Restoration Dredging

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     Stormwater runoff, coupled with the natural aging process inherent to lakes and impoundments, has had an adverse impact on water quality and fisheries.  Algal blooms, macrophyte growth and oxygen depletion are symptoms of this aging process. 

     The City of Birmingham and their consultants developed a restoration plan for Quarton Lake which included:

               1.     Dredging to restore water depths throughout the lake,

               2.     Installation of spawning and cover habitat for resident fish,

               3.     Installation of shoreline vegetation and erosion control,

               4.     Selective removal of carp from the lake coupled with

                          plantings of game and forage fish,

               5.     Installation of pathways and overlooks for passive human use,

               6.     Installation of compost over the entire five-acre park in order to

                          restore turf.

     Restoration Dredging was the general contractor for this restoration project.  As with any project dredging is only one component of an aquatic resource management plan.  In order for restoration initiatives to be successful, an interdisciplinary approach is needed.

     The dredging component of the project was accomplished via hydraulic suction dredging with geobag containment and dewatering onsite.  Again, in this instance, there was a minimal area of land available for containing  and dewatering the dredged sediment.  Without geobags the dredging project would have disturbed considerably more land and would most likely have taken several years to accomplish. 

     All involved with the project agreed that the use of geobags enabled the dredging to occur in a manner which minimized land disturbance within the park, and also in a fashion which was acceptable to the Birmingham residents living on both sides of the lake.  Quarton Lake Park was fully restored and placed back into use one year following initiation of the project.

Quarton Lake Restoration Project in Birmingham, Michigan	Geobag spoil containment area on Maple Street	Deployment of geobags at Maple Street containment area	Maple Street containment area with soil erosion control measures in place
Geobags deployed at Oak Street containment area	Dredging Quarton Lake with a hydraulic suction dredge	Fish spawning habitat construction on Quarton Lake	Brush crib fish habitat structures provide refuge for both game and forage fish.
Removing dredge spoils from the Oak Street containment area	Equipment used for hydraulic application of seed and compost to restore the grass at Quarton Lake	Blowing seed-injected compost onto the restored dredge spoil area	Natural aggregate pathway
Finish grade compost application	The entire grassed area at Quarton Lake Park was restored, post dredging	Completed gravel pathway	Granite overlooks were installed to provide erosion-free opportunities for park users to view Quarton Lake.
Watering newly established grass	Newly established grass just four weeks after the application of compost	Quarton Lake Park is now ready for use by the public.	Solar powered aerator to provide the Quarton Lake with dissolved oxygen throughout the year.

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