2021 NJSME Project of the Year Award for Municipal Construction Management Projects

The centerpiece of Foote’s Pond Wood, a 25-acre naturalized passive public sanctuary, is Foote’s Pond. Over 30 years of sediment and vegetative debris settled in the bottom, degrading the pond’s health and ability to support wildlife. The pond’s original depth of four feet was down to 12 inches. It was determined that the dredging operation was far too expensive (approx. $2 million), and too invasive to the eco-habitats and construction staging within the community.

As project consultant, we deployed hydro-raking instead of dredging to remove detritus, bottom muck, debris, and aquatic vegetation with attached root systems at notably less cost (under $400,000). This process also enables the operator to be more selective in which materials are removed as a holistic means of improving the water quality and ecology, causing less disturbance to associated wildlife habitats in and around the pond. Before the project, the pond had approximately 58,000 SF of open water. At project completion, the water surface area increased to 80,000 SF. An estimated 5,400 CY of debris was removed which ultimately reclaimed 22,000 SF of water surface area. Over 35% of the surface water area was reclaimed by culling the heavily meadowed areas of the pond. Hydro-raking was a minimally invasive solution that enhanced this important asset by preserving the park’s integrity and eco-systems, while supporting the quality of life within this community.