Ellicott Dredge Enterprises today announced the delivery and start-up of a brand-new Mud Cat MC 40E electric remote-controlled dredge at Gulf Coast Authority (GCA) in Texas.
According to Ellicott, this marks the third successful launch of a Mud Cat dredging system at GCA over the past two decades.
The new unit will be deployed at the 40-Acre Facility, which treats regional wastewater from two chemical plants and a marine terminal. In addition to wastewater, the facility processes stormwater and carriage water from the 40-Acre land farm, which receives sludge generated by the treatment operations.
On this particular project, the MC 40E will dredge to depths of up to 14 feet (4.2 meters) and pump sludge over a distance of 2,640 feet (805 meters) through an 8-inch (203-millimeter) discharge line.
Its horizontal auger cutterhead, equipped with liner protection wheels, removes sludge in uniform layers – maintaining a consistent bottom profile throughout the dredging process.
Ellicott said that this method provides greater efficiency and control than hanging pump dredges, which often create uneven holes in the sludge bed, complicate tracking, and risk damaging plastic or concrete lagoon liners.