Silt Fence & Inlet Protection in Albany, NY

Silt fence and inlet protection in Albany keep sediment from a construction site out of the street, the neighbor's yard and the storm drain. Silt fence is a woven or nonwoven fabric trenched into the ground along the downhill edge of a disturbed area, so runoff slows and drops its soil behind the fence. Inlet protection goes around or inside storm drain grates so muddy water is filtered before it enters the pipe. Builders, excavators, pool installers and homeowners doing additions all use them, and many permits require them before any soil is moved.

What the rules say

Under federal Clean Water Act rules, construction disturbing an acre or more needs a stormwater permit, and so do smaller sites within a bigger planned development. Each of those permits obliges the operator to design, put in and keep up erosion and sediment controls that work. Silt fence and inlet protection are the most common of those controls. Smaller jobs may still need them under a town building permit, especially near a stream, wetland or storm drain. Your engineer, builder or building department sets the requirement; we install to the plan.

Why storm drains matter here

Rain that falls on a construction site picks up loose soil and carries it to storm sewers and then into rivers and streams. In Albany several old creeks, including Foxes Creek, the Beaver Kill and the Rutten Kill, were diverted underground in the 19th century, and the Hudson below the city is still a tidal estuary. Mud that gets into a catch basin ends up in pipes that are expensive to clean and in water that everyone downstream shares. Inlet protection on the drains nearest your site is cheap insurance against both.

Where fence goes on a typical lot

On a single house lot, silt fence usually runs along the downhill property lines and around the topsoil stockpile, with gaps only where the driveway entrance is stabilized. On a sloped lot we may add a second row partway down so water slows before it reaches the perimeter. We place it a few feet out from the toe of the slope where we can, so there is room for sediment to collect without spilling over.

Installing it so it works

Silt fence fails most often because it is installed badly. If the lower edge of the fabric is only laid on the ground or pinned instead of buried in a trench, water runs straight underneath. Stakes go on the downhill side. The line follows the contour, and both ends bend uphill so water cannot slip around them. Where water concentrates, like a swale or a low corner, silt fence alone will be overwhelmed, and a different control is needed. We trench our silt fence installation in, set stakes at the right spacing, and switch to wire-reinforced or stabilized fence where heavier loads are expected. Get a free estimate

Sand and clay sites

On sandy Pine Bush ground, the trench is easy to dig but the backfill has to be compacted well or it washes out. On clay sites, like those on Hudson series soils with medium to very high runoff potential, more water reaches the fence faster and the fabric clogs with fine silt sooner. Clay sites usually need more frequent cleanout and sometimes a second row.

Common mistakes we see

Fence run straight down a slope instead of across it, so water runs along it and out the end. Fence with no trench, flapping in the wind with mud washing under it. A single long line across a big slope, with nothing to slow water before it hits the fence. Fence that was never cleaned out and is buried to the top in sediment. Inlet filters that have clogged and are now flooding the street. Fixing any one of these is usually a quick job; leaving them can mean a stop-work order or a cleanup bill.

Maintenance and removal

Silt fence is not a set-and-forget item. After significant rain, sediment builds up behind it, fabric tears, and stakes lean. A fence that is half full of sediment no longer works. We offer inspection and cleanout visits, repair damaged sections, and replace inlet filters that have clogged. Once grass has taken hold, we take the fence out, rake the old trench smooth and seed over it, so you are not left with a strip of bare dirt where the fence was.

Who we work for

We work with home builders, excavation and septic contractors, pool installers and homeowners doing their own additions or garages. As silt fence contractors who also hydroseed, we can set your perimeter controls at the start of the job and finish the site with seed at the end, which keeps one crew accountable for the ground from start to finish. For multi-phase subdivisions we can keep a running schedule of fence moves as phases open and close, so controls stay where the bare ground actually is.