A sediment control is a practice or device designed to keep

eroded Erosion is the action of surface processes (such as Surface runoff, water flow or wind) that removes soil, Rock (geology), rock, or dissolved material from one location on the Earth's crust#Crust, Earth's crust, and then sediment transport, tra ...

soil Soil, also commonly referred to as earth or dirt, is a mixture of organic matter, minerals, gases, liquids, and organisms that together support life. Some scientific definitions distinguish ''dirt'' from ''soil'' by restricting the former te ...

on a

construction Construction is a general term meaning the art and science to form objects, systems, or organizations,"Construction" def. 1.a. 1.b. and 1.c. ''Oxford English Dictionary'' Second Edition on CD-ROM (v. 4.0) Oxford University Press 2009 and com ...

site, so that it does not wash off and cause

water pollution Water pollution (or aquatic pollution) is the contamination of water bodies, usually as a result of human activities, so that it negatively affects its uses. Water bodies include lakes, rivers, oceans, aquifers, reservoirs and groundwater. Water ...

to a nearby stream, river, lake, or sea. Sediment controls are usually employed together with

erosion control Erosion control is the practice of preventing or controlling wind or water erosion in agriculture, land development, coastal areas, river banks and construction. Effective erosion controls handle surface runoff and are important techniques in ...

s, which are designed to prevent or minimize erosion and thus reduce the need for sediment controls. Sediment controls are generally designed to be temporary measures, however, some can be used for storm

water management Water resources are natural resources of water that are potentially useful for humans, for example as a source of drinking water supply or irrigation water. 97% of the water on the Earth is salt water and only three percent is fresh water; slightl ...

purposes.

Commonly used sediment controls

Hay bales more outside stack showing stack size near Yass Australia photo taken November 2015 03

Check dam A steel check dam A check dam is a small, sometimes temporary, dam constructed across a swale, drainage ditch, or waterway to counteract erosion by reducing water flow velocity. Check dams themselves are not a type of new technology; rather, the ...

* Diversion dike (temporary) *

Fiber roll A fiber roll is a temporary erosion control and sediment control device used on construction sites to protect water quality in nearby streams, rivers, lakes and seas from sediment erosion. It is made of straw, coconut fiber or similar materi ...

s *

Gabion A gabion (from Italian ''gabbione'' meaning "big cage"; from Italian ''gabbia'' and Latin ''cavea'' meaning "cage") is a cage, cylinder or box filled with rocks, concrete, or sometimes sand and soil for use in civil engineering, road building, ...

s * Siltbusters *

Sand bag A sandbag or dirtbag is a bag or sack made of hessian (burlap), polypropylene or other sturdy materials that is filled with sand or soil and used for such purposes as flood control, military fortification in trenches and bunkers, shielding gl ...

barrier *

Sediment basin A sediment basin is a temporary pond built on a construction site to capture eroded or disturbed soil that is washed off during rain storms, and protect the water quality of a nearby stream, river, lake, or bay. The sediment-laden soil settles i ...

Sediment trap Sediment traps are instruments used in oceanography and limnology to measure the quantity of sinking particulate organic (and inorganic) material in aquatic systems, usually oceans, lakes, or reservoirs. This flux of material is the product ...

Silt fence A silt fence, sometimes (misleadingly) called a "filter fence," is a temporary sediment control device used on construction sites to protect water quality in nearby streams, rivers, lakes and seas from sediment (loose soil) in stormwater runoff. ...

* Storm drain inlet protection * Straw bale barrier * Turbidity curtain

Active treatment systems

Chemical treatment of sediment, commonly called an active treatment system, is a relatively new form of sediment control for the construction industry. It is designed to reduce

turbidity Turbidity is the cloudiness or haziness of a fluid caused by large numbers of individual particles that are generally invisible to the naked eye, similar to smoke in air. The measurement of turbidity is a key test of water quality. Fluids can ...

in nearby water bodies and involves collection of sediment-laden stormwater in a basin or tank, and adding a chemical flocculant. An example video of chemical dosing on slow settling solids is on

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. This causes the sediment to settle so it can be more easily removed from the water. Some of the flocculent chemicals used for sediment treatment are

chitosan Chitosan is a linear polysaccharide composed of randomly distributed β-(1→4)-linked Glucosamine, D-glucosamine (deacetylated unit) and N-Acetylglucosamine, ''N''-acetyl-D-glucosamine (acetylated unit). It is made by treating the chitin shell ...

and

polymer A polymer (; Greek '' poly-'', "many" + ''-mer'', "part") is a substance or material consisting of very large molecules called macromolecules, composed of many repeating subunits. Due to their broad spectrum of properties, both synthetic a ...

s such as

polyacrylamide Polyacrylamide (abbreviated as PAM) is a polymer with the formula (-CH2CHCONH2-). It has a linear-chain structure. PAM is highly water-absorbent, forming a soft gel when hydrated. In 2008, an estimated 750,000,000 kg were produced, mainly f ...

. The water is then pumped through a removal system, such as a Siltbuster,

sand Sand is a granular material composed of finely divided mineral particles. Sand has various compositions but is defined by its grain size. Sand grains are smaller than gravel and coarser than silt. Sand can also refer to a textural class of s ...

or cartridge filter, prior to discharge. Chemical sediment control is currently used on some construction sites around the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

and Europe, typically larger sites where there is a high potential for damage to nearby streams. Another active treatment system design uses

electrocoagulation Electrocoagulation (EC) is a technique used for wastewater treatment, wash water treatment, industrially processed water, and medical treatment. Electrocoagulation has become a rapidly growing area of wastewater treatment due to its ability to remo ...

to flocculate suspended particles in the stormwater, followed by a filtration stage.

Regulatory requirements

All states in the U.S. have laws requiring installation of erosion and sediment controls (ESCs) on construction sites of a specified size. Federal regulations require ESCs on sites and larger. Smaller sites which are part of a common plan of development (e.g. a residential

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) are also required to have ESCs. In some states, non-contiguous sites under are also required to have ESCs. For example, the State of

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

requires ESCs on sites of or more.State of Maryland. ''Code of Maryland Regulations (COMAR).'
''Activities for Which Approved Erosion and Sediment Control Plans are Required.''
Sec. 26.17.01.05. The sediment controls must be installed before the beginning of land disturbance (i.e. land clearing, grubbing and grading) and must be maintained during the entire disturbance phase of construction.

References

External links

Siltbuster
- a UK rental company of Lamella Clarifiers for the construction industry.
Erosion Control
- a trade magazine for the erosion control and construction industries
International Erosion Control Association
- Professional Association, Publications, Training
“Developing Your Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan: A Guide for Construction Sites.”
- U.S. EPA {{Authority control Construction Environmental soil science Earthworks (engineering) Gardening aids Stormwater management

Commonly used sediment controls

Active treatment systems

Regulatory requirements

See also

References

External links