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Department of Safety and Professional Services
Department of Safety and Professional Services

Erosion and Sediment Control Field Guide

Standards Covered in Field Guide

  • Construction Site Diversion 1066

  • Temporary Grading Practices 1067

  • Stone Tracking Pad & Tire Washing 1057

  • Silt Fence 1056 Vegetative Buffer 1054

  • Non-Channel Erosion Mat 1052

  • Seeding for Erosion Control 1059

  • Mulching for Construction Sites 1058

  • Channel Erosion Mat 1053

  • Land Application of Anionic Polyacrylamide 1050

  • Storm Drain Inlet Protection 1060

  • Ditch Check 1062

Standards Not Covered in Field Guide

  • Sediment Basin 1064

  • Dust Control 1068

  • Water Application of Polymers 1051

  • Sediment Trap 1063

  • Turbidity Barrier 1069

  • Silt Curtain 1070

Erosion and Sediment Control for Building Construction Sites

Phase II of the Federal Clean Water Act has impacted all soil disturbances of one acre or more.  The Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has developed performance standards for runoff from construction sites. The solutions that provide a method to achieve the level of performance required are found in Standards Oversight Council (SOC) Technical Standards.  These SOC Technical Standards are found at:

http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/water/wm/nps/stormwater/techstds.htm

The SOC Technical Standards included in this field guide are the replacement for the “Blue Book” referenced in both the Commercial Building Code and the Uniform Dwelling Code.

If you have questions concerning this publication or the interpretation of the standards, please contact DSPSSBPOWTSTech@wisconsin.gov

Questions for Every Site

  • Is the erosion control plan being implemented?

  • Is the plan effective as installed?

  • Are soil stockpiles protected?

  • Is there no evidence that water is getting around or under the installed practices?

  • Maintenance conducted as per plan?

  • Repairs to practices completed?

Code violations involving erosion control are based on:

All questions posed in this field guide require a “yes” answer to comply with the requirements of the SOC Technical Standards.

*means this is a consideration in the standard

Construction Site Diversion - 1066

  • Diversion discharges to stable outlet or channel?

  • > 2 ft top width?

  • < 2:1 side slopes?

  • > 1.5 ft high?

  • Not over-topped after 2-yr, 24-hr storm?

  • Stabilized prior to downslope disturbance?

  • Overflow area rip rapped?*

  • Sediment accumulation < 1/2 height of berm?

Temporary Grading Practices - 1067

  • End of day directional tracking?

  • Tilled < 15 in. apart ridge & furrow?

  • Temporary ditch sumps in drainageways?

  • Temporary ditch check 1/2 yd3/1% grade per 500 ft?*

  • Failure doesn’t threaten health or property?

Stone Tracking Pad & Tire Washing - 1057 

  • Tracking pad or gravel mulch installed?

  • Tire washing stand if pad/mulch is ineffective?

  • Pad > 50 ft long and full width? Gravel mulch to structure?

  • Pad >12 in thick of 3-6 in. washed, clear stone?

  • No surface H2 O flows through tracking pad?

  • No unprotected exits?

  • Aggregate does not need replacing?

  • Saturated soil:Type R geotex. fabric under pad?

Silt Fence - 1056 

  • Diversion discharges to stable outlet or channel?

  • Not installed in concentrated flow areas?

  • Not installed below H2 O or in channels?

  • Slope gradient is < 50% (2:1)?

  • Standalone practice on slope per Table 1?

Table 1

Slope

Fence Spacing

<2%

100 feet

2 to 5%

75 feet

5 to 10%

50 feet

10 to 33%

25 feet

>33%

20 feet

  • Silt fence parallel to contour lines?

  • “J hook” constructed in end of fence?

  • Height 14 in - 28 in above finished grade?

  • Post spacing < 3 ft non-woven, < 8 woven?

  • Support cord in silt fence?

  • Wrapped joints or overlapped?

  • > 20 in bury depth of posts?

  • Stakes on the downhill side of fence?

  • Sediment < 1/2 of fence height No torn or degraded fence?

  • Support posts correct?

  • Wood -  > 1 1/8 in square, hickory or oak

  • 3 ft long for 24 in silt fence

  • 4 ft long for 36 in silt fence

  • 1/2 in staples

  • Stapled in 3 places

  • Steel - 5 ft long, attached in 3 places

  • Attached with tie straps or wire

  • Sharp ends away from fabric

  • Buried as shown in diagram?

A series of lines depicting how a silt fence should be buried. The left diagram shows the fence as 8 inches in filter fabric buried – 6 inches below that is where the post ends and it goes outward to the left 4 inches – the backfill meets the left side of the diagram. The right diagram shows a v shaped notch on a diagonal line that indicates where the post should go – it is labeled 6 inch deep V notch.

Vegetative Buffer – 1054

  • Used only for sheet & rill erosion control?

  • Buffer across entire downslope of area?

  • Buffer located on the contour?

  • Buffer slope < 5%?

  • Upslope disturbed area < 6% slope?

  • Width adequate (25 ft/125ft and +1 ft/5 ft)?

  • Buffer marked and undisturbed?

  • Buffer adequately vegetated?

Non-Channel Erosion Mat - 1052

  • PAL approved?

  • Upslope edge of mat trenched in?*

  • OK per erosion control matrix in PAL?

  • All seeding, fertilizing, etc under mat?

  • Mat has complete contact with soil?

  • No eroded areas under mat?

  • Checked manufacturer’s instructions?

Seeding for Erosion Control – 1059

  • Topsoil depth 2 in for temporary seeding?

  • Topsoil depth 4 in for permanent seeding?

  • Rocks, twigs and foreign material removed?

  • Clods < 2 inch? Seed sown < 1/4 in deep?

  • Temporary species and rates per table?

Species

Lbs/Acre

% Purity

Season

Oats

131

98

Spring and Summer

Cereal Rye

131

97

Fall

Winter Wheat

131

95

Fall

Annual Ryegrass

80

97

Fall

Mulching for Construction Sites - 1058

  • Area under mulch free of gullies and rills?

  • Mulch not in concentrated flow channels?

  • Erosion occurring in mulched areas?

  • Natural biodegradable materials?

  • Free of toxic, noxious or diseased substances?

  • Marsh hay only on upland sites?

  • Crimped straw or hay fiber length > 6 in.?

  • No bark or wood chips on seeded sites?

  • Mulch covers 80% of unseeded areas?

  • Mulch covers 70% of seeded areas?

  • Mulch 1/2 to 1-1/2 in thick in seeded areas?

  • Mulch 1-1/2 to 3 in thick for unseeded areas?

  • Wood chips 1/2 to 1-1/2 in thick?

  • Mulch anchors w/crimping, matting and tackifier?

Channel Erosion Material – 1053

  • PAL listed materials?

  • Class II or III material?

  • Installed after seeding, fertilizing etc.?

  • Continuous, firm contact with soil?

  • Anchored per manufacturer’s requirements?

  • TRM w/topsoiling & followed by ECRM?

  • Extend > 1ft vertically from ditch bottom or > 6 in above design flow (whichever is greater)?

Erosion Control Land Application of Anionic Polyacrylamide – 1050

  • Slopes < 2.5: 1?

  • Not applied to channel bottoms?

  • Used as approved in the PAL?

Storm Drain Inlet Protection – 1060

  • Emergency spillway?

  • Fabric per PAL?

  • Correct Type (A,B,C,D)?

Ditch Checks – 1062

  • Not located in stream?

  • Weir formed in center of ditch check?

  • > 2 ft top width 2:1 maximum slope on sides of ditch check?

  • 1 ditch check per 2 ft channel drop?

  • 3 in graded annular stone? or PAL listed?

  • Erosion mat at base? Stone chinked or sealed?

  • 10 - 16 in high (mfg. or bio.) or 36 in high for stone?

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