Silt Fence & Inlet Protection in Boston, MA

Silt fence and inlet protection in Boston keep soil from leaving a work site when it rains. Silt fence is a woven or nonwoven geotextile set in a trench, backfilled and staked along the downhill edge of disturbed soil; it slows runoff and lets sediment settle out behind it. Inlet protection covers or surrounds a catch basin so dirty water is filtered before it enters the storm drain. We install both for builders, site contractors, and homeowners with additions, pools or major landscaping going in, and we maintain them until the ground is seeded and stable. As silt fence contractors we also install compost sock, straw wattles and other sediment control where fabric fence is not the right tool.

Why sediment control matters in a dense city

Boston packs a lot of streets, catch basins and pavement into a small area, and much of the city sits on filled former marsh and tidal flats close to sea level. Storm drains here lead toward the Charles, the Neponset and Boston Harbor. A bare lot on a slope can send a lot of silt down the gutter in one heavy rain, and that sediment ends up in a basin on your street or in the water. With about 43.6 inches of precipitation a year and frequent nor'easters, there are plenty of storms to test a site.

Silt fence done right

Most failed silt fence was installed wrong, not made wrong. The fabric has to be trenched in, with the bottom edge buried and backfilled so water cannot run underneath. Stakes go on the downhill side at close spacing, and the fence follows the contour instead of running straight downhill. Ends are turned uphill so water does not just go around. In rocky glacial till where a trench is hard to dig, or on pavement and frozen ground, compost sock or a straw wattle often does a better job than fabric.

Inlet protection

Every catch basin downhill of bare soil is a target. We use filter bags that sit under the grate, silt sacks, sandbag or stone rings around the inlet, and fabric barriers depending on whether the basin is in a lawn area, a driveway or a city street with traffic. Street inlets need protection that will not cause flooding or create a hazard, so we use designs that let water bypass in a big storm.

Maintenance and removal

Silt fence is only useful while it is standing and not full. After heavy rain we check for sediment piled against the fabric, undercutting, torn fabric and knocked-over stakes, and we clean out filter bags before they clog. Once grass has the site covered, the fabric and stakes come out, and we level and seed the old trench so it does not turn into a new bare strip.

Plans and requirements

EPA's construction stormwater rules apply to sites disturbing 1 acre or more (or smaller lots in a larger development), and the federal construction and development rule makes site operators responsible for erosion and sediment controls that are properly designed, put in and kept working. Beyond that, many building, site and conservation permits list sediment controls as a condition, and the plan sheet usually shows where they go. We install to that plan and can walk the site with your engineer or inspector. On smaller homeowner jobs where no plan exists, we recommend what fits the slope and the nearest drain and keep it simple.

Construction entrances and tracking

Mud does not only leave a site in runoff; it leaves on tires. A stone construction entrance at the driveway knocks soil off wheels before trucks reach the street. Where a plan calls for one, or where trucks will cross a sidewalk onto a city street, we can install it along with the fence and inlet protection, and recommend sweeping the street when tracking happens anyway.

Working on tight city lots

Many Boston building sites have no room for a long run of silt fence. The lot runs from sidewalk to back fence, the neighbors are a few feet away, and the nearest catch basin is right at the curb. On those jobs we combine compost sock along the property line, a filter bag in the nearest basin, and a covered stockpile, and we keep the controls inside your lot so they do not block the sidewalk.

Sediment control for homeowners

You do not need a big development to send mud down the street. A pool dig, a new patio with the lawn stripped, or a regraded side yard can all do it. For homeowner projects we keep it practical: a line of compost sock along the low edge, a filter in the catch basin out front if water heads that way, and a tarp over the soil pile. It costs little, keeps neighbors happy, and comes out once the yard is seeded and green.

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