20061427 Ver 1_More Info Received_20061127

..
ECS Carolinas, LLP _ __
Geotechnical • Construction Materials • Environmental
~u~~~.ew:~~
Ms. Cyndi Karoly
Supervisor, 401 Oversight/Express Review Permitting Unit
North Carolina Division of Water Quality, 401/Wetland Unit
1650 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, NC 27699-1650
RE: PCN Application for Section 404/401 NWP-12
Sanford Sanitary Sewer Improvements
Sanford, North Carolina
ECS Project #14223
Dear Ms. Karoly:
November 27, 2006
On behalf of the City of Sanford, North Carolina ("the Applicant"), ECS Carolinas, LLP ("ECS")
is submitting this Secondary and Cumulative Impact Study based on your request dated
September 18, 2006 for the above referenced site. Should you have any questions or concerns
please feel free to contact us at [phone], or at [e-mail].
Respectfully submitted,
ECS Carolinas, LLP
'~,. l~ ~
l
Thomas K. Rouse, E.I.
Senior Environmental Scientist
"~t~ .~
Budd Titlow, Senior Professional Wetland Scientist (SWS #754)
Reviewed by: Mark Brown, LG, PG, RSM, Principal Geologist
Environmental Services Department Manager
Enclosures: Letter from the City of Sanford,
Secondary and Cumulative Impact Study
9001 Glenwood Avenue, Raleigh, Nonh Carolina 27617-7505 •[phone] •FAX [phone] I • (-800-327-5832 •www.ecslimited.com
.4tx:nieen, MD ~ Atlanta, GA • Austin, TX • Baltimore. MD ~ Buford, GA ~ Chantilly, VA ~ Charlotte. NC ~ Charlottesville. VA* ~ Chicago, IL ~ Dallas, TX • Fairborn, GA* ~ Frederick, MD
Fredericksburg, VA ~ Greensboro, NC ~ Greenville, SC ~ Nashville, TN ~ Norfolk, VA ~ Ocean City, MDR -0rlando, FL ~ Raleigh. NC ~ Richmond, VA ~ Roanoke, VA
Savannah. GA • Waldorf, MD ~ Wes[ Palm Beach, FL • Williamsburg, VA ~ Wilmington, NC ~ Winchester, VA ~ York, PA
"Testing Services Only

/ ~~~\
~' ' p
~.
~.',i A
\`y~~rt~o ~~~~
P. o. Box 3n9
Pl'BLCI WORKS DEPaRT11fENT
CTY OF SANFO1tD
TELEPHONE [phone]
FAX [phone] NoI'th Carolina 27331-3729 or 919-775-8231
November 9, 2006
Mr. Monte Matthews
Raleigh Regulatory Field Office
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
6508 Falls of the Neuse Road, Suite 120
Raleigh, North Carolina 27615
RE: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Action ID 200620261
Dear Mr. Matthews:
The City of Sanford received your `Incomplete Application Notification' regarding the review of
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Action ID 200620261, City of Sanford Sewer Improvement. It is
our understanding that your concern with this project is "additional development, with increased
density, that might result from large sewer projects."
The City would like to emphasize that the primary purpose of this project is to address capacity
issues and recurring overflow problems in the existing system and not to encourage development
with construction of new sewer. As it exists, Little Buffalo Lift Station serves some of the oldest
pipes in the collection system and suffers from infiltration during rain events, which result in
overflows at the station. The proposed gravity sewer will convey flow that discharges to an existing
pump station (Little Buffalo Creek P.S.) to a downstream pump station location (Northview P.S.).
These two existing pump stations will be removed from service and a new custom pump station will
be constructed to pump flow directly to the headworks of the City's Wastewater Treatment Plant
(WWTP). This redirection of flow helps the system in another way. Currently, flow from Little
Buffalo is pumped to the sole gravity interceptor feeding the Big Buffalo Wastewater Treatment
facility. As proposed, this flow will be pumped from the new lift station directly to the plant,
removing that discharge from the interceptor.
Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, one of the region's largest industries which currently discharges to the
Northview Station, has expressed an interest to expand its campus at some point in the future. It
should be noted that this expansion could take place without construction this specific project. The
combination of possible industrial expansion and an existing system need allowed the City to seek

