Silt Fence & Inlet Protection in Austin, TX

Silt fence and inlet protection in Austin keep soil from leaving a construction site in runoff and ending up in the street, a storm drain, a creek or one of the lakes. We install silt fence along the downhill edges of disturbed ground, protect curb and drop inlets, and add other sediment control where a plan calls for it. Builders, remodelers, pool and septic contractors and homeowners clearing land call us. As silt fence contractors we also seed, so when the ground is stable we can pull the fence and leave grass behind.

Why it matters here

Austin's soils and storms make sediment a real problem. West of town, thin soil over limestone sheds runoff fast. East of town, bare blackland clay erodes in sheets. In October 2018, flood runoff loaded the Highland Lakes, the city's main water supply, with silt and debris, and Austin had a week-long boil-water advisory. Austin Watershed Protection's job is to cut flooding, erosion and water pollution, and sediment from construction is part of that. A few hundred feet of well-placed fence is a small cost against a red tag or a muddy street.

When it is required

The TCEQ Construction General Permit applies when a project disturbs one acre or more, and also when a smaller lot belongs to a bigger development that will cross that line in total. Covered sites need a Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan in place before work starts, and that plan lays out the best management practices, including sediment controls. Sites under an acre that are not part of a larger plan are not covered by that state permit, but local rules may still apply, and in the Edwards Aquifer recharge and contributing zones TCEQ has its own program requirements. When there is a plan, we install to it. When there is not, we recommend what the site needs and explain why.

Placement is most of the job

Silt fence works by slowing sheet flow so sediment drops out behind it. It is not built to stop concentrated flow in a ditch or to hold back a creek. We run it along the contour on the downhill side, turn the ends uphill so water cannot go around, and bury the bottom of the fabric in a trench so water cannot go under. On rocky hill-country lots where trenching is hard, we use other options such as sediment logs or rock berms. On clay, we trench when the ground is workable, not when it is a brick.

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Inlet protection

The curb inlets in front of a lot are where sediment ends up first. We protect them with silt fence barriers, filter bags, sandbags or gravel and mesh, depending on the inlet type and traffic. Drop inlets in yards and parking areas get fence or gravel barriers around them. Inlet protection has to be checked after rain because it fills up. We can schedule that or show your crew what to look for.

Maintenance and removal

Silt fence that is knocked down, buried or torn does nothing. After storms, fence should be checked, sediment removed when it builds up, and gaps repaired. We offer repair visits. When the ground behind the fence is covered and growing, the fence can come out. We pull it, haul it off, smooth the slot where it was buried and spray seed down that strip too, so the lot ends up with grass along the old fence line instead of shredded fabric.

Builders and homeowners

For builders with many lots, we can quote by the foot for the whole phase and come back as each lot is released. For a homeowner with one pool or addition, we install what that job needs. Either way, the quote lists footage, inlet count and any repairs or removal.