Sediment control

Sediment control is the set of erosion and sediment control (ESC) measures that stop site soil washing into the stormwater system and waterways. It is required as a development-approval condition and under EPA rules, and it has to be in place from site establishment, not added after the first rain.

The common measures on a residential site are:

• a silt fence (geotextile barrier) on the down-slope side to catch sediment-laden runoff,
• a stabilised site entry / shaker pad (rock pad) so vehicles drop mud before hitting the road,
• drain/inlet protection over kerb inlets and pits so sediment cannot enter the stormwater,
• stockpile protection (cover or bund soil and sand stockpiles), and
• managing runoff so clean upslope water is diverted around the disturbed area.

The reason it is enforced is environmental: sediment is a pollutant, and soil, sand, slurry, or washout entering stormwater ends up in creeks and the harbour. Councils and the EPA can issue fines and clean-up notices, and “mud on the road” from an unstabilised entry is a frequent complaint and penalty.

For a builder the practical points are to install sediment control before any soil is disturbed (it is part of site establishment, and a DA condition that is checked), to maintain it (a silt fence full of sediment or knocked flat does nothing), to keep the site entry stabilised so trucks do not track mud onto the road, and to never let concrete or render washout, paint, or slurry go into a drain. It is cheap to do up front and expensive to be fined for, and it is exactly the kind of thing a council inspector looks for on a site visit.

Also known as: Erosion and sediment control, ESC, sediment and erosion control.

Category: Site / Environmental.

Related

• Excavator contractor
• Site establishment

See also

• Overland flow

References

• Excavator contractor (Chalkline) (verified 2026-06-04)

---

Last updated: 2026-06-04. Verified: 2026-06-04. Quarterly review for currency.