Flocculant use on a construction site
This guidance is to assist the construction industry in how and when to use flocculants to prevent site pollution.
What are flocculants and why are they important?
Flocculants are a type of commonly used chemicals that have a wide range of applications in everything from food processing to wastewater and water treatment.
Flocculation refers to the process whereby fine particles are made to clump together into a larger and heavier particle called a ‘floc’. This process is very useful for separating solids from liquids across different industries.
Flocculant is used in the construction industry, often during temporary works, to create ‘flocs’ from very fine particles, such as clays in water.
Creating heavier particles makes the clays easier to settle out of suspension and capture on site. This can play an important role in preventing silt pollution from entering streams and rivers from construction sites.
Flocculants and regulatory bodies
Regulators, such as the Environment Agency (EA), Scottish Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA), Natural Resources Wales (NRW) and Northern Ireland Environment Agency regulate the use of flocculants on construction sites.
This role is important because deploying the wrong type of flocculant or the wrong amount of flocculant can have environmental consequences. Regulators are generally supportive of the use of flocculants, provided means for naturally controlling silt pollution from site have been fully explored and deployments are well managed.
Silt pollution, enforcement action and fines
Construction professionals are becoming more aware of the damage that silt pollution can cause to streams and rivers.
Enforcement actions and fines relating to silt pollution are becoming commonplace and the construction industry is responding by taking the issue of silt pollution more seriously.
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What to consider before using flocculant?
Flocculants can play a crucial role in water treatment by preventing silt pollution escaping from site and into watercourses, however there are several key questions to consider before deploying a flocculant:
- When can a flocculant be used on a construction site?
- What type of flocculant can be used and how are they deployed?
- How much flocculant can be used?
- How can flocculants be used cost effectively to prevent silt pollution?
When can a flocculant be used on a construction site?
With just a little bit of planning, a construction professional can make an assessment as to whether a flocculant is likely to be needed on site at a very early stage in the project.
With just a little bit of planning, a construction professional can make an assessment as to whether a flocculant is likely to be needed on site at a very early stage in the project.
Gel Flocculant tends to be used in combination with our other silt control products. Activating only on contact with water, the flocculant helps separate soil and silt which can be trapped and captured with Silt Mats or Floc Mats, allowing clean water to be discharged from site. Gel Flocculant can be placed directly into ditches and drains or as part of a gravity fed water treatment system using a Pipe Reactor to control the dosing. The Pipe Reactor can also be attached to a pump if a gravity-fed set up isn’t an option on site.
While we offer a fast service with a quick delivery turnaround we would always recommend being Rain Ready® so that the site is not at risk of causing pollution due to not being prepared ahead of bad weather. Once the rain hits the damage is often done and it could cost a lot more to a business in reputational risk and fines to remediate.
Rain Ready® site solutions
Site assessment and ground investigation can be complex, but for the purposes of understanding whether a flocculant is likely to be needed during temporary works, we can ask the following two questions:
- Will site drainage during construction be connected to ditches, streams, brooks or rivers?
- Will any top soil be removed, exposing a clayey sub-soil during works?
If the answer to both these questions is ‘yes’, it is advisable to engage with environmental support, as your site is likely to be at a higher risk of causing a silt pollution event.
Flocculant Use on a Construction Site Guidance Note
Site assessment and ground investigation can be complex, but for the purposes of understanding whether a flocculant is likely to be needed during temporary works, we can ask the following two questions:
- Will site drainage during construction be connected to ditches, streams, brooks or rivers?
- Will any top soil be removed, exposing a clayey sub-soil during works?
If the answer to both these questions is ‘yes’, it is advisable to engage with environmental support, as your site is likely to be at a higher risk of causing a silt pollution event.
“Thanks to Frog’s technical expertise and insight, we have found new ways to tackle these common issues and improve our site water management practices – from company-wide awareness and training to monitoring and prevention. As a consequence, we have made significant cost savings and lowered our carbon emissions.”