grant funding to help address this situation. As a result, the City has been awarded financial
assistance from US Department of Commerce, Economic Development Administration (EDA), and
the North Carolina Rural Center for a portion of this project's funding.
The City has developed a `cumulative impact report' as requested by NCDWQ for the 401
Certification. (A copy is enclosed for your reference.) The findings show that of the approximately
1.4 square mile drainage area to the gravity sewer, only a 27.5-acre parcel is likely to benefit from
this line in the forseeable future. The remaining land within the drainage area has been determined
unlikely to develop as a direct result of the proposed sewer line. The reasons include: current land
use (i.e., clay mines); cost prohibitive to tie-on due to small tract size, accessibility, and
considerable distance from line; or already has access to existing sewer.
The enclosed report indicates of the 1.4 square mile drainage area to the gravity sewer, only
approximately 50 acres are in the City's jurisdiction, the remainder being in Lee County.
Development in this area is governed by the Uniform Development Ordinance which allows
development to impervious area percentages contained in the attachment. Furthermore, per the
conditions of the EDA grant award, the City is to help protect the environment by "permanently
restricting new development tap-ons to the new sewer system where the development occurs in
Jurisdictional Freshwater Wetlands, FEMA designated 100-year floodplain, prime farmland or
endangered or threatened species habitat."
We hope that this letter addresses your concern with the secondary and cumulative impacts of this
project. As described above, the purpose of this project is not to promote growth and development
but rather to improve the functionality of the City's sewer system and reduce existing impacts to the
environment due to overflows. It should be noted that elimination of the existing Little Buffalo
Creek Pump Station is on the NCDWQ Cape Fear Basinwide Plan to help improve water quality. If
you should have any questions or comments regarding this matter, please feel free to call me at 775-
8010.
Sincerely, .
v~~-
Victor I. Czar, P.E.
City Engineer
VIC/nbm
copy: Cyndi Karoly, NCDWQ

Secondary and Cumulative Impacts due to the Proposed Sanitary Sewer Improvement, Sanford, NC
ECS Project No. 06.14223, November 27, 2006
1.0 Introduction
The City of Sanford (the City) has submitted a Preconstruction Notification (PCN
Nationwide 12) to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USAGE) as required by Section
404 of the Clean Water Act, and for the North Carolina Division of Water Quality's
(DWQ) associated General 401 Water Quality Certification. This PCN application is for
stream and wetland impacts due to the proposed installation of sanitary sewer
improvements for the City.
USAGE has requested additional information to evaluate the secondary and cumulative
effects on the aquatic ecosystem that might result from the proposal. Additionally, DWQ
has requested a cumulative impact study of the project to assure that downstream water
quality would be protected in the event of future development due to the completion of
the project. The following is a qualitative analysis of future development within the
immediate area of the proposed sanitary sewer improvement project.
2.0 Purpose and Need
As designed, the proposed sanitary sewer improvement project provides much needed
improvements for the City's wastewater collection system. First, the project will remove
two existing lift stations. These lift stations and their locations are the Little Buffalo
Creek Pump Station, located south of Amos Bridges Road, and the Northview Pump
Station, located northeast of the Lee Brick & Tile Company. The Little Buffalo Creek
Station was constructed in the 1970s and is nearing the end of its design life. A large
portion of its drainage area comes from older neighborhoods with deteriorating pipes, and
the station is reportedly overwhelmed during storm events. As a result, overflows and
spills into Little Buffalo Creek occur regularly.
Additionally, by removing the Little Buffalo Creek Pump Station, the City proposes to
install a new gravity line to the Northview Township area and eliminate another aging lift
station, Northview Pump Station. By eliminating this lift station, the City proposes to
build a new, custom lift station (New Northview Pump Station) and force main that
would convey flow to the City's Big Buffalo Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP).
Each portion of the project is planned to reduce or eliminate overflows of the current
sanitary sewer system as it exists today.
3.0 Zoning of Surrounding Property
The property surrounding the area of the proposed sanitary sewer improvement project is
primarily zoned Residential/Agricultural and IndustriaVCommercial by Lee County.
Residential/Agricultural-zoned areas comprise approximately 47% of the area
surrounding the proposed ~ sanitary sewer improvement project, while
IndustriaUCommercial-zoned areas comprise approximately 53% of this area (Chart 1).
The following is a breakdown of the overall area into three smaller areas of study (Figure
1). This division simplifies illustrating zoning codes for the surrounding area.

