Silt Fences

Before I had any experience working in the field, I thought silt fences were just to keep top soil and other types of soil and aggregate from leaving the perimeter of the site. One day on the job site I asked the superintendent what exactly a silt fence was used for and he explained that silt fences weren't for containing soil on the site, but that was a side effect. Silt fences are predominantly used for protecting streams and other bodies of water. The synthetic liner(in black pictured above) guards from loose soil leaving the area during a heavy rain that could ultimately end up in the lake or stream.

To install a silt fence on the site, you want to keep the synthetic on the inside of the property, and the stakes on the outside, just as you can see in the photo above. Old school ways of putting up a silt fence involves first putting in your stakes. These are mostly wooden, but could be some type of composite metal. After the stake are set in the ground, you trench out an area of earth so that the silt fence can rest above and below the grade of the land. Then the liner is attached to the stakes. Once the liner is attached to the stakes, the excavated dirt can be filled back in and your silt fence is installed.

When I was looking up different methods of installing silt fences, I ran across the website. Burchland Manufacturing has created a plow like piece of equipment that speeds up the process of installing the material. The piece of equipment attaches to the front of a bobcat where it then plows and lays out the silt fence in one motion. The synthetic roll is attached on a peg and is rolled out into the trench after the plow on the machine tills up the area. The pictures below taken from their website where you can find more information regarding the the installation process and information about the equipment. http://www.burchlandmfg.com/silt_fence_installer.php .