Update on the harbor silt levels near the Port of Mobile

I was on a job in Mobile last month and the visibility was maybe two feet at best, which is normal for that spot. I went back for a follow-up this week and it was like diving in a different place, I could see almost ten feet. The change happened after they finished dredging the main channel about three weeks ago. I guess the current is moving differently now, pulling the fine silt away from our usual work area instead of letting it settle. It's a huge difference for doing inspections and weld checks, you don't have to feel your way around as much. Has anyone else working in dredged areas noticed a sudden clarity jump like this, or did we just get lucky?

2 comments

2 Comments

theac637d ago

That sounds more like a temporary fluke than a real change. Ten feet of clarity after one dredge job is a stretch. I worked a site in Galveston after a big channel clean out and the silt was back in under a month. Currents shift all the time and that fine silt you mentioned will settle right back once the water calms down. You might have just hit a perfect day with no boat traffic stirring things up. I'd be shocked if it lasts through the next big rain.

the_mila7d ago

Listen to theac63, he's right about the silt coming back fast. You need to watch the weather and tide charts like a hawk after a dredge. That ten feet won't last if you get a hard south wind pushing everything back in.