ON THE COVER: Loup Power District Commissions Dredge Pawnee II

The Loup Power District Columbus Nebraska has replaced its 75-year-old dredge with the Pawnee II the first dustpan dredge Dredging Supply Company (DSC) has designed and built.

Loup Power district provides electricity to customers in Nebraska’s Boone Colfax Nance and Platte counties and a portion of Madison County. The new dredge removes sand and sediment from settling basins to provide flow to powerhouses at Monroe and Columbus. The dredge was commissioned at Loup’s Genoa Headworks at the end of August 2012 where the process included a thorough inspection of the dredge and testing all aspects of construction and operation of the vessel. After the Pawnee II passed all tests it began the late summer dredging season.

DSC manufactured and procured the individual components for the dredge at its plant in Louisiana. The components were then shipped to the Genoa Headworks for the final assembly and commissioning. DSC personnel assembled the dredge and then conducted training for the Loup dredge operators.

The Pawnee II is using the existing ancillary equipment at the headworks including the pipeline leading to the sand management areas and the electrical connections for powering the dredge.

The new dredge is more powerful efficient and reliable than the previous one allowing a more thorough dredging operation said a Loup spokesperson. Also the Pawnee II features state-of-the-art technology for operating monitoring and record keeping for the dredging operation he said.