Response_to_U-6251A_NOD_6-2-22

STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
ROY COOPER J. ERIC BOYETTE
GOVERNOR SECRETARY

Mailing Address:
NC DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
DIVISION THIRTEEN
55 ORANGE STREET
ASHEVILLE, NC 28801-2340
Telephone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
Customer Service: 1-877-368-4968

Website: www.ncdot.gov
Location:
55 ORANGE STREET
ASHEVILLE, NC 28801-2340

June 2, 2022

Ms. Amy Chapman
Supervisor, Transportation Permitting Unit
North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality
Division of Water Quality
1617 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, NC 27699-1617

Subject: Notice of Deficiency (NOD-2022-SS-0001), NCDWR Project No. 20201935, TIP U-6251A,
Buncombe County

Dear Ms. Chapman,

This letter is in response to the Division of Environmental Quality issuance of NOD-2022-SS-0001 (NOD)
on project TIP U-6251A in Buncombe County which was issued on May 23, 2022. Below are the
responses to the specific items identified in the NOD.

Please explain why the violations occurred.

The North Carolina Department of Transportation is in the process of constructing a roadway on a new
location which will connect US 19/23 (Smokey Park Highway) to Walk Off Way. The construction
requires a 15-foot Structural Plate Pipe to be installