Bucket dredge in Coos Bay, North Bend, Oregon 2012 part 1

This is one style of dredge seen in our area. It is known as a bucket dredge and uses its big scoop to pick up large quantities of mud and sand, and then deposit it into the barge floating next to it. The channel needs to dredged periodically to maintain the depth and width of the channel to allow the commercial shipping access to dock and loading facilities.
The Army Corps of Engineers is usually the party that coordinates and funds this operation. In the past, dredge spoils were used to fill tidal flats, dumped in the bay, or used to reclaim large sections of the day for agricultural and commercial use. The city of Coos Bay's downtown now sits atop dredge spoils, as well as large sections of North Bend's waterfront. These days, the dredge spoils are taken offshore and dumped some distance from the coastline.
This dredging is happening very near the North Bend city boat ramp, and in front of the large log loading area seen in other videos. The other style of dredge is a large ship called a suction dredge, and can work much quicker but is used mainly in more open spaces.
Taken with the Panasonic HC-V700M.