A NEW PROCEDURE FOR TESTING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF SEDIMENT RETENTION DEVICES

摘要

One of the greatest problems for specifiers in achieving NPDES sediment reduction goals is the lack of quantifiable criteria for the performance of most Best Management Practices (BMPs). The effectiveness of the many different types of sediment control BMPs, including silt fence and other sediment retention devices (SRDs) has not been adequately quantified, and associated marketing claims are difficult to verify without a standard procedure to quantify effectiveness. There is little performance data available for most SRDs because there are no recognized standard test procedures for measuring relevant performance. Thus, a relevant performance test is needed that can account for the following: Sediment control devices are installation dependent. The installation equipment, hand-labor factors, positioning of SRD elements, and the soil (subgrade and sediment) may significantly impact the effectiveness of a specific SRD. A means to create and replicate sediment-laden "real world" flows and to contain and measure the discharge and associated sediments that pass through the sediment control device are needed to correlate results to "real world" storm events and sediment discharge restrictions. In an effort to address this need, an innovative test system has recently been developed to test and compare various types of sediment control products, including silt fence, rice or straw wattles, filter logs, compost socks, compost berms, even stormwater inlet protectors. From a series of tests, a quantitative measure of performance can be determined for most sediment-control devices, as well as the identification of their limitations and an understanding of the process of failure. Different qualities, such as effectiveness, ease of