Louisiana-based DSC Dredge, LLC, announced the delivery of a new custom dredge to the Santa Cruz Small Craft Harbor in Santa Cruz, California. The Twin Lakes is a custom-built, 16? x 16? dredge with a hull-mounted pump. Winter shoaling has been an issue for the harbour since it was dedicated in 1964. The Twin Lakes will keep the harbour clear for harbour members and visitors.

It features a PLC operating system with colour touch-screen controls, Global Positioning System (GPS), electro-proportional hydraulic circuits, high-capacity service water system and an inline direct marine-style transmission for dredge pump gear ratio reduction. A planetary winch provides the swing operation. A magnetic flow meter shows the operator the velocity of the material being moved, providing information on the dredge?s efficiency. With two engines ? a Caterpillar C32 dredge pump marine diesel engine and a Caterpillar C18 marine diesel-powered electric generator ? the dredge fully complies with federal EPA and California CARB environmental standards.

In the Santa Cruz Harbor, the inlet can sand in with just one storm, closing off the harbour and creating difficult conditions for dredging. With the launch of the Twin Lakes, the harbour members will now have a much easier time with winter storms. In addition, because dredged sand is pumped from the harbour to nearby Twin Lakes State Beach, the area beaches benefit from the provision of fresh sand.