Formerly under the jurisdiction of Committee D18 on Soil and Rock, this practice was withdrawn in February 2017 in accordance with section 10.6.3 of the Regulations Governing ASTM Technical Committees, which requires that standards shall be updated by the end of the eighth year since the last approval date.

Proper installation is critical to effective performance of silt fence. This practice presents procedures for installing silt fence that have been shown to result in silt fence installations that effectively redirect and impound surface runoff and, thereby, provide effective sediment control.

1.1 This practice covers common installation requirements for temporary silt fence applications. This practice is based on AASHTO M288.

1.2 This practice is applicable to the use of silt fence as a vertical permeable interceptor designed to remove suspended soil from overland, nonconcentrated water flow. The function of a temporary silt fence is to trap and allow settlement of soil particles from sediment laden water. The purpose is to greatly limit the transport of eroded soil from the construction site by water runoff.

1.3 The practices presented herein are intended to ensure good workmanship and quality and are not necessarily adequate for all purposes in view of the wide variety of possible sediments and performance objectives.

1.4 The values stated in SI units are to be regarded as the standard. The values in inch-pound units are provided for information only.

1.5 This practice offers an organized collection of information or a series of options and does not recommend a specific course of action. This document cannot replace education or experience and should be used in conjunction with professional judgment. Not all aspects of this guide may be applicable in all circumstances. This ASTM standard is not intended to represent or replace the standard of care by which the adequacy of a given professional service must be judged, nor should this document be applied without consideration of a project's many unique aspects. The word “Standard” in the title of this document means only that the document has been approved through the ASTM consensus process.

1.6 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety and health practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.