The City Of Valdez Chooses Mud Cat’s MC40E Electric Remote Controlled Dredge

ALASKA – The City of Valdez, AK just took delivery of a Mud Cat® 40E for their wastewater lagoons. The dredge is pumping bio-sludge with a 1.1 specific gravity sitting at 7% solids in-situ, a distance of 600 ft. (183m) with 4 ft. (1.2m) of terminal elevation at a maximum flow of 900gpm into geotextile filter bags. The 40E is dredging to a depth of 14 ft. (4.26m) and the HDPE lagoon liner is protected with the Mud Cat 40E’s standard liner protection wheels which safely press the liner down as the cutter removes the sludge down to the bottom of the lagoon. The dredge creates an even bottom profile due to its horizontal auger cutterhead which is more efficient for tracking cuts. 

Mud Cat 40E Electric Dredge dredging a wastewater lagoon in Valdez, Alaska
The City of Valdez’s Mud Cat 40E dredging their WWTP lagoon.

“The City of Palmer, Alaska who has successfully been operating their Mud Cat 40E for three years, referred the City of Valdez to us. Our high level of referrals and repeat business is a testament to our quality and performance. We continue to lead the electric remote control dredge sector with by providing the most durable systems in the world that create even bottom profiles and excavate in even parallel cuts creating extremely low turbidity,” said DuWayne Richert, Regional Sales Manager, Ellicott Dredge Technologies, LLC.

The Mud Cat 40E was shipped from EDT’s factory in New Richmond, WI to Port of Seattle, WA and then ferried in a 40 ft. ocean container via Samson Tug and Barge to Port of Valdez, AK which required more logistical planning than most domestic Mud Cat shipments.

Mud Cat 40E loaded fully assembled in a 40ft ocean container
The dredge was loaded fully assembled into a 40 ft. ocean container.

“This is our first Mud Cat dredge. DuWayne Richert was very helpful in specifying the right size and type of dredge to fit our needs. Rick Leverty, Senior Field Service Technician, was very helpful and informative on the set-up and operation of our new dredge. The dredge performs well and is user friendly. The set-up will save us both time and money,” said Brad Koch, Utility Manager, City of Valdez.

On the left, polymer is injected into the slurry prior to entering the geotextile bags on the right.
On the left, polymer is injected into the slurry prior to entering the geotextile bags on the right.

Reprinted from DredgeWire.com.

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