Blowin’ in the wind is what happens to your plastic stockpile cover when you don’t use enough sand bags. The contractor has been pulling material from the pile daily and hasn’t been using enough sand bags on the overlapped seams.
November 6, 2020
September 9, 2020
Berm for Quarry Spalls
This would not have been my choice as a berm for quarry spalls; straw wattles are too light to use on asphalt and they allow water to flow under them. A compost sock, being heavy, would work better, though, they are prone to tearing. An asphalt berm might be best here.
August 18, 2020
Silt Fence, Covered Stockpile
I saw this driving by a new apartment building project. Everything is so tidy. They attached the silt fence to the cyclone fence and secured the black plastic stockpile cover from damaging wind.
July 1, 2020
June 17, 2020
Silt Fence Overlap
This is one option for splicing two pieces of silt fence together. Fortunately, this is a low risk application around a short term Groco compost stockpile.
June 11, 2020
Phasing a Stockpile Project to Prevent Dirty Runoff From Draining to Wetlands
Phasing a Stockpile Project
Phase 1-
(A) Install silt fences on perimeter and at base of future stockpile.
(B) Clear, grub, grade, construct drainage ditches and temporary stormwater pond including outlet structure and perforated pipe level spreader drains. Grade to drain water away from outer perimeter silt fence and toward ditch.
(C) Hydroseed and install blankets in ditch line.
(D) NOTE: Background stockpile, built later, used an early generation construction stormwater treatment system and discharged to creek instead of level spreaders into vegetation.
Phase 2-
(A) Place and compact fill material to approximately 20 feet of vertical elevation.
(B) Trackwalk and hydroseed slope.
Phase 3-
(A) Same as Phase 2.
(B) Same as Phase 2.
Phase 4-
(A) Place and compact fill material to approximately 20 feet of vertical elevation. Start base of slope 15 feet in from lower fill and grade to drain away from lower slope and to the stormwater pond.
(B) Trackwalk and hydroseed slope.
(C) No hydroseed on top of the pile as material is continually brought in as available.
April 3, 2020
Eroded Stockpile
This eroded stockpile is well within the project boundaries and there is nothing leaving the project. I consider this a problem for the contractor, not for water quality compliance. By allowing this to occur, the contractor has made the eroded stockpile soil unsuitable for use in embankment fill and has to haul it offsite at their expense. This could have been avoided by berming the top of the stockpile to direct water to pipe slope drain pipe that prevents water from flowing over the side of the fill.
October 30, 2019
Open Catch Basin Fixed Again
As of two days ago, the open catch basin is fixed again; there is new 30 mil PVC under the catch basin grate and turbid water is not draining into the catch basin. The contractor told their staff not to puncture the PVC. No word on whether they are thinking more proactively about this. The best measure is to keep the stockpile covered and the area cleaned up. We shall see what’s next.
October 27, 2019
Open Catch Basin
I found this open catch basin during a construction erosion inspection. The turbidity of the water draining into it from the stockpile measured at over 600 NTUs. Note that there is an insert in the catch basin; these do nothing to reduce turbidity. I notified the contractor who should have found this in their daily inspections, which I pointed out to them.
September 20, 2019
Excellent Stockpile
I saw this excellent stockpile on a waterfront construction project and had to shoot a video.