Secondary and Cumulative Impacts due to the Proposed Sanitary Sewer Improvement, Sanford, NC
ECS Project No. 06.1~t223, November 27, 2006
West of US 15-501 (Study Area A), in the area surrounding the proposed force main to
the WWTP, the surrounding property is divided between ResidentiaVAgricultural and
IndustriaUCommercial, with approximately 53% of the area zoned as
ResidentiaUAgriculture, and approximately 47% of the area zoned as
IndustriaUCommercial (Chart 2). The most northwestern portion of this area, zoned
ResidentiaVAgricultural, is part of the Endor Iron Furnace Dedicated Preserve. The
majority of the rest of the area, zoned Heavy Industrial (HI), is owned by Lee Brick &
Tile Company. Development is not expected in the HI azeas in the foreseeable future.
Light Industrial, Highway Commercial, and Residential zoning exists along US 15-501.
East of US 15-501, and north of US 1 (Study Area B), approximately 90% of the study
area is zoned IndustriaUCommercial, and approximately 10% of the study azea is zoned
ResidentiaUAgricultural (Chart 3). The majority of this property to the north is owned by
Lee Brick & Tile (Heavy Industrial), and is used in their mining operations to
manufacture brick and building material. Use of this property is not likely to change in
the foreseeable future. The majority of the property to the south of Study Area B is
owned by Wyeth Phazmaceutical (Light Industrial). Highway Commercial and
Residential zoning exists along US 15-501. A 27.54 acre property, zoned
ResidentiaUAgricultural, is owned by Neolia C. Perkinson. This property is the largest
residential parcel in Study Area B, and is transected by a proposed sanitary sewer spur off
the main line.
South of US 1 in the area of Amos Bridges Road (Study Area C), approximately 79% of
the study area is zoned ResidentiaUCommercial, and approximately 21 % of the study
area is zoned IndustriaUCommercial (Chart 4). Two current residential subdivisions are
presently located in the area, Devroe Meadows and Bridges Pond.
4.0 Potential Development of the Surrounding Area
The overall area of the property surrounding the proposed sewer improvement project has
been broken down into five categories. These categories include: 1) Force main tap
prohibited by the City; 2) Access to current sewer; 3) No potential future development in
the foreseeable future; 4) Potential for future development; and 5) Easement acquisition
or cost prohibitive to tap into proposed sewer improvement project. The breakdown for
each of these areas for the entire surrounding area are: 1) 52%, force main tap prohibited
by the City; 2) 30%, access to current sewer; 3) 15% no potential future development in
the foreseeable future; 4) 2%, potential for future development; and 5) 1 %, cost
prohibitive and unlikely easement acquisition to tap into proposed sewer improvement
project. Each of these categories is broken down into the same Study Areas as above.
See Chart 5 titled Affect of Proposed Sewer on Development Potential-Overall Study
Area for a graphic representation of the above information.
A force main runs through an existing easement in Study Area A. This force main would
convey flow from the new Northview Pump Station to the City's WWTP. The City has
determined that it will not permit any taps into the force main. Therefore, 100% of the
property in Study Area A would be restricted from future development as a result of the
2

Secondary and Cumulative Impacts due to the Proposed Sanitary Sewer Improvement, Sanford, NC
ECS Project N~~. 06.14223, November 27, 2006
proposed !,gyp prohibition. See Chart 6 titled Affect of Proposed Sewer on Development
Potential-Study Area A for a graphic representation of the above information
A gr.ivity line runs along Little Buffalo Creek and through Study Area B. As mentioned
earler, the majority of property in this area is zoned IndustriaUCommercial (~90%), as
opposed to ResidentiaUAgricultural (~10%). Much of the property to the north (~45%)
ut Study Area B is owned by Lee Brick & Tile, and is used in their mining operations to
manufacture brick and building material. The mining operations are not expected to halt
in the foreseeable future, therefore potential future development in the area owned by Lee
Brick & Tile is not likely. Wyeth Pharmaceuticals owns much of the property (~40%) to
the south of Study Area B. Wyeth may expand its campus in the future, but can do so
with access it has to existing sewer lines. An additional residential area (~3%) located
south of the Wyeth property also has access to existing sewer. Several residential and
highway commercial areas (5%) exist along US Highway 15-501. These properties do
not have access to existing sewer. However, in order to tap into the proposed sewer
improvement project, easements through either the Lee Brick or Wyeth properties would
first have to be acquired. This is both cost prohibitive and unlikely. Finally, the
Perkinson property makes up approximately 7% of Study Area B. The spur from the
proposed sewer improvement project would transect this property if approved. This
would make future development possible on this particular parcel. See Chart 7 titled
Affect of Proposed Sewer on Development Potential-Study Area B for a graphic
representation of the above information
A gravity line for the proposed sewer improvement project would also originate in Study
Area C. This area is largely zoned Residential (~85%), with Industrial areas to the east
(~15%). The residential areas currently have access to existing sewer, and future
development may occur there without the proposed sewer improvement project. The
industrial property to the northeast of Study Area C has access to existing sewer as well.
Development of the industrial area to the southeast in unlikely due to continued mining
operations and several ponds in the area. See Chart 8 titled Affect of Proposed Sewer on
Development Potential-Study Area C for a graphic representation of the above
information
5.0 Conclusions and Results
Areas to the west of US 15-501 (Study Area A) will not have access to tap into the force
main that runs through the area. Property to the east of US I5-501, north. of US 1 (Study
Area B) is largely industrial. Most of the property in this area is either unlikely to change
its current use, or currently has access to existing sewer. Residential and highway
commercial property east of US 15-501 have access and cost limitations to development
as a result of the proposed sewer improvement project. Property to the south of US 1
(Study Area C) is largely residential. Existing sewer lines in the area can be utilized by
potential future development. However, a 27.54 acre parcel, in Study Area B owned by
Neolia C. Perkinson, is located along a proposed spur off the main sanitary sewer
improvement project. This property has potential for increased future development due
to the installation of the proposed sanitary sewer improvement project. This property
3

