A review of capital and maintenance dredging trends in the UK
Type:
Presented during:
WODCON XVII: "Dredging in a Sensitive Environment" - 2004, Hamburg, Germany
Authors:
Neville Burt and Lindsay Murray
Abstract: The authors have been compiling historical and statistical information about dredging in the UK with an emphasis on recent trends. In the paper a brief account is given of the 200 year history of dredging since the first steam-driven bucket ladder appeared in the UK in about 1803.
After briefly outlining present policy and legislation affecting dredging and disposal the paper reviews capital projects giving a list of the main projects describing the types project and the quantities of dredging involved of different types of material.
The routine maintenance dredging activity in the UK will also be described, linking sedimentation processes with the need for maintenance and giving statistics of disposal quantities.
No review would be complete today without considering how environmental concerns have influenced and continue to influence dredging operations. The paper will identify the concerns specific to the UK and say how they are being addressed. There have been a limited but growing number of opportunities for beneficial use and these too will be identified and briefly described.
Finally the paper will take a forward look based on the trends observable in the statistics presented but with an added touch of free thinking.
Keywords: History, UK, trends, statistics, legislation