Silt Saver High Velocity Ditch Check The smarter alternative to rock check dams.

The Silt Saver High Velocity Ditch Check (HVDC) is a patented (US 12,060,690), multi-component geotextile system engineered to slow the velocity of concentrated stormwater in drainage ditches and facilitate controlled water release through its fabric onto a rear scour guard – serving as a more effective, lower-maintenance alternative to traditional rock or fabric check dams.

The HVDC is prefabricated and contoured to conform precisely to the angles and width of ditch slopes, preventing bypass, while pine chip-filled compression tubes – held in place with compression stakes – along with an attached front water seal and rear scour guard prevent undermining and ditch scouring. Its design ensures the system maintains full contact with the ditch contour even under concentrated flow conditions.

The HVDC is designed for easy installation and removal without the need for heavy machinery, making it faster and less labor-intensive to deploy than traditional rock check dams. It comes preassembled and sold as a complete kit – including the velocity restrictor sheet, compression tubes, compression stakes, front water seal, and rear scour guard – to ensure quality control and installation consistency.

The HVDC is available in two prefabricated sizes: the HVDC-24, which is 24 feet wide with a 24 inch overflow designed for flat-bottom, trapezoidal ditches, and the HVDC-14, which is 14 feet wide with a 16 inch overflow designed for V-shaped ditches. Selecting the correct size ensures the system conforms properly to the ditch geometry and delivers optimal stormwater control performance.

The Silt Saver HVDC is more effective, less costly, and requires significantly less maintenance than traditional rock check dams, while also eliminating the need for heavy machinery during installation or removal. Its geotextile mesh velocity restrictor sheet also allows floatable debris to contribute to stormwater filtration, adding an additional layer of sediment control that rock dams cannot provide.

Yes – the HVDC’s green mesh velocity restrictor sheet allows floatable materials to assist in filtering stormwater as it passes through the fabric, while the rear scour guard and front water seal actively protect the ditch bed from scouring and undermining. This dual function makes it an effective erosion and sediment control (ESC) best management practice (BMP) for construction sites and other disturbed land areas.

Unlike standard fabric check dams, the HVDC is a multi-component system – including a contoured velocity restrictor sheet, compression tubes, compression stakes, and a dual-layer scour guard – engineered specifically to handle concentrated, high-velocity stormwater flow without bypass or structural failure. Its prefabricated, kit-based design also ensures greater installation consistency and performance reliability than field-assembled fabric alternatives.