Silt Fence Installation and Benefits: Erosion Control Made Simple

Of all the conservation and land management, prevention of run-off soil and sediment erosion is most important. Land disturbance through landscaping, agriculture, or construction subjects land to erosive action of rain or running water. Of all the machinery available perhaps the simplest and most effective in preventing such a situation is the silt fence. This nominally simple barrier, usually a permeable material hung in the middle between stakes, serves an invaluable purpose to keep sediment pollution from contaminating waterways and surrounding ecosystems. Precious as precious as precious as valuable as worth Silt Fence for Erosion Control is and all of its excellences to the work of land stewardship is priceless. Aside from that, for whoever wants to outsource this solution, being aware of what drives Silt Fence Price and where to find good Silt Fence suppliers in India, like Pulkit Plastic Products, are good starting points.

The Mechanics of Sediment Control: How Silt Fences Work

A silt fence works on a very simple but very powerful mechanism: it retards shallow surface water flow, or sheet flow. When the runoff with the sediments reaches the barrier, its velocity is considerably decreased. With this reduction in velocity, gravity gains its effectiveness, and denser soil particles and other suspended sediments settle out of water and accumulate on the inclined side of the fence towards the upward direction. The pure water then moves through the porous material and moves downstream with much lower velocity with much lower sediment. A silt fence is neither an impoundment nor a total barrier to water flow but is used to screen out sediment from slowly flowing sheet flow so that it does not drain into such fragile habitats as rivers, lakes, and drainage systems.

Step-by-Step Process: Silt Fence Installation for Maximum Effectiveness

The effectiveness of a silt fence depends entirely on the nature of installation. If it had to be installed in the wrong manner, then the fence is absolutely useless. It generally becomes a series of procedures:

Site Inspection: The site should be inspected before fixing the fence so that one can identify where the sheet flow runoff will be expected. Depending on topography and expected flow directions, the right location and the size of the silt fence needs to be ascertained.

Preparation of Ground: Ground to be treated by the given fence line must be clear of any massive amount of vegetation or hindrance that will be against the integrity of the fence or through which water can flow freely. Some amount of minimum grading in certain situations is unavoidable for improved ground contact by the ground to fabric.

Trenching: It is important that a trench is cut parallel to the intended fence line that is shallow (4 to 6 inches deep, and wide).
The trench is intended to provide protection for the bottom of the silt fence material in its undisturbed state.

Staking: Hardwood or metal stakes are driven into the ground on the down-grade side of the trench. Stakes usually range from 6 to 10 feet apart depending on the volume and grade of expected flow.

Attachment of fabric: Silt fence fabric can be placed over trench and the bottom of the fabric is pushed into the trench.
Fabric is wire-tied, stapled, or otherwise attached to the upstream face of support stakes such that fabric is tightened but not over-tightened.

Backfilling: The ground is backfilled into the trench and rammed tightly into the fabric bottom. Complete, it is a soil anchor that will never provide a course of movement for water to pass through under the fence.

Overlapping: When splicing silt fence fabric pieces together, at least 6 inches overlap is required, and overlapping ends are spliced together.

Regular Inspection: Regular inspection of silt fences, especially after rainfall, is a fundamental requirement. Ripping, sag, or sedimentation must be attended to on the spot. Sediments must be removed from the fence when they reach one-third to half the height of the fence to keep it in filter form.

The Multi-Beneficial Benefits of Silt Fences

Application of silt fences for erosion control possesses some multi-beneficial benefits:

Water Quality Protection: By making sediments settle, silt fences prevent rivers, lakes, and streams from being polluted, and preserve aquatic life and water quality for irrigation, recreation, and drinking water supply.

Soil Conservation: Silt fences prevent valuable underlying topsoil from leaving the disturbed site, preventing loss by erosion and soil fertility.

Less Infrastructure Damage: In run-off sediment control, silt fences avoid silting of culverts, drainage facilities, and other infrastructure that becomes clogged and damaged.

Legal Compliance and Permits: Legal compliance and permits now most of the environmental regulations and permits necessitate equipment use such as silt fences in erosion and sedimentation control.

Cost-Effective: Silt fences are most often a low-cost but very effective alternative to other more sophisticated erosion control measures for most applications.

Ease of Use: Silt fences are relatively simple to use with proper instruction, and heavy equipment is usually not required in most environments.

Flexibility: Silt fences are easily adaptable to any given site conditions and can be used in conjunction with other methods of erosion control to become even more useful.

Indian Scenario: How to Deal with the Issue of Erosion

With a geographically varied country like India, where ginormous quantities of rain are triggered by the monsoons, good erosion control is even more important. Silt Fence application in soil erosion control becomes a requirement for the preservation of fertile lands, preventing river siltation, and reducing costly environment work. Availability of good Silt Fence manufacturers in India like Pulkit Plastic Products is needed to enable mass adoption of cheap but effective methods to soil erosion control at a reasonable price to the masses in India. Data on the Silt Fence Price in the country and quality from various suppliers is needed in achieving mass acceptance.

Conclusion

Silt fences are a cheap, effective weapon in the ongoing battle to prevent soil erosion and maintain our valuable water supply. Their ability to remove sediment from runoff entirely, inexpensively, and with ease makes them a necessary part of intelligent land use. With the understanding of what they do, how to utilize them in an effective way, and how they are useful in so many ways, organizations and individuals can use silt fences to their full capacity and harm the environment less themselves. What Pulkit Plastic Products and other such organizations need to do, though, is supply good Silt Fence at low Silt Fence Price.

FAQ

Q: Do I carry a range of silt fence fabrics, and how do I choose one to install on site?

A: Yes, there are various weights and grades of silt fence fabrics, commonly characterized in terms of filtration capacity and tensile strength.

Q: Are the silt fences plugable in areas of concentrated water, i.e., tiny ditches or channels?

effective where there is a concentrated water flow, such as small channels or ditches.