging system. Today there are 1,000 Mud Cat (and EDE) units in operation around the globe. Mud Cat dredges, including our innovative small dredge models, can be used in a wide variety of waterways including, but not limited to:
- Rivers
- Lakes
- Canals
- Marinas
- Ports
- Beach fronts
- Channels
Mud Cat dredges are proven in all inland dredging applications. More Mud Cat dredges are in operation in inland waterways around the globe than any other dredge manufacturer.
Mud Cat Dredges used in Lakes & Waterways
Port Chinook’s Mud Cat 115D dredging out slips to restore capacity.
A Mud Cat D-Series cleans out a lake in Western Europe.
A Mud Cat 225D performs maintenance dredging at a marina in the Bahamas.
A Mud Cat 225D is towed to its job site on a river in China.
A Mud Cat 225D dredges oily sludge from an inland lake in Russia. The material was pumped to geotextile tubes on shore.
The City of Eureka, California uses their Mud Cat 20E to maintain their wastewater treatment plant.
A Mud Cat D-Series maintains a beach front on the East Coast, U.S.
A Mud Cat D-Series cleans out a lake at an U.S. armory.
Two Mud Cat D-Series dredges clean PCB’s from the Fox River.
A Mud Cat 225D in the Southern, U.S. cleans out a canal.
A contractor in Connecticut uses a Mud Cat 40E to reclaim a stormwater pond.
A Mud Cat 40E de-silts a docking area on a river in the U.S.
A Mud Cat 115D performs maintenance dredging at a marina in Wisconsin.
A contractor in Florida uses their Mud Cat 115D to clean out a residential lake.
The City of Peoria, Illinois Parks and Recreation uses their Mud Cat 115D to clean out various park ponds around the city.
A contractor cleans out a water intake system with a Mud Cat 100E on the Colombia River in Washington.
The City of Hannibal, Missouri uses their Mud Cat 115D to de-silt their marina on the Mississippi River. Mud Cat was awarded the project through a competitive tender.
A Mud Cat 275D is used for a phosphorous removal project on Lake Apopka in the Everglades in Florida.
A contractor in Texas cleans out a stormwater pond at a golf course using their Mud Cat 115D.
A Mud Cat 225D cleans out a city lake in Italy.
Frequently Asked Questions
For small lakes and ponds, a compact Mud Cat auger dredge such as the 40E or 115D is ideal. These units are one-truck transportable, operate in shallow and vegetation-rich water where larger equipment cannot, and remove silt and muck with very low turbidity while leaving an even bottom. They can be run manned or by remote control to suit the site.
You do not need to drain the waterbody. A hydraulic auger dredge floats on the surface and removes silt and muck with the water in place, using an enclosed cutterhead that keeps turbidity low and the bottom even. The slurry is pumped through a closed pipeline to a dewatering or containment area on shore, so the lake stays full and in use during the work.
The right size depends on the surface dimensions of the dredging area, the current and target depth, the type of material, and how far and how high the slurry must be pumped. Smaller ponds are well served by compact models like the 40E or 115D, while larger jobs use higher-production units. Share these details and Mud Cat will match a model to your project.
Yes. Fitted with the patented WeedMaster cutterhead, a Mud Cat dredge becomes a dual-function machine that cuts aquatic vegetation such as hyacinth, cattails, milfoil, and hydrilla and pumps the chopped material to shore through the discharge line, all while still able to remove sediment. This eliminates the need for a separate harvester or mechanical raking.
Lined ponds can be dredged safely using the auger's controlled, flat cutting profile. The enclosed cutterhead removes material evenly without gouging, and Mud Cat offers optional protective configurations for cement, clay, and polyethylene liners used in industrial, municipal, and stormwater applications. Describe your liner type and depth and Mud Cat will specify the appropriate setup.
Project duration depends on the volume of material, the dredge's production rate, and how quickly the discharge area can dewater. A compact unit can restore a typical pond in a short campaign, while larger waterbodies take longer. Once your dimensions, depth, and material are known, Mud Cat can estimate a realistic schedule.
News
‘Economic Renaissance’: Port of Chinook Secures Own Dredging Equipment
Securing the new dredge was “critical” to maintaining the port and resuscitating parts that have become usable due to silt.
Hannibal Parks and Recreation Chooses Mud Cat® 115D Dredge for Marina
HANNIBAL, MO – Mud Cat just commissioned a brand-new MC 115D dredge at Hannibal Marina on the Mississippi
AVX Corp. to Pay $366 Million in Settlement, Accelerating Cleanup of New Bedford Harbor Contamination in Massachusetts
WASHINGTON – The Department of Justice, on behalf of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), along with the Massachusetts
Environmental Benefits from Dredging Soft Sediment from a Small Recreational Lake in Western Washington
Lake Limerick is a small (129 acres) reservoir built-in 1966 primarily as a new recreational lake for those who wanted to escape
The EPA’s Contractor used a Mud Cat MC-2000 for Massena River PCB Clean-Up
Project Details Historical Overview The primary contaminant of concern in the Grasse River Study Area is PCBs, and a critical
Mud Cat Auger Dredge Chosen for Rehabilitation of Lake Brabrand
A new field of engineering in Denmark by Stig Petersen New methods are being used in restoring Lake Brabrand in cooperation
Mud Cat Lake Restoration Project
Boat owners in the Bay Point, Montana, area will be happy to see dredging today. Schwarz Architecture and Engineering has been working
Citizens Finance Lake Cleanup in Michigan, USA
While federal funding for land and water conservation activities has been slashed tremendously, other methods of financing
Clean Lake Quick and Easy with Mini-Dredge
It got so at the Valley Hi Lake in Colorado Springs, Colo., that anyone could walk on water and would get no more than a hohum.
Maintaining the Lake in Whitewater State Park
Whitewater Memorial State Park is located in east-central Indiana near the community of Liberty, Indiana. This seventeen hundred
Man-Made Lake Saved from Strangulation
For the past 15 years, residents of privately-owned Lake Tishomingo have watched their lake slowly deteriorate from a gradual buildup
Mud Cat Wins Battle Against Siltation in City’s Lakes
For years, the residents of Olathe, Kansas, watched their North and South Frisco Lakes fill with tons of dirt, mud and all sorts of debris.
Marina Dredging Adds New Revenue-Producing Slips
Excerpted from The Journal News By Ken Valenti NEW ROCHELLE – After years of plans and permits, the dredging of the city’s
Introducing the Mud Cat — A Quick and Easy Cleanup for Marina Waters
by Mary Byrnes Don’t let the name fool you. Mud Cat only sounds like the latest addition to the list of endangered species.
Dredging Helps Waterways’ Bottom Line: Baltimore County, MD Dredging Plan Aids Boaters and Environment
Five picturesque creeks and coves in eastern Baltimore County, MD are being dredged and another four will be scooped in an aggressive
Environmentally Sound Precision Dredging Using a Mud Cat Dredge
The Mud Cat dredgehead has very high precision, minimum turbidity and low water flow as its special features. Long-term
Mud Cat MC-2000 Used to Dredge West Palm Beach Canal
By Kathy Tilghman Kluge IT Corporation, one of America’s largest environmental remediation companies, is using a Mud Cat
Tricks of the Trade — Mini-Dredge Clears Silt Quickly from Boat Channel
The Mud Cat, a two-man-operated mini-dredge recently removed accumulated silt from a lagoon channel at Ventura Keys,
Dredge Sucking Muck to Clear Reservoir
A dredge bought by the City of Toccoa is pumping silt and sludge from the city’s 31-acre waterworks lake. Expected completion
ENVIRONMENTAL UPDATE U.S. Army Attributes Success of Dredging Clean-Up Project to “Innovative Technology”: New Mud Cat MC-2000 Auger Dredge Used
April 2001 By Gale Smith U.S. Army Operations Support Command A major environmental cleanup has been completed at Gruber’s
Mud Cat Dredges Used Around-the-Clock in Coal Fines Clean-Up Operation in Kentucky
A.T. Massey Coal Co. subsidiary Martin County Coal Corp., faces citations from the Kentucky Natural Resources Protection
Dredging Contaminated Sediments at an Active Impact Range: An Ordnance Avoidance Success
By Michael R. Walsh, P.E., Cold Regions Research & Engineering Laboratory, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers At Eagle River
Mud Cat and Sugar Refinery Cooling Water Canals
A new machine called a “Mud Cat” has been developed expressly for the task of ridding lakes, streams and channels of undesirable
