Thanks for the ideas. So far in my search I haven't found a local resource that operates anything like this,,,,,yet. I'm sure they're out there, but I haven't found them yet.
Our lake is about 3.5 AC and I've got about 1' of muck in the places I've measured it. That's about 150,000 cu ft of muck. I agree that it is going to be hard work but my plan would be to nibble away at it over time. Right now I'm not looking at doing a drain and scoop method and instead want to pursue a lower impact method of cleaning it out. Once it's done, I'd be looking to sell off the "gently used" equipment.
A dragline isn't good for light material like muck because muck almost immediately liquifies once it is scooped up. That action would stir up all of the trapped nutrients into the water column instead of removing them, which is the intention.
I'll post more as I learn.
-RFL
