Report Improper Construction Site Erosion Control

Published on April 15, 2024

Watching new homes being built and seeing developing neighborhoods flourish is always a wonderful sight!

However, if proper erosion control measures are not being used during their construction, we risk degrading another wonderful sight; our local streams and waterways. Improper construction site erosion control can result in large amounts of soil and debris washing into our streets and storm sewers where it can both prevent our storm sewers from draining properly and fill in the creeks, streams, and ponds that dot our natural landscape.

In order to keep our streets clean, and our streams cleaner, here are some things to look out for.

• Torn or Downed Silt Fence – We’ve all seen this common erosion control fabric fencing wrapped around our local construction sites. If you see that this fencing has been torn open, or has fallen down, it needs to be repaired or reinstalled.
• Dirt in the Street – If large amounts of dirt are being tracked out into the street from a construction site, this needs to be cleaned up before it washes down the drain.
• Lack of Storm Sewer Protection – Some construction sites are located next to an inlet to the storm sewer. In this case, there needs to be an inlet filter sock, or waddle, placed at the mouth of this inlet to prevent sediment from washing down into it.
• Absent Construction Entrances – All vehicle and equipment entrances to any construction site should have gravel put down to prevent the track out of dirt into the street.
• Large Long-Standing Soil Stockpiles – If there has been a large long-standing pile of soil on a construction site, that has been sitting close to the street or a local water body, the pile either needs to be hauled away or seeded with vegetation to prevent it from running off of the site.

To report construction site erosion control issues, please contact the Unified Government’s Public Works Stormwater team by calling 3-1-1, and remember, if you see something, SAY SOMETHING.