Nova Scotia Stabilized Construction Entrances and Trackout Control
The Environment Act, the ESC Handbook for Construction Sites, and Coastal Water Protection
Nova Scotia is nearly surrounded by water, from the Atlantic coast and the record tides of the Bay of Fundy to Bras d'Or Lake and dozens of salmon and trout rivers. Almost every construction site drains quickly to a watercourse or the sea, which makes sediment control a constant priority as the Halifax region and communities across the province continue to grow. Keeping sediment on the job site and off public roads is a core compliance duty, and a stabilized construction entrance is one of the first controls installed and inspected.
Nova Scotia Environmental Regulation
Nova Scotia regulates construction discharges under the Environment Act, administered by the Department of Environment and Climate Change, which prohibits the release of substances, including sediment, that may cause an adverse effect on the environment. Work in or near a watercourse requires a watercourse alteration approval, and stabilization must follow the erosion control measures set out in provincial guidance. Nova Scotia projects also fall under the federal Fisheries Act, so letting construction sediment reach a fish-bearing water can carry federal liability in addition to provincial requirements.
Guidance and Erosion and Sediment Control Plans
Nova Scotia documents its expectations in the Erosion and Sedimentation Control Handbook for Construction Sites, and in 2025 the province released a new Guide to Developing Erosion and Sediment Control Plans to give contractors clearer direction on preventing erosion and sedimentation. An erosion and sediment control plan is prepared for the site identifying the best management practices that will keep sediment out of storm systems and watercourses, and the construction entrance is one of the controls watched most closely.
The Aggregate Construction Entrance and Its Limits
Nova Scotia guidance describes the traditional construction entrance as a pad of coarse aggregate placed over a geotextile fabric at every site exit, built to knock sediment loose from tires, with runoff directed to a sediment control. The weakness of the aggregate pad is maintenance, and Nova Scotia's wet coastal weather makes it worse. The stone quickly fills with saturated mud, loses its ability to clean tires, and must be topped up or replaced, while any material tracked onto the road has to be removed before it washes into a storm drain or watercourse. When the stone pad alone is not enough, a wheel wash sprays tires with pressurized water and drains to a sediment trap, adding water handling and cleanout. Each option carries a recurring cost and a maintenance cycle that a durable manufactured entrance can avoid.
FODS as a Compliant Construction Entrance in Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia evaluates a construction entrance on whether it performs the required function, removing sediment from tires before vehicles reach the road, and the operator specifies the chosen practice in the erosion and sediment control plan. FODS Trackout Control Mats can be named directly in that plan as the site's stabilized construction entrance, satisfying the same purpose as the aggregate pad while removing the loose stone and the heavy maintenance the traditional design depends on. On a site draining to a salmon river or the coast, an entrance that reliably keeps sediment out of the storm system is a direct compliance advantage.
FODS Trackout Control System
The FODS Trackout Control System is a reusable, manufactured construction entrance made of high-density polyethylene mats with a pyramid-shaped surface that works like the rough edges of crushed stone. As vehicles pass, the pyramids deform the tires and open the tread so sediment breaks loose and collects in the voids between the pyramids, clear of the tires. Each mat measures about 3.7 metres by 2.1 metres, and the modular design lets contractors build the entrance to fit the site. On high-traffic projects the system has reduced street sweeping by 59 percent compared with aggregate.
FODS performs consistently in the wet conditions of a Nova Scotia coast, and unlike a rock pad it does not saturate and fail as the rain sets in. The mats install over any substrate without excavation and can be relocated quickly as work advances, and because the system uses no loose stone there is nothing to lodge in dual tires or migrate onto active roadways. Maintenance is a quick pass with a skid steer broom, a powered sweeper, or a FODS shovel, and with a service life of more than ten years the same mats can be reused across projects, which shifts the cost of a construction entrance from a recurring expense to a one-time investment.
Risks of Vehicle Trackout on Roadways
Safety is a primary concern wherever construction traffic meets a public road. Aggregate exits deposit stone and debris onto pavement, creating hazards for drivers and workers, and loose rock can lodge between dual tires and be thrown at speed. Wheel washes add the burden of supplying and containing water. FODS uses a rockless, water-free technique to clean tires and does not carry the same risk of injury or liability as aggregate entrances. The mats are durable and reusable across many projects, which reduces the environmental impact tied to aggregate production, hauling, and disposal. On Nova Scotia sites that drain to the Atlantic, the Bay of Fundy, or the province's rivers, keeping stone and sediment off the road also helps keep it out of the water and out of fish habitat protected under the Fisheries Act.
Additional Resources
Nova Scotia Environment and Climate Change - Erosion and Sediment Control
Erosion and Sedimentation Control Handbook for Construction Sites
Guide to Developing Erosion and Sediment Control Plans (2025)