Evaluation and Modification of Wire-Backed Nonwoven Geotextile Silt Fence for Use As a Ditch Check
Publication: Journal of Irrigation and Drainage Engineering
Volume 142, Issue 2
Abstract
Construction activities require contractors to install, continuously monitor, and maintain controls to minimize erosion and sediment transport. Construction sites discharge up to 100 times more sediment per acre than agriculture land activities because of mechanized compaction of bare soils that decreases infiltration capacity, increases runoff volumes, and increases erosion potential. Silt fence perimeter controls are widely used by the construction industry to intercept and impound stormwater runoff sheet flow, forming large impoundment areas ideal for sedimentation. Ditch checks are often used to minimize channel erosion and promote sedimentation in conveyance channels through runoff impoundment. Structural failures of silt fence have caused many state agencies to exclude their use in concentrated flows. Researchers at the Auburn University-Erosion and Sediment Control Testing Facility (AU-ESCTF) have evaluated the use of wire backed, nonwoven geotextile silt fence as ditch checks using large-scale testing techniques. This research has shown that silt fence, properly installed, can be used as a ditch check successfully. A longevity test of an enhanced silt fence ditch check installation resulted in sediment retention of 91.2% by volume.
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Acknowledgments
This paper is based on a study sponsored by ALDOT. The authors gratefully acknowledge this financial support. The findings, opinions, and conclusions expressed in this paper are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the view of the sponsor. The authors thank the anonymous reviewers who provided constructive comments and suggestions that helped the authors improved the quality of the manuscript.
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Published In
Journal of Irrigation and Drainage Engineering
Volume 142 • Issue 2 • February 2016
Copyright
© 2015 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Apr 10, 2015
Accepted: Jul 20, 2015
Published online: Sep 29, 2015
Published in print: Feb 1, 2016
Discussion open until: Feb 29, 2016
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