Silt Fence & Inlet Protection in Raleigh, NC

On most Raleigh construction sites, silt fence and inlet protection are installed before anything else and pulled out near the very end. Silt fence is woven geotextile, its bottom edge set in a trench and the fabric fastened to posts along the low side of a disturbed area; it slows muddy runoff so the soil settles behind it instead of washing into the street, a neighbor's yard or a creek. Inlet protection plays that role at the storm drains themselves. We handle silt fence installation, inlet protection, upkeep after storms and removal once the ground is covered.

Why it matters here

North Carolina's erosion and sedimentation control program, under the Sedimentation Pollution Control Act of 1973, requires erosion and sedimentation control plans for land-disturbing work that falls under the program, with review and inspection often handled by local programs. Raleigh's development code requires an approved plan from the City when more than 12,000 square feet is to be uncovered, filed normally at least 30 days before work starts. Silt fence and inlet protection are among the most common practices on those plans. Raleigh's rain makes upkeep a real job: about 46 inches a year on average, September the wettest month, and tropical storms most likely late in the summer. A fence that is full of mud after a storm is no longer doing anything.

Installed so it works

Most silt fence failures come from how it went in. The bottom edge goes into a trench that is backfilled and tamped firmly, or water runs underneath. Posts need to be close enough and deep enough to hold a fence loaded with wet sediment. Fence runs across a slope, along the contour, not straight down it, and the ends turn uphill so water cannot slip around them. Where the plan calls for wire-backed or stabilized fence, we install that.

Inlet protection

Storm inlets on and next to a site need a barrier, or muddy water carries sediment right into the pipes. Depending on the inlet and the plan, that can be silt fence around a yard inlet, gravel and wire mesh, sandbags around a curb inlet, or a filter device fitted below the grate. Whatever the type, it has to be cleaned out after storms and kept from flooding the street.

Upkeep and removal

We check fence and inlets after heavy rain if you set that up with us, clean out sediment when it builds up, fix sags and undercuts, and replace torn sections. When the site is graded and seeded and the grass has taken, the fence comes out, the trench is filled and that strip gets seeded too. As silt fence contractors who also do the seeding, we can plan removal around when the cover is actually established.

Get a free estimate or call (919) 980-5784 with the site plan or the length of fence you need.