Sediment control refers to the process of preventing sediment from running off your construction or development site. Wondering if you need to hire a company to help you with erosion and sediment control? Here are six signs that you do.
1. Local Laws Require Sediment Control
When developing a site, you have to be mindful of local regulations. If the rules in your area indicate that you are required to have sediment control than you should consult with a company who offers those services. They can ensure that you are compliant.
2. Your Project Is Near Local Waterways
When there is a lake, a river or another body of water near your project, you should almost always focus on erosion and sediment control. If you don't, you could easily introduce contaminants into these water sources. Additionally, if a lot of soil runs into certain waterways, it could even raise the water levels.
3. You Want to Bill Your Project as Environmentally Friendly
Even if you aren't legally required to set up sediment control and aren't that close to water, you may still want to opt for sediment control. In particular, if you are trying to describe your project as environmentally friendly, this may be a step you want to take. For instance, if you are developing a neighborhood and you want to tell future buyers that the building process was as environmentally safe as possible, you may want to do some erosion or sediment control.
4. You Are Disturbing Contaminated Soil
In some cases, there can be contaminants in the soil. For example, if a building with a lot of asbestos was demolished prior to your project, there may be asbestos in the soil. If you are excavating the soil and rain causes it to wash away, you may get asbestos into local waterways. That also applies to site with lots of lead, pesticides or other toxins in the soil.
5. You're Using Trenchless Drilling
If you're excavating with trenchless drilling, you use a slurry to move the dirt out. Then, the dirt that has been excavated mixes with that slurry. Although this is a safe, environmentally friendly alternative to traditional excavation methods, you may not want that stuff to get into local waterways, and you should take extra precautions so that doesn't happen.
6. You Aren't Experienced With Sediment Control
In some cases, you may be able to do your own erosion and sediment control, but if you don't have experience in that arena, that's another sign that you should call in the pros. They have the experience as well as the equipment you need to make these efforts successful.