Yellow Curtains Are in Style this Year!

Water bodies will generally work towards naturally maintaining themselves and the organisms that rely on them. This can become an issue when the water body gets stirred up, by either natural processes such as large storms or floods, or unnatural processes, such as construction or industrial work. Sediment and other contaminants can make the water turbid, which disrupts the hard work the hard work the water body does to maintain the natural environment. There are regulations in place to deter any unnatural activities from polluting waterways and creating turbid conditions, many of which can result in legal action being taken if a waterway is not appropriately protected.

What can you do to help our waterways stay clean and functioning properly? Install yellow curtains! Turbidity curtains go by many different names; silt curtains, silt booms, floating silt fence, floating turbidity barriers, and others, but they all have the same purpose. These barriers are used as a way to provide erosion and sediment control from any disturbances, and prevent potential contaminants from moving downstream and negatively impacting the local environment. These barriers are a good way to stop many different types of contaminants, such as oil, trash, construction debris, and most commonly eroded sediment. You can use these types of devices in either tidal or non-tidal bodies of water, and for projects such as dredging, upland construction, or remediation projects.

There are a few different kinds of turbidity barrier that can be used, depending on where the problem area is. In calm water, you can use a type I, while faster moving currents may call for either a type II or type III. It’s important to understand your location before installing your turbidity barrier, as conditions may result in your hard work being washed away in the current! Once you have determined what kind of turbidity curtain you need, you can install it according to the project’s needs.  Once you have your turbidity barrier properly installed, it is important to monitor and maintain it, through regular inspections and maintenance. At KCI, our stormwater professionals work to ensure that all sites stay in compliance at local, state, and even federal levels.

If you are unsure of what steps you should be taking to protect yourself and your site from fines or other legal action, be sure to reach out to your local stormwater professionals for guidance. KCI is available to help with all your erosion control and compliance needs!

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