You’ll Never Guess What These Giant Water Bags Are Actually Doing!
September 9, 2024
source: Reddit
Have you ever been near constructions sites or near water, there are these strange large sacks that are by the roadside that resemble deflated or partially inflated balloons. These are not just ordinary big pillows that you see in the market, these are actually dewatering bags or sediment filtering bags that are used in filtering water.
As the image given below shows, these bags are employed in a sediment filtration process. Now let’s dissect the functionality of the water bags and the reasons as to why it has become popular in the water management.
Construction activities taking place near water bodies tend to displace water and sediment and thus pollute the rivers, lakes or streams. This is rather dangerous for aquatic systems since such water is essential for the life of these ecosystems. Suspended sediment can harm the fish gills, limit the amount of light to reach the plant and ultimately harm its photosynthesis and even hinder the working of municipal drainage systems.
This sediment has to be well managed as this can cause an adverse effect in the environment and may pose danger in construction activities or road construction and maintenance. That is where these sediment filtering water bags come in.
Dewatering bags, as the ones in the picture, have become handy tools in filtering out sediments from water in order not to pollute water streams or drainage systems. These bags are made of high strength permeable Geotextile fabric which can be utilized to hold various materials. They are mainly placed where there is need of water discharge and water-sediment mixture is transported into the bags. When the water is passed through the fabric, the sediment is left behind in the fabric and the clean water pass through thus reducing the chances of contamination.
At first they may seem quite strange, huge black bags containing water, but these are essential for the safeguard of our water supplies against pollution. Due to the increasing focus on environmental conservation, and the strict laws that come with it, these sediment bags will most probably remain useful in water management systems.
Whether they are silently filtering out stormwater or controlling construction site drainage, these bags are a great and non-invasive way that both help companies and the environment. The next time you see one of them sitting by the side of the road you will understand that it is there to guard our waterways.