The way we handle silt curtains on the Columbia River is totally different now

Back in 2018, we'd just drop a single curtain and hope for the best. After a big project near Longview got flagged for turbidity, our whole crew had to get certified on a new setup. Now we run two curtains in a staggered line and test the water clarity every two hours with a Secchi disk. It's more work, but we haven't had a single violation in over a year. Anyone else had to change their silt control routine because of tighter regs?

3 comments

3 Comments

seth_harris361mo ago

Read about that new staggered curtain setup in a trade newsletter last month. Sounds like it's working for you guys.

jordan_webb23d ago

Lucked into that setup after my old curtain collapsed during a storm and I spent 2 hours chasing poly through a construction site. Real pro move on my part.

jenkins.reese1mo ago

Oh man, same here. We got hit with a fine after a rainstorm washed out our perimeter control. Total mess. Switched to using compost filter socks instead of just straw bales. They hold up way better when it pours. Had to train the whole team on proper placement too. It was a pain but totally worth it.