The "Perfect" Sediment Basin

Presenters: Michael Perez, CPESC & Richard A. Mclaughlin, PhD

Join this industry roundtable discussion to learn about sediment basin design, implementation, and maintenance of sediment basins used on construction sites across the U.S. and internationally.

Learning Objectives: 
  • Recognize the wide range of sediment basin design practices from across the US and internationally.
  • Identify key components of effective sediment basin designs.
  • Describe advantages and limitations of various design approaches changes to their regulators and regulated community to discuss adoption to improve sediment basin performance.



Presented by Michael Perez, CPESC – Assitant Professor, Auburn University & Richard A. Mclaughlin, PhD – Professor and Extension Specialist, Crop and Soil Sciences North Carolina St

Michael A. Perez is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Auburn University. He helps oversee the Auburn University – Erosion and Sediment Control Testing Facility. HIs research specializes in the evaluation and enhancement of construction stormwater practices, methods, and technologies using large-scale testing techniques.

Dr. Richard A. McLaughlin is in the Department of Crop and Soil Sciences at North Carolina State University where he has 27 years of experience in research and education on all aspects of erosion, sediment, and turbidity control on constructions sites. He developed the Sediment and Erosion Control Research and Education Facility over 20 years ago where research has been conducted in all three areas with rapid transfer of that information through workshops and hands-on demonstrations there and throughout the country. His research has led to the adoption of numerous innovations which have been adopted in many states to increase sediment capture efficiency. He was co-developer of the now-required Construction Site Stormwater Control Certification program with the North Carolina Department of Transportation, with roughly 2,000 trained annually. More recently, he has collaborated with colleagues to develop methods to economically remediate construction site soils. He was the recipient of the 2010 Training Program Award and the 2020 Environmental Excellence Award from the International Erosion Control Association and the 2010 Applied Research Award from the Soil Science Society of America.