Over the past decade the non-mandated preliminary tract and preliminary lot evaluations provided by the Iredell County Health Department (ICHD) has ended. This was due in part because of time constraints by the staff and the liability involved in making a general statement of suitability without a defined plan or specific lot application. Without a written septic permit request there was the potential for gross misinterpretation by landowners of what their parcels would yield in permittable lots. To provide the necessary planning information about a soil based system, the professional soil scientist was the logical person to fill the gap left by the ICHD. The soil scientist would evaluate the soil, the site, and provide a siting plan leading to the development of a final plat which would yield all marketable lots. At The Point, a 900 lot Lake and Golf Club on Lake Norman in Iredell County, all lots are specifically defined with a site plan, including the number of bedrooms and usable septic areas, before any lot is offered for sale. An Improvement Permit is available for examination by any buyer or builder prior to the purchase of a lot.

Introduction

A change of attitude at the local, regional, and state levels was caused in part by a number of lawsuits, along with time constraints felt particularly at the local level. This led to a rapid expansion in the need for professional soil scientists and indirectly helped with the licensing of Soil Scientists in North Carolina (General Statue Chapter 89F). Many public employees with training and credentials left the public sector to help fill the void created in the private sector. Rather than have a project evolve by the time consuming and expensive trial and error method, now extensive soils work precedes the purchase of a tract or planning of lots. Consequently, developers benefit in time saving, permit application costs, and additional professional fees needed to resurvey, redesign by architect, and reengineer utilities. The local health department benefits because unsuitable lots do not require extensive time, and the regional specialist is seldom called for a second opinion.

Method

An accurate survey boundary of the tract is the beginning of planning. After delineation of the boundary any available topo maps, aerial photos, stereoscopic pairs, and soil maps are used to formulate a preliminary tract review. This preliminary will let the client know if vegetation must be removed. Identification of dense vegetation is important because permitting requires openness in the drainfield area. A line of sight must exist in the area before the environmental health specialist (EHS) can permit a lot. Early clearing of lots also reduces other costs for professional services, especially surveying.

Soil work at The Point subdivision usually requires three steps, 1) preliminary, 2) presumptive, and 3) final. In the preliminary phase an overview of the parcel is made using auger holes or pits on every landscape and with each associated drainage change. The total number of holes may vary by one or two orders of magnitude. From this work a preliminary plat and road design can be developed. During the presumptive phase, with only the roadway center line stationed, fieldwork continues with a goal of placing one or two good backhoe pits per lot in the drainfield area. As lot lines develop, it is possible to plot these backhoe pits very accurately. At permitting time each pit is evaluated per 15A NCAC 18A .1939 for 1) topography and landscape position, 2) soil characteristics, 3) soil wetness, 4) soil depth, 5) restrictive horizons, and 6) available space. At The Point it has been possible to get opinions from the ICHD on questionable interpretations before the actual permit application is submitted. Such interaction eliminates the need for future lot or application changes.

In some instances high value lots (waterfront or golf course) are unsuitable for septics, but are very desirable for building. These lots require the planning of single force mains to recorded easements that have provisionally suitable septic areas. Such lots require the sacrifice of less valuable properties to be used for septic. These off-site drainfields are planned to maximize revenue by keeping the most valuable lots.

Results and Conclusions

Total time required by professionals other than the soil scientist is markedly reduced in this planned community. Survey effort is usually limited to one site visit, with only minor tweaking required. The EHS can often complete field work (soil evaluation and system layout) of 6-10 lots per day. The pit evaluation and continuity of soil profile reviews give a more thorough understanding of the soil continuum and land disposal capabilities in this type of waste system. Also, the fact that ICHD has assigned one sanitarian to do all the permitting in this subdivision has added a continuity that has been very beneficial to permitting efficiency.

Septic applications are submitted to maximize the size of structure and number of bedrooms. If the site plan needs to be modified during fieldwork, this can be accomplished on-site, reducing the need for a revisit. After permits are issued, the developer generates individual lot maps to show where protective fencing should be installed to guard the drainfield from any damage during home construction or lot development.

This page created by Roland O. Coburn
Reasearch Tech I
on 4/24/00.