Backfilling of pond with Ecocoast’s Silt Screen

In early 2020, we were contacted by Berrenhei Wood’s Michiel Verhaeren to set up a mobile floating debris boom as part of a backfilling operation.

Berrenhei Wood’s assignment was to deal with the soil accumulation and to infill a former pond in Schelle. They were looking for a solution that would collect and dispose of the floating debris that would be released during the works.

Ecocoast’s Silt Screen is the ideal solution for earthworks and backfilling water reservoirs. They are relatively light and easy to move. A straight or curved shape is achieved by way of additional Danforth anchors.

The 200-metre floating boom was positioned right across the pond, a few tens of metres ahead of the backfilling location. As the works progressed, the screen as a whole was subsequently shifted along like a mobile floating defence screen. The people at Berrenhei Wood carried out the initial installation as well as the subsequent shifting of the screen on the water entirely by themselves. The straightforward design and the practical mounting clamps make for easy on-site installation. No specific prior knowledge or heavy equipment is required.

The floating debris released was subsequently taken on land or collected by way of a small boat thanks to the floating debris boom. After the pond had been backfilled, the Silt screen was dismantled,  ready to be used again at other locations in due course. The modular construction of the floating boom in 25-metre length sections allows us to achieve any shape and any distance desired.

If only part of a pond would need to be backfilled at some point in the future, the Silt Screen may be fitted with extra screens underneath the floating boom. These perforated screens, which go down to 6 metres, make sure the sediment sinks down all the way to the pond bed, acting as a localised backfilling without contaminating the remaining part of the basin.