Why is Sediment Control Important?

Whether you’re a construction worker, an environmental specialist, or simply someone who is curious about sediment control, it’s important to understand why sediment control is important. Sediment control helps protect our natural environment from the influences of construction sites and other human activities, and these protective measures provide numerous benefits. Let’s break down what sediment control is, why it’s important, and how we can use it to protect our environment.

What Is Sediment Control?

Sediment control refers to practices that are used to prevent or reduce soil erosion and water pollution that results from land disturbance from construction activity or other human activity. This includes management practices such as soil stabilization, installation of erosion-control structures like barriers and check dams, silt fences for trapping sediment runoff in urban areas, mulching with straw bales or hay bales for holding topsoil in place on exposed slopes, etc. These practices help protect natural water resources such as rivers, streams, lakes and other bodies of water from being polluted by sediment-laden runoff.

Why Is It Important?

Sediment control is important because it helps protect our natural environment from the impacts of construction activities and other human activities. Without effective sediment control measures in place during construction projects, large amounts of sediment can be washed away into nearby water bodies during heavy rainfall or flooding events. This can lead to increased levels of turbidity in the water body which affects aquatic life by reducing oxygen levels and disrupting food chains. Additionally, this can also lead to higher concentrations of nutrients like phosphorus and nitrogen that cause algal blooms which further deplete oxygen levels in the water body.  Furthermore sediments also have the potential to carry pollutants that may contaminate local waterways. 

Sediment can also harm vegetation by smothering roots and blocking sunlight from reaching the plants. High concentrations of sediment in soil can reduce a plant’s ability to take up water and nutrients, which limits its growth and reproductive capacity. Additionally, sediment runoff can alter the pH balance of nearby soils, making them inhospitable to certain plants. This can lead to soil erosion, which can further degrade the land and create unsafe conditions for people living in nearby areas.

Sediment control helps reduce these negative impacts by preventing sediment laden stormwater from entering nearby waterways during construction projects as well as protecting against long-term erosion problems caused by inadequate protection measures taken during initial construction site preparation phases. Part of this preparation involves a stormwater pollution prevention plan.

Stormwater pollution prevention plans, also known as SWPPPs, are documents that detail the practices used to control and/or prevent stormwater runoff from leaving a construction site and entering nearby waterways. These plans provide an outline of the management practices that will be put in place during construction activities such as stabilization techniques, sediment trapping methods, erosion-control structures, etc.

Soil Resources

In addition to protecting aquatic ecosystems from contamination due to sediments settling into their habitat they also help prevent loss of valuable soil resources due to wind erosion or overland flow caused by heavy rains which could result in costly mitigation measures when attempting to restore disturbed land back into its original state. 

Public Road Safety

Lastly they help reduce public safety risks associated with slope instability or excessive mud accumulation near public roads which could lead to accidents or property damage due to landslides/mudslides occurring after rainy periods if no protective measures were taken prior. 

Sediment control plays an important role in protecting our natural environment from the impacts of human activities like construction projects and other land disturbances that occur on a daily basis throughout many parts of the world. By understanding what sediment control is and why it's important we can take steps towards implementing effective management practices that will ensure our local ecosystems remain healthy for future generations to enjoy! If you're a contractor looking for ways to minimize your impact on local ecosystems on the construction site, please contact ECS Products today for more information on the supplies we have that can help you protect our natural resources!