Excavation and filling activities for highways might cross several bodies of water and thereby cause an even greater impact on overall sediment pollution. Engineers have begun questioning the mechanical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of conventional silt fences. TxDOT's current specifications do not cover silt fence material selection, quality, installation or maintenance. The department needs alternate practices for effective silt control. The TTI team has identified alternatives to geosynthetic fabrics for silt fences and evaluated the feasibility and cost-effectiveness of these alternatives.
Installation requires less time and labor, making it a significantly cheaper alternative.
Sand fill materials available on site in east and east-central Texas reduce construction costs in Texas even more. No heavy installation, removal and replacement equipment is needed when using this dike, and it requires no machine trenching. Also, the dikes are reusable. Silt fences can sometimes be the best choice for sediment control, but researchers recommend discontinuing use of the fence as an in-channel silt trap since semirigid geosynthetic dikes, such as the Triangular Silt Dike, work better. Their research also indicates that specifications should require silt fence installation by machine only.