Install Temporary Drainage and Erosion Control

Job Overview

This project qualifies you to install and commission a temporary drainage and erosion-control system consisting of diversion swales, temporary drainage pipe or culverts, silt fence, inlet protection, check dams, and stockpile stabilization, using the approved erosion-control plan, drainage routes, discharge points, and inspection frequency. The finished work product is a functioning system that diverts clean upslope water away from disturbed soil, controls sediment before it leaves the site, protects storm inlets, stabilizes exposed slopes and stockpiles, and maintains construction access, together with a completed inspection and maintenance log.

You will review the erosion-control plan and walk the site to identify upslope water sources and flow paths; install perimeter controls before further soil disturbance; shape diversion swales; install temporary drainage pipe and inlet protection; install silt fence to the specified post spacing, embedment, and termination method; stabilize stockpiles and slopes; provide a stabilized construction entrance; observe the system under controlled or natural flow; and inspect, correct, and maintain the system through an established log.

This is the eighth project in the site preparation sequence. It follows the cleared, stripped work area of Project 04 and the completed footing excavation of Project 05, and it must be installed, where the plan requires it, before additional soil disturbance proceeds in Projects 9 through 15. The system installed here remains in service and under inspection through the rough and final grading work of Projects 10 and 14, and portions of it are removed only when authorized in the final cleanup work of Project 18.

Skills You Will Demonstrate

• SP-043 — Review the erosion-control plan and identify upslope water sources, low points, concentrated flow paths, storm inlets, exposed soil, and stockpiles before installing controls.
• SP-044 — Install diversion swales and temporary drainage pipe or culverts to the approved route and slope, and provide a stabilized construction entrance.
• SP-045 — Install silt fence at the specified post spacing and embedment, and install inlet protection without creating unsafe flooding or traffic conditions.
• SP-046 — Stabilize stockpiles and exposed slopes, and install check dams or flow-spreading devices where required.
• SP-047 — Observe system performance under controlled or natural flow and inspect for bypass, undermining, ponding, erosion, sediment release, and damage.
• SP-048 — Establish and maintain an inspection and maintenance log, correcting failed conditions and removing accumulated sediment at the required threshold.

Where This Skill Fits

Project 4 produced a cleared and stripped work area with topsoil and spoil stockpiles established outside drainage paths, and Project 5 produced excavated footing trenches. This project installs the temporary drainage and erosion-control system that protects both of those completed work products, and every excavation and grading operation that follows, from uncontrolled runoff and sediment release for the remainder of construction.

The system installed here is not a one-time installation. It remains active and under inspection through the utility trenching of Project 9, the rough grading of Project 10, the backfill and drainage work of Projects 12 through 14, and the construction-access work of Project 15. Controls are only removed, and only in the authorized sequence, during the final cleanup of Project 18 once permanent stabilization is accepted.

Scope and Intended Use

This project covers:

• reviewing the erosion-control plan, drainage routes, discharge points, protected areas, and required inspection frequency
• walking the site to identify upslope water sources, low points, concentrated flow paths, storm inlets, exposed soil, and stockpiles
• installing perimeter controls before additional soil disturbance occurs
• excavating or shaping temporary diversion swales to the approved route and slope
• installing temporary drainage pipe, culverts, or crossings required to maintain access
• preparing the silt-fence trench or anchoring system, installing posts at the specified spacing and orientation, and attaching and embedding fabric according to the approved method
• turning fence ends upslope or providing the required termination so runoff cannot bypass the control
• installing inlet protection, check dams, or flow-spreading devices where required
• stabilizing stockpiles and exposed slopes using approved methods
• providing a stabilized construction entrance to reduce track-out
• conducting a controlled water-flow observation where permitted, and inspecting for bypass, undermining, ponding, erosion, sediment release, and damage
• establishing an inspection and maintenance log, inspecting after qualifying rainfall and before predicted severe weather, and removing accumulated sediment at the required maintenance threshold

This project does not authorize the learner to:

• disturb additional soil in an area before the perimeter erosion controls required for that area are installed
• route a diversion swale, drainage pipe, or discharge point to a location other than the one shown on the approved plan without first obtaining direction
• install silt fence at a post spacing, fabric embedment depth, or termination method other than the one specified by the plan or manufacturer instructions
• leave a fence end, low point in the fence line, or inlet-protection gap that allows runoff to bypass the control
• remove or relocate a temporary control before permanent stabilization is accepted, except as authorized in the final cleanup sequence
• proceed past a stop-work condition, such as an undermined fence, a blocked outlet, or an unstabilized breach, without the direction of the responsible party

Any condition requiring a revised drainage route, a different erosion-control device, an engineer's determination, or a decision outside the approved erosion-control plan must be escalated before work proceeds in that area.