# Cleaning Cloudy water



## Upchuck (Apr 7, 2009)

We are working on subdivision in which the soils are always producing cloudy water. We have silt fence with a wood chip dam on the higher side of it.Also have a area for the water to pool before chips. So, no soils are leaving the site.The water is just cloudy but builder wants the water to be cleaner as it leaves the site.

I thought there was a product which was in tablet form that could be put in outlet structure that would help remove turbidity from water. Has anyone heard of this product or have any other products/ experience with this. Thanks in advance


----------



## EmmCeeDee (May 23, 2010)

Your builder is probably being smart. Even with no soil leaving the job site have you gotten the outflow NTUs measured? 

To clarify the water, this might be what you are looking for.


http://www.centralseedandsupply.com/store-home?page=shop.browse&category_id=96

They do have to match the flocculant mix to your specific soil type.


----------



## rino1494 (Jan 31, 2006)

Are you talking about the discharge from the outlet pipe of your detention basin or just run off water in general ?

We sometimes build rock filters and put gravel in front of the silt fence also. Nothing is 100% effective.


----------



## Dozerman56 (Dec 11, 2009)

I'm with EmmCee. Talk with your local erosion control material supplier about floc logs or PAM, they should be able to fix you up.


----------



## Upchuck (Apr 7, 2009)

Thanks emmceedee. That is exactly what I was looking for.

Rino, the builder is worried about both the detention pond outlet & individual lot run-off. He's trying to be pro-active because the local conservation told us on-site that they don't want to even see cloudy water leaving site.


----------



## S.R.E. (Apr 8, 2010)

In my experience it is easier and usually cheaper(in the long run) to prevent the water from becoming contaminated in the first place. See what you can do to keep clean water clean and minimize erosion as step one. Step two is removing the particles that are suspended in the water. Here where I work you need permission from the DOE to use chemical methods. If you have really sandy soils the sand will settle out fairly quickly if you have a large enough settling pond. If you have fine clay particles you will have to be very tenacious about erosion control. 

There are all sorts of different methods to achieve your goal. Some work better than others. On method I have used is a two part settlement pond with a pump at the outlet end that pumps the water to the other end. I set it up so that only a trickle of water will leave at a time when the rain stops and the water settles I will drain the pond off slowly from the top. Never drain or pump water from a settlement pond from the bottom. Do not mix clean water into contaminated water. Ie… you have a water source at the top of the site that drains through the site. Keep that water clean.


----------



## rino1494 (Jan 31, 2006)

During construction, we cover inlets with geo-tex and plain gravel around it to catch sediment before in goes into the inlet. I can also use the inlet filter bags, but I like my method better and it is cheaper.

A new thing that is being used alot in my area are the use of level spreaders at the discharge pipe of a detention basin. Basically it is a little pool filled with rip-rap and there is a 2ft high curb that must be level to work properly. Here is a pic of one we did a little while ago. This level spreader is about 30ft from a stream.


----------



## Upchuck (Apr 7, 2009)

I feel we have the site in really good shape. This builder happens to over think things. It is impossible to get the water clear with these soils. I've had the EPA & local conservation visit my sites before & we've never been fined.


----------

