Silt Fence & Sediment Control in Sacramento, CA

Silt fence & sediment control in Sacramento is the part of a construction project nobody notices until it fails. We install silt fence, fiber rolls, storm drain inlet protection and related controls on residential builds, additions, pools, commercial pads and subdivisions, so muddy runoff stays on the site instead of washing into the street and down the storm drains. As silt fence contractors we also come back to repair, extend and finally remove the controls as the job moves along.

Why it matters here

Sacramento's storm drains lead to its rivers, and the city sits where the American River joins the Sacramento. Almost all of the year's rain falls between November and April, so a site that was dusty in September can be sending brown water to the gutter by November. Muddy water in the street is the most visible sign of a site out of compliance, and it is what inspectors and neighbors notice first. Sediment control is cheaper than cleanup, fines or a stop-work order.

When it is required

California's State Water Resources Control Board requires Construction General Permit coverage whenever a project disturbs at least an acre, or is one phase of a bigger common plan that will. Those sites need a stormwater pollution prevention plan, and the plan spells out perimeter controls, inlet protection and entrances. Smaller jobs are not off the hook. Inside Sacramento city limits a grading permit is needed once grading reaches 50 cubic yards or a cut or fill goes deeper than 2 feet, and unincorporated Sacramento County requires one at 350 cubic yards or an acre of clearing. Even exempt work is expected to keep sediment on the property. We install to the plan when there is one, and recommend a sensible layout when there is not.

Getting silt fence installation right on valley and foothill lots

The fence only does its job when it goes in the way it was designed. The fabric's bottom edge is buried in a trench and backfilled so water cannot run under it, posts go on the downhill side, and the fence follows the contour rather than running straight down a slope where it would funnel water. The ends turn uphill so runoff cannot simply go around. Silt fence is meant to slow sheet flow and let sediment settle. It is not a dam for concentrated flow from a swale or downspout, and when it is used that way it blows out. On flat valley lots, fence usually runs along the low edges of the property and behind the curb. On sloped foothill sites we add rows across long slopes or switch to fiber rolls.

Fiber rolls, inlets and entrances

Fiber rolls, sometimes called wattles, are tubes of straw or other fiber staked along the contour. They are handy on slopes, around stockpiles, and along sidewalks where trenching for silt fence is not possible. Storm drain inlet protection, from fabric and gravel-bag barriers to drop-in devices, catches what gets past the perimeter before it enters the pipe. Stabilized construction entrances of rock over fabric keep trucks from tracking mud into the street. We size each piece to the site.

Through the rainy season

Sediment controls are not set-and-forget. Fence gets knocked down by equipment, sediment builds up behind it, and fiber rolls shift. Under the state permit, larger sites must inspect and maintain their controls, and we offer repair visits ahead of forecast storms and after big ones: resetting fence, cleaning out sediment, replacing damaged inlet protection. The City of Sacramento sediment control manual also asks that hydroseed go down at least a day before forecast rain, so when it is time to stabilize bare ground with seed, we coordinate that with the fence work.

Homeowner projects

Sediment control is not only for subdivisions. A pool dig, a room addition, a new driveway, or a backyard regrade before hydroseeding can all leave bare soil next to the street, and one storm can put a layer of mud across the sidewalk and into the gutter. For jobs like these we often use fiber rolls along the curb and a protected inlet at the nearest drain, then stabilize the bare ground with seed as soon as the work is done. That is usually enough to keep the street clean without a full perimeter fence.

Working alongside other trades

On active sites, fence and rolls get moved for deliveries, utility trenches and grading. We coordinate with the superintendent so controls are reset the same day they are disturbed, and we flag spots where the layout no longer matches the way the site now drains.

Taking it out

When the site is paved, landscaped or seeded and the vegetation has taken, perimeter controls come out. We remove fence and rolls, spread or haul off the trapped sediment, and seed the strips the fence occupied so they do not become the next bare spot. Call (916) 249-7160 to set up a site layout.