Secondary and Cumulative Impacts due to the Proposed Sanitary Sewer Improvement, Sanford, NC
ECS Project No. 06.14223, November 27, 2006
makes up approximately 2% of the total land in the vicinity of the proposed sewer
improvement project.
Aside from this one 27.54 acre parcel, potential development due to the proposed sanitary
sewer improvement project is either not likely (no change in land use), not feasible (no
access to tap the force main, no access/cost prohibitive to tap gravity line), or is currently
not applicable due to the presence of existing sewer lines.
Finally, the proposed sanitary sewer improvement project will provide significant
benefits, preventing future spills into Little Buffalo Creek, and improving water quality in
the region.
4

U
Z
O
U
d
J
d
__
J
d
(~
O
co
a
N
O
O
a
0
a~
0
c
a~
0
a
as
a
0
as
a~
0
T

Proposed Sanford Sewer Line
ECS Project # 14223
Overall Study Area
2°i°~ Chart 1:
15°i° I~_/° Zoning (UDO) -Overall Study Area
47%
^ Residential
36%
Study Area A
40%
^ Heavy Industrial
^ Light industrial
^ Highway Commercial
^ C-2
Chart 2:
Zoning -Study Area A
53%
^ Residential
^ Heavy Industrial
^ Light Industrial
^ Highway Commercial
',~;[~'
6% 1%

Study Area B
Study Area C
43°i

°~
Proposed Sanford Sewer Line
ECS Project # 14223
Chart 3:
Zoning -Study Area B
46%
^ Heavy Industrial
^ Light Industrial
^ Residential
^ Highway Commercial
^ C-2
1%1
Chart 4:
Zoning -Study Area C
^ Residential
^ Heavy Industrial
^ Light Industrial
^ Highway Commercial
-----.
I
~~~~3:

Proposed Sanford Sewer Line
ECS Project # 14223
Overall Study Area
1%_ Chart 5:
Affect of Proposed Sewer on Development Potential
2% ''~ % Overall Study Area
^ Forcemain Tap Prohibited
^ Access to Current Sewer
52%
^ No Development Changes Anticipated
p Potential for Future Development
30°~
Study Area A
o°i°
^ Forcemain Tap Prohibited
^ Access to Current Sewer
^ No Development Changes Anticipated
p Potential for Future Development
^ Cost Prohibitive to Connect to Proposed Sewerline
100%
Chart 6:
Affect of Proposed Sewer on Development Potential
~t~ ~~~~ Area A
^ Cost Prohibitive to Connect to Proposed Sewerline
y9
~.:aG suJ~iii.i.::r~

Proposed Sanford Sewer Line
ECS Project # 14223
Study Area B
°
~°, ~0%
Chart 7:
Affect of Proposed Sewer on Development Potential
~~.. ~_ _ Area B
5%~
^ No Development Changes Anticipated
^ Access to Current Sewer
45%
p Potential for Future Development
^ Cost Prohibitive to Connect to Proposed Sewerline
43`
Study Area C
1.ri%
^ Forcemain Tap Prohibited
Chart 8:
Affect of Proposed Sewer on on Development Potential
°
~° Studv Area C
^ Access to Current Sewer
^ No Development Changes Anticipated
^ Forcemain Tap Prohibited
p Potential for Future Development
^ Cost Prohibitive to Connect to Proposed Sewerline
~S5%
f 2I
~_ ::i.Y
~~.a'a'~ f~::..J~~i.i~~

SECONDARY AND CUMULATIVE IMPACT STUDY
PROPOSED SANITARY SEWER IMPROVEMENT PROJECT
SANFORD, NORTH CAROLINA
ECS PROJECT N0.06.14223
FOR
M.S. CONSULTANTS, INC.
336-B CARTHAGE STREET
SANFORD, NORTH CAROLINA
NOVEMBER 27, 2000