Silt Curtains for your local watershed

The protection of a watershed goes beyond preventing toxic chemicals from entering the water. The act of protecting the water from human activity includes protecting the water from washouts and soil erosion, to preserve it’s clarity.

This is an underrated element of aquatic health. The turbidity of the water is influenced by the amount of particulate matter that is dissolved, and it impacts upon the amount of sunlight that reaches the bottom of a watershed, and by extension, the amount of aquatic plant life, and the makeup of the fauna living in that water.

One of the classic examples of this impacting upon the health of a watershed has occurred in Australia’s largest river systems. The Murray-Darling River system was invaded by carp around 1870, intentionally introduced by sportsmen from Europe. Their feeding method of rooting around in shallow water and uprooting aquatic vegetation has drastically increased the turbidity of the water in the Murray – to the detriment of several native species, such as the iconic Murray Cod.

For reasons such as these, it is important to prevent such silty water from entering a watershed. This is obviated by the presence and employment of silt curtains. These curtains utilise a floating boom to stay atop the water, with a hanging boom, to prevent silty water from mixing with the ecosystem.

For more information, contact your local experts at EcoSpill today.