Erosion Control of the Residential Development Located in North Carolina

PM Environmental, Inc. personnel conducted a site inspection of a partially developed residential development. The purpose of the inspection was to evaluate extent of erosion and sedimentation damage across the property. At the time of the inspection the property consisted of approximately 350 acres, of which 250 acres was raw denuded land with the remaining acreage developed with single-family residential dwellings and wooded undeveloped land.

The property was intended for the developed of a single-family residential neighborhood. However with the down turn in the residential home buying market the property was in default and abandoned by the developer. In the absence of the developer, the denuded portions of the property began to erode at a tremendous rate and the 35 temporary sediment basins were filled and/or failing due to surface run-off (sheet flow) and the lack of vegetation across the site allowing sediment to enter the basin.

At the time of foreclosure the site was issued numerous Notices of Violations (NOVs) from the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources (NCDENR) Division of Water Quality for not adhering to the sites Erosion and Sediment Control Plan and the Army Corp of Engineers for sediment impacts to a creek which dissected the property. The developer was facing fines in excess of $25,000 per violation per day.

The client engaged PM personnel to coordinate with the local NCDENR inspector, grading contractors and seeding contractors to develop and implement a triage solution to repair the most sensitive areas of erosion and off-site sedimentation. The site has been stabilized with normal operation and maintenance activities which PM oversees and coordinates with the current land owner. In accordance with the NCDENR guidelines and erosion control plan PM also conducts a weekly inspection of the site to ensure the Best Management Practices (BMPs) are maintained and functioning properly. Based on the expeditious efforts of the client and PM, the site has not received a fine from the NCDENR or the Army Corp of engineers