Silt Fence & Inlet Barriers in New York, NY

Silt fence and inlet barriers are the sediment control pieces that go in before the digging starts and stay until the ground is green again. We install them for builders, site contractors and homeowners doing larger projects across Staten Island, Long Island, Westchester and Rockland. Silt fence contractors are often called in a hurry because an inspector or a neighbor noticed mud in the street; we would rather be on the site before that happens.

Why it matters here

When rain falls on a construction site, the EPA explains, stormwater picks up sediment and other materials from loose soil and carries them to storm sewers or straight into rivers, lakes or coastal waters. In this region that water ends up somewhere people care about: the Great South Bay and the other South Shore bays, Long Island Sound, the Bronx River, or reservoirs in the Croton and Kensico watersheds that supply New York City. Staten Island's Bluebelt drains through preserved wetlands. Sediment from one lot adds up fast across a street of new houses.

The limits of a silt fence

A silt fence is geotextile fabric stretched between stakes with the bottom edge buried in a trench. Water that sheets across a site slows and ponds behind it, and soil particles settle out before the water filters through. It works on sheet flow along the downhill edge of disturbed ground. It is not a dam for concentrated flow; a fence placed across a ditch or at the bottom of a long, steep slope will be undercut or overtopped. The details that make it work are the buried toe, posts on the downhill side, ends hooked back up the slope so runoff has no path around the fabric, and a fence line that follows the contour.

Inlet protection

Storm drain inlets next to a site collect whatever leaves it. Inlet protection sits in or around the grate and catches sediment while still letting water through, so the street does not flood. Options include fabric barriers, filter bags under the grate, sandbag or gravel rings, and straw bales in some settings. Which one suits a given inlet depends on whether it is in a paved street, a yard drain or a curb opening, and on how much traffic drives over it.

Permits and plans

Federal construction stormwater rules cover sites disturbing an acre or more, or smaller lots within a larger plan, and they require erosion and sediment controls to be designed, installed and maintained. In New York City, a DEP stormwater permit is required for qualifying projects that disturb 20,000 square feet or more. On permitted sites we install to the SWPPP drawings. On smaller residential jobs without a plan, we place fence and inlet protection where the water will actually go.

Upkeep and removal

Silt fence fills up. Sediment needs to be removed before it reaches about half the fence height, torn fabric replaced, and fallen posts reset after storms. We offer maintenance visits and remove the fence once the area behind it is stabilized, then seed the strip where it stood.

Other sediment control pieces

Silt fence and inlet protection are the most common items, but many sites need more. A stabilized construction entrance of stone at the driveway keeps trucks from tracking mud into the street. Fiber rolls or wattles work on slopes and along paved edges where fence cannot be trenched. Stockpiles of topsoil or fill need a perimeter or a cover so the first storm does not carry half of the pile into the road. We can install the pieces your plan lists, or recommend the ones a small residential job actually needs.

Small jobs count too

Not every project with a sediment problem is a subdivision. A pool excavation on a sloped Long Island lot, a septic replacement, a teardown in a Westchester village or a long driveway regrade can each put a surprising amount of soil in the street during one storm. Towns and villages often notice that before anyone else does. For those jobs, a short run of silt fence on the low side, a filter bag in the nearest drain and a stone pad at the driveway are often all it takes. We will set them up at the start, check them during the job if you want, and take them out when the yard is seeded.

When sediment control ends

Controls come out once the ground behind them is stabilized, usually when seeded areas have a solid stand of grass. Pulling fence too early lets the last storms of the job undo the work; leaving it too long means torn fabric blowing around the neighborhood. We usually time removal with the final seeding visit, then grade the fence trench smooth and seed that strip so the line disappears.