Pickle Pond is a nine-acre urban pond created by the construction of a railroad embankment that cut off part of Barker’s Bay. The pond is in the St. Louis River lower estuary, sheltered from the main bay, and provides habitat to waterfowl, beavers, otters, and other wildlife.

White Lake Dock & Dredge, Inc., a division of ENTACT, LLC, was responsible for dredging more than 16,000 cubic yards of contaminated sediments consisting of fine-grained silty clays from a shallow draft area of the St Louis River estuary.

We solidified the dredge materials by directly applying a non-toxic super absorbent polymer to remove excess water in the material barges. The materials were loaded into trucks for offsite disposal without additional re-handling or drying time.

After removing the impacted sediment, another 21,000 cubic yards were dredged and used as cap material within the work area to form a wetland base. More than 11 acres of new wetland will be re-planted with various emerging wetlands and plug plantings.

Additional work included water treatment, railroad demolition, armored spillway channel construction, dust / odor control, and habitat enhancements.

Upon completion, the project will result in enhanced habitat for fish, birds, and turtles, heightened control of invasive species, increased recreational opportunities for non-motorized watersports, reduced runoff pollution, and increased water flow between Pickle Pond and adjacent Barker’s Bay.