Silt curtains are usually manufactured to hang down to about 1 foot from the bottom of the water bed. This gap is important because it prevents an accumulation of silt from trapping the curtain on the bottom of the water course. In a case like this, when water rises or conditions get rough, this could cause the curtain to detach from the flotation booms. On the other hand, if the gap is larger than a foot, the effectiveness of the curtain is reduced.
Of course, not many waterways have flat bottoms and square edges, so managing a skirt length over changing depths can present a challenge. Depending on the size of your area, a good solution is to order different panels in different lengths. When you attach them together in the prescribed order, the curtain can align closely with the bottom profile. Another option is to include a furling setup with your curtains. This allows you to roll the bottom of the curtain up or down from a boat and match the line of the water bed. This also allows for repeat adjustments over time, which may be necessary if river levels were to decrease substantially during a dry season, for example. Keep in mind that your curtain generally won’t be installed cross-channel and you’re unlikely to see as many depth variations when setting up panels that run nearly parallel to the flow. If your location has a challenging profile that doesn’t fit these solutions, talk to your engineer to explore your options. BTL Liners are experts at fabricating custom silt and turbidity curtains according to the exact specs laid out by your engineer and we can get your high quality, custom silt barrier shipped in mere days!
