Warning on sediment buildup near Upper Bayou in the last 8 months

I've been running the same stretch on the Upper Bayou for three years, but in the last 8 months the sediment layers have gotten way thicker and stickier. Looks like a new housing development upriver is dumping runoff without proper settling ponds. Has anyone else seen a sudden change like this after new construction nearby?

2 comments

2 Comments

jessel352d ago

Check if those new developments actually got permits for stormwater discharge, because construction sites over a certain size have to follow EPA rules under the Clean Water Act. I've seen similar buildup downstream from subdivisions that skipped the settling ponds to save money, and the sediment always turns into that nasty sticky muck you're describing. You might want to send photos to your county's environmental office, they can usually spot unpermitted runoff from satellite imagery and send someone out to investigate.

kim.dylan1d ago

@jessel35 makes a solid point about the satellite imagery. Hell, the county near me actually used Google Earth to find a contractor who was washing concrete trucks into a creek. One developer here tried to say their runoff was "naturally occurring" until they zoomed in on the bare dirt piles literally touching the water. Did you check if those new developments have any kind of silt fence or hay bales along the edge? Those cheap plastic fences they use sometimes don't even work if they're not dug into the ground right. I'd be curious if you can spot holding ponds on the site maps too.