Paul Thomas, Head of Environment
Winvic Construction
“The results (of the bubble curtain) were quite dramatic – in fact, startling… we have a workable solution that we’ve proved has a dramatic impact on noise propagation.”
David McLaren, Site Manager – Marine & Civils
John F Hunt Regeneration
It’s good to see Frog getting involved with GT at the earliest stages of the project to help with planning out water management in advance of needing it.
Galliford Try
I really enjoyed learning how to identify which measures are best suited to the site conditions.
TACP (UK) Ltd
“Frog Environmental were knowledgeable, helping to establish a workable, cost-effective and low maintenance solution for site approved by the regulator. They really understood the water management issues we had on site and worked with us to develop a solution which works, as well as engaging with our operatives to ensure that they could effectively manage the system.
We are delighted to have found a solution that prevents pollution and protects the environment, and ultimately allows us to continue with construction.”
Glenn Entwistle, Senior Environmental Advisor
Advance JV
The surface water system drainage feature utilised innovative solutions from Frog Environmental.
A rain-ready strategy was implemented, which enabled the development of a robust management system capable of effectively managing fluctuations in weather conditions year-round.
This provided a timely, sustainable and cost saving solution for our client.
Anthony Jordan
RSK Geosciences
“The positive impact of your business on the wider industry is incredible. You have upskilled so many of us and definitely improved water quality across UK construction sites!”
Bernadette Anderson, Environmental Manager
VolkerLaser
Frog’s commitment to develop innovative, market-leading strategies to help their construction clients take responsibility for their sites has and is inspiring an industry-wide change in management culture to improve environmental practices. Of note is their “Rain Ready” water treatment system which is setting new benchmarks in environmental excellence.
Brad Griko, VP Operations
Clearflow Group
“The systems were very effective, and we can see how they could be used on other projects. Being able to talk through the scenario with Frog Environmental was really helpful… We were so pleased to be able to proceed with this essential works with no disruption to either wildlife or our workplan, it saved us time, money, and provided peace of mind that we had taken effective steps to protect the environment.”
Huw Williams, Site Agent
Morgan Sindall Infrastructure – Water & Highways
They (Frog Environmental) were efficient in providing advice and the most appropriate product for our project. The team responded promptly to ensure the Bubble Curtain was delivered to the site on schedule.
It has worked well and has been great on site. We are demobilising this week, and the bubble curtain is already in store at our next site for reuse!
Hayley Jackson, Site Agent
Coffey Group
The Kex Gill road realignment scheme is a challenging project with multiple environmental risks including management of silt and water quality of the surrounding environment given the locality of designated sites.
Frog Environmental are providing us with extensive technical support, including the design, supply and install of their silt control products on site to ensure the project minimises risks to the watercourses in the project vicinity and prevents impact on highly sensitive aquatic species.
It’s great to be working with them and we’re delighted with the success of the whole project.
Georgina King, Associate Director
RSK Environment
By proactively addressing silt management, construction companies can reduce their vulnerability to pollution incidents, environmental damage, and legal repercussions.
We offer free training on the risks of silt on a construction site and you can download our Silt Control Toolbox Talk to communicate key points to your team. We can also help you understand why your soil structure and particle size is important and offer support around mitigations when looking at SWMPs.
Bringing our water quality and silt control specialist team of consultants on board early allows you to prevent issues arising; through training up your staff, offering technical design and site preparation support, as well as products that are engineered to meet needs across a wide range of industries.
We offer a non-obligatory call or Teams meeting with our Technical Team to talk through your needs at any stage of your project to see where we or our environmentally-friendly product solutions may help.
For products, services, training and technical sales support contact us or call 0345 057 4040.
Contact UsDisclaimer: This article is correct at the time of writing and while we endeavour to update annually, legislation may change over time. We pride ourselves on providing site-specific advice. Please contact us about your situation; we’d be delighted to help.
