Madison's Erosion and Sediment Problems

Despite the city of Madison’s promises to toughen enforcement of construction site erosion laws, few non-compliance notices or fines have been issued this year or last, and residents report numerous sites where brown plumes of silt have sluiced into the city’s lakes during rainfalls. Of the city’s current 57 construction projects listed on its website, one site that has plagued the city had had the most erosion control devices listed as “ineffective”–and this despite 22 inspections of the site in three weeks. Poor installation and maintenance practices seem to be the culprit, and Madison still allows official inspections to be conducted by employees of contractors; but contractors site heavy rains as the main reason for system failures.