Continuing on with dredging...

"What we're doing is removing the sediment that's accumulated on top of the clay layer. So basically we're taking the canal down to its original cross sections," explained Ed Malone.

"With a vacuum system?" I asked.

Edwin Morris answered, "Yes, a vacuum dredging boat. It has a vacuum system that pulls the sedimentation through pipes, then they pump it through transfer pumps into the watering bags."

"Those are the large pumps on the canal bank with the fences around them? The pumps and all the black pipe that goes along the bank, with the stakes?" I asked.

"Yes, they're taking and pumping that a couple of miles to bags," said Edwin. "They have bags staged up by the Riviera Club and also down by the Butler area. There are maybe eight to nine bags behind the Riviera Club."

Ed added, "The other set's a little further down south of 52nd Street."

"South of 52nd, behind the athletic field, Butler's athletic field," said Edwin.

"There's not like a silt field anywhere, where you're dumping the silt? I had heard it was behind Butler," I asked.

Ed responded, "No. I'm glad you asked that. Once the bags accumulate the debris that we handle, we let them de-water, or decant as much as possible, because we're trying to increase the solids concentration, so we're not hauling water. And then we haul that debris material off-site for disposal."

I followed up, "Does any of this stuff have energy potential, all of this greenery you get out of the canal. Can you burn it or do anything to it to get energy? Seems like a potential from harvesting all this greenery."

Ed said, "It decomposes very rapidly. It is amazing the water content that this has."

This system, which has since been removed, included a dredging boat with a hose to the shore. Large pumps along the canal pumped the silt- and weed root-laden water through large plastic piping that ran along the waterline of the canal and exited in huge silt bags by the Butler athletic field and behind the Riviera Club. The clean water seeped through the bags and went back into the canal.

End of Part Six