Erosion and Sediment Control technology is changing
Are you using the latest technology?
An Erosion and Sediment Control (ESC) plan for a large site often includes a sediment pond because it is one of the simplest ways to clean sediment-laden water. These ponds are designed so the water may sit in the pond and have the suspended sediments settle to the bottom of the pond, leaving the cleanest water in the top-most layers.
Perforated riser pipes surrounded by clear crush gravel is an old design that we see on work sites. Although widely used, this technology is known to have issues such as:
- Not effective on sites where there are silty soils. The perforations in the pipe extend to the pond bottom. This allows settled sediments to enter the storm system.
- High maintenance costs to replace hard-to-reach gravel
- Difficult measuring the turbidity of the discharge
- Jeopardizes compliance by releasing water from all depths which often includes suspended sediment.
A Pond Skimmer is one of the latest technologies for ESC. Cameron Robinson, principal of Latera Engineering, is known as an “Engineer outside the box.” He designed this Pond Skimmer in-house to address the problems with perforated riser pipes which allow water to leave at all depths. The Skimmer lifts the drainage pipe and floats along the surface of the pond, only drawing water from the top.
The pond skimmer is an inexpensive design that your crew can build on site. With this technology implemented on your site, you can:
- Save money: after building the unit once, it may be used on subsequent sites. This saves on maintenance, fines, and redesigning ESC Plans.
- Save time: a pond skimmer is one piece with very little maintenance requirements. Gravel cones around riser pipes need to be cleaned or replaced.
- Stay in compliance: the pond skimmer only allows the top layer of cleanest water to leave the site, keeping your site in compliance of the regulations.
Latera’s experienced staff will work with you to create an ESC plan that works, get your permit application approved in a timely manner, then monitor your site to ensure it stays in compliance, and maintain regular communication with all parties involved. It may be possible to retrofit your pond with a Latera-designed pond skimmer.
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