Get The Dirt Out: Erosion and Sediment Control
Sediment washing into streams is one of the biggest water quality problems in Kentucky. KWA’s “Get the Dirt Out” program is designed to educate citizens on how they can help reduce the sediment loading to our streams.
Why do we need to control erosion and sediment losses from construction sites?
Sediment muddies up the water, kills or weakens fish and other organisms, and ruins wildlife habitat. It is not difficult to reduce erosion and prevent sediment from leaving construction sites.
What contributes to erosion?
- Removing vegetation
- Removing topsoil and organic matter
- Reshaping the lay of the land
- Exposing subsoil to precipitation
- Failure to cover bare soil areas
- Allowing gullies to form and grow larger
- Removing vegetation along stream banks
Clean runoff starts with you!
Some steps you can take to prevent erosion and promote sediment control are:
- Preserve existing vegetation as much as possible;
- Mulch or seed bare soil immediately for the best and cheapest erosion protection;
- Use silt fences, brush barriers, or other approaches to pond and filter sediment from runoff;
- Install silt check dams made of rock, brush, or other products to prevent ditch erosion and remove sediment;
- Protect inlets and outlets; and
- Settle out soil particles in sediment traps and basins.
Documents
KWA’s “Get the Dirt Out” PowerPoint presentation.