Yahara River Flow Enhancement

Michels Construction, Inc. used sophisticated dredging equipment, including a swinging ladder cutterhead suction dredge and booster pump, to remove years of accumulated sediment from a 3.1-mile stretch of the Yahara River in Southern Wisconsin. The dredge was purposefully tailored for this type of work, which required equipment to be mobile and nimble yet powerful enough to tackle the challenging job. Over the course of six months, an average of 2 to 5 feet of sediment was removed from a 50-foot-wide channel. 

Through natural, gravity-based dewatering, weirs, multiple confined disposal facilities cells, and properly balanced management, clean water was returned to the river from the dewatering site without the use of chemical flocculants or polymers. GPS and hydrographic survey data were gathered to create records of the project and the channel’s topography.  

Approximately 100,000 cubic yards of sediment was dredged, allowing a higher volume of water to flow through the deeper channel, which provided not only environmental and aesthetic benefits, but also improved navigational and recreational conditions.  The dredged material will be reused in other Dane County projects.