Brian Barton
Sediment pollution is a major issue for rivers, streams, and bodies of water, causing billions of dollars worth of damage annually, according to the EPA. Sediment pollution occurs when stormwater runoff carries sediment downstream, filling up storm drains and causing flooding. This leads to turbid, or cloudy water, which inhibits plant growth, disrupts the food chain, and affects the quality of drinking water. To address this issue, various methods and practices can be employed, such as implementing stormwater best management practices, including storm drain filters, erosion control, and sediment barriers. Additionally, decorative retaining walls, mulching, and the use of native plants can help prevent sediment erosion. The EPA also plays a crucial role in cleaning up sediment sites through investigation, remedy selection, and remediation, ensuring that the selected remedies protect human health and the environment.
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What You'll Learn
Storm drain filters
The perimeter of the over-grate filter is designed with sediment ridges that promote the settling of floating particles. Additionally, the overflow port in the centre of the filter increases the flow rate, preventing standing water. These filters are effective in trapping insects and debris, ensuring they do not escape into the surrounding area. Importantly, they achieve this without the need for harmful chemicals to be added to the water supply.
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Erosion control
Soil Preparation and Vegetation
One effective approach to erosion control is soil preparation and the use of vegetation. This involves stabilizing bare soil by applying mulch, blankets, mats, or other covers. Native undisturbed vegetation is highly effective in reducing sediment loss, with a 90% cover of grass or sod also showing positive results. This method is relatively easy, inexpensive, and beneficial for healthy landscape plantings.
Silt Fencing and Sediment Basins
Installing silt fencing, sediment basins, traps, and inlet protection devices can help trap soil particles and prevent their discharge into water bodies. These practices are more expensive and require more maintenance but are essential on large, unstabilized construction sites.
Stormwater Management
Implementing stormwater best management practices (SMP) can reduce sediment pollution. This includes utilizing storm drain filters, sediment barriers, and turbidity curtains. Additionally, adopting practices such as sweeping driveways instead of hosing them off and using weed-free mulch can reduce the amount of sediment entering stormwater systems.
Site Planning
Careful site planning for construction projects can significantly reduce erosion and sediment control costs. Breaking down projects into phases for clearing, grading, and stabilization can enhance the effectiveness of erosion control measures.
Regulatory Compliance
In some regions, such as Minnesota, permit holders are required to develop a Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan (SWPPP) before commencing construction activities. This plan considers factors like site conditions, drainage features, and materials used to minimize erosion and sediment discharge. Compliance with such regulations helps ensure that construction sites implement effective erosion control practices.
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Riparian buffers
The implementation of riparian buffers has been shown to effectively reduce sediment load in runoff by 60% to 90%. This is achieved through the roots of herbaceous and woody plants, which strengthen stream banks and prevent erosion. Additionally, the roots and downed trees within the buffer zone slow down stormwater flow, forming a physical barrier that allows sediment to settle and become trapped.
Forested riparian buffers, consisting of trees and woody vegetation, offer superior ecosystem services compared to grass buffers. They provide shading to regulate stream temperatures, preventing excessive heat that can be harmful to aquatic life. The vegetation also facilitates the removal of metals, nutrients, and other chemicals from stormwater through plant uptake and bacterial degradation.
The width of a riparian buffer is an important consideration, with wider buffers generally providing greater benefits. Regulations in certain regions, such as the Tar-Pamlico River Basin, mandate a minimum width of 50 feet for riparian buffers adjacent to perennial and intermittent streams, lakes, and ponds. In the Roanoke River Basin, a 30-foot wide buffer is required. These buffers play a vital role in protecting water quality and supporting the biodiversity and ecological health of freshwater systems.
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Capping
The clean substrate used in capping can be an inert material such as sand, a natural sorbent like other sediments or clays, or it can be amended with active/reactive materials to enhance the isolation of contaminants. Simple sand caps are effective in limiting oxygen transport into the contaminated sediments, which can result in the precipitation of metal sulfides. Amendments are sometimes included in caps to reduce cap permeability, increase contaminant sorption or biodegradation, and improve the habitat. These amendments can include materials such as nutrients and oxygen-releasing compounds.
Sediment capping is a form of containment technology, creating a passive barrier to prevent the migration of contaminants into the surrounding aquatic environment, such as rivers, lakes, and oceans. Capping physically isolates and stabilizes the sediments, preventing their resuspension and transport to other sites. It also provides chemical isolation by reducing the transport of dissolved contaminants from the sediment to the water column.
To ensure the effectiveness of capping, the physical characteristics of the sediment should be determined to assess the ability of the sediment to support a cap and predict its behavior after cap placement. This includes considering processes such as bioturbation, diffusion, advection, and groundwater upwelling, which can lead to contaminant migration into and through the cap. The feasibility of using capping as a remediation technology depends on the site-specific assessment and evaluation of these processes.
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Dredging
Additionally, dredging can have economic benefits. By deepening and widening waterways, dredging can make them passable for larger cargo vessels, increasing the capacity for trade and commerce. Dredging can also help ensure that boats can navigate waterways during low tide, creating longer windows for docking.
The dredging process involves both effective working time, when actual dredging and sediment removal occur, and non-effective working time, when the dredge is operational but no sediment removal takes place due to maintenance and operational requirements. It is important to note that it is not possible to remove all contaminated sediment with dredging, as some residual material will always remain. Confirmation sampling should be conducted after dredging to ensure that the concentrations of chemicals of concern in the remaining sediments are below the cleanup levels.
Overall, dredging is a vital tool for managing sediment pollution, restoring aquatic ecosystems, and supporting economic activities.
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Frequently asked questions
Sediment pollution occurs when water carries sediment through runoff downstream, affecting streams, rivers, and bodies of water, and causing billions of dollars worth of damage.
Sediment pollution causes turbidity, or cloudy water, which inhibits plant growth, disrupts the food chain, and affects the quality of drinking water.
Some methods to prevent sediment pollution include using storm drain filters, implementing erosion control measures such as decorative retaining walls and mulching, and adopting stormwater best management practices.
The EPA uses the Superfund cleanup process to discover, evaluate, and remediate sites with contaminated sediments. This includes conducting investigations, selecting remedies, and implementing cleanup technologies.
