Dewatering equipment uses force, including vacuum and centrifugal motion, to separate water from solids. Dewatering equipment includes centrifuges, decanters, clarifiers, evaporators, pressure and vacuum filters, pumps, incinerators, oil and water separators, and dewatering screens. A dewatering system is used frequently in construction and mining industries to manage groundwater problems that arise from earthmoving and digging in various geological substrates. Construction dewatering equipment is used in wellpoint systems and deep well systems. Both of these systems use a submersible dewatering pump to move groundwater through a series of dewatering screens and into a pipeline, where water is removed from the surrounding soils. Dewatering pumps can also provide agitating action, for heavy duty movement of sand, sludges or slurries.

Dewatering equipment includes dewatering screens and sieves. Material is dumped on to a dewatering screen which is sprayed with clean water as the material is sifted through. Some dewatering screens come with vibrating motors to agitate the material for quicker sifting. Dewatering screens come in a vast array of sizes and configurations and may be flat, curved, or inclined.

The dewatering process may be used to clean contaminated water. Known as sludge dewatering, the process involves removing water from sludge or slurries to concentrate the solid material that is contaminating the water. Sludge dewatering equipment is used to clean up polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), a common byproduct of some manufacturing processes, from contaminated rivers and streams. Ash slurry dewatering equipment prepares the ash resulting from an incineration process for disposal at a landfill. The ash slurry is pumped through a belt press to dewatering equipment where it is processed to contain approximately 50% dry solids.

Dewatering equipment suppliers are located across the United States and around the world. They conform to a variety of regulatory requirements and quality standards. In Europe, dewatering equipment may bear the CE Mark to indicate its compliance with appropriate European Union (EU) directives.