Soil erosion protection device for use with catch basins

A method of temporarily protecting storm drain catch basins and preventing silt and other debris from entering the inlet of a catch basin during a construction period, the method comprising:

• placing a portable screening device over the inlet of the catch basin where the portable screening device includes perforated wall sections that extend upwardly and inwardly relative to the inlet of the catch basin and a horizontal stone holding ledge that forms an exposed ledge when placed over the outlet of the catch basin and which extends around the portable screening device and forms a part of a portable screening device as the exposed ledge projects substantially outwardly from the lower portion of the perforated wall sections;
• piling filter stones on the exposed ledge of the screening device and continuing to pile stones on the exposed ledge, causing the stones to accumulate around lower portions of the wall sections such that the filter stones overlie the exposed ledge of the screening device and cover a lower portion of the perforated wall sections of the portable screening device;
• supporting the piled filter stones on the exposed ledge that is supported on the inlet of the catch basin and also supporting at least some of the stones on the lower portion of the perforated wall sections;
• filtering silt and debris from water as the water passes through the filtering stones and through the perforated wall sections into the catch basin;
• after a selected period of time, removing the portable screening device and the stones together as a unit from the catch basin whereby the portable screening device and stones can be used temporarily on another storm drain catch basin;
• and
• wherein moving the portable screening device from the inlet of the catch basin includes lifting the screening device upwardly from the inlet of the catch basin and lifting the stones with the screening device and moving the screening device along with the stones supported on the exposed ledge and lower portion of the perforated wall section to another catch basin and lowering the screening device and the stones supported thereon onto an inlet of the other catch basins;
• and wherein the method includes directly supporting the stones on the exposed ledge and on the lower portion of the perforated wall sections of the screening device.