Watermaster amphibious dredger restoring vital river in China

X i’an, the historic capital in the northwest of China, has been a city with abundant water resources and its development has been closely related to the superior water environment.

While the city’s scale expanded, the population boomed and industrialization advanced, the flowrate of rivers and lakes has significantly reduced, and the aquatic environment pollution has intensified.

Water resource shortages, aquatic environment deterioration, and aquatic ecology fragility are common problems in big cities.

The municipal government of Xi’an wanted better for the local people and environment so they chose Peach Blossom Pool Park dredging project as a pilot project.

The goal of the project is to restore the aquatic environment and secure the supply of clean water for the 12 million inhabitants of the city.

It is not easy to carry out dredging works in Peach Blossom Pool Park, which is in the center of a densely populated metropolis.

First, it is difficult for large-scale machinery to access the site, and to transport the dredged sludge outside the city.

Second, the working conditions and engineering construction were complex. For example, the water surface was covered by aquatic vegetation. The water depth was generally less than 50 cm, and some areas were even free of water, so ordinary dredgers could not work there.

Third, the execution standards were high. The dredging works had to be carried out without disturbing the surrounding environment and nearby residents.

Fourth, the planned construction period was short. The total dredging volume was about 15,000 cubic meters. It was expected that the machine should complete the project within 25 days.

One of the project partners, Shaanxi Chenghai Water Engineering Co., had fortunately just purchased the perfect technology for the project from Finland. They chose the original amphibious multipurpose environment dredger, Watermaster, because of its leading performance and operational reliability.

Aquamec Ltd. has developed and manufactured Watermaster environment dredgers for more than 30 years. The dredger is small, light-weight, and easy to transport. It is suitable for shallow water or even water-free operation.

The machine can access almost every site imaginable. During the operation, there is no need for auxiliary equipment, and one Watermaster can perform the work of a complete dredging fleet. With accurate and environmentally friendly operation and high efficiency, it is much better than the traditional way of dredging.

The versatile Watermaster carried out all the works at the site. First, it began by raking and excavating the trash, excess vegetation and silt out from the Chanhe River. Then it continued by suction dredging the accumulated sludge into geotextile tubes for dewatering.

The results were very positive. The overall water flowrate in the East Lake of Peach Blossom Pool Park increased significantly, the water quality and the visual effect of the water surface improved, and the quality of air in the surrounding residential zones enhanced.