A 26-meter dredger appeared on the Burshtyn storage reservoir

A 26-meter dredger with a capacity of 1200 cubic meters will operate at the DTEK Burshtyn TPP reservoir.

Erosion of the banks, the accumulation of sand and clay caused by groundwater, bottom sediments, and silt are a real disaster for water bodies. All these negative factors cause siltation, the spread of harmful algae, and an increase in water temperature. Such processes are especially harmful to fish.

"As the water gradually becomes silted, its oxygen saturation from natural plant sources decreases. This contributes to the spread of harmful vegetation such as blue-green algae, which may cause the death of all living organisms in the reservoir. This problem is relevant not only for our reservoir, but also for many lakes, ponds, and rivers," comments Petr Savka, Head of the Ecology Department at DTEK Burshtyn TPP.

"The dredger, which was recently put into operation, will help prevent the siltation of the reservoir. This is a technical vessel equipped with a powerful pump for removing silted soil from underwater," the statement says.

It is noted that a team of power engineers, who completed training to operate the dredger, has already assembled the structure and is conducting the first equipment tests.

"The dredger at the Burshtyn reservoir will clean the reservoir from silt. Using a powerful soil pump, it will remove deposits from the bottom. To do this, it will loosen the soil with a special cutter head and draw it in with a stream of water. Then, under pressure, the mass will enter the discharge pipeline through the pump. Moving through the slurry pipeline, the silt from the bottom of the reservoir will be discharged into a specially designated area, where it will dry and turn into a layer of soil," said Lyubomir Dmyterko, Head of the Mechanical Service at DTEK Burshtyn TPP.

It is also reported that the dredger pump has a capacity of 1200 cubic meters. Considering that the Burshtyn reservoir contains about 50 million cubic meters of water, in five years of operation the dredger will be able to process the entire volume of water and completely clean the reservoir.

As previously reported by CTS, during the summer a dump barge, five dredgers, and an amphibious excavator were involved in clearing the Southern Bug River within Vinnytsia. The equipment was expected to cover more than 13 km of the river, and thanks to the cleaning of the riverbed, the river was expected to deepen by an average of 2 meters. "It takes 5–6 years to clear the entire water area of the river within Vinnytsia," noted Vinnytsia Mayor Serhii Morhunov.

Translated from the sources:

The Center for Transport Strategies (CTS): https://cfts.org.ua/

DTEK Energy Holding: https://dtek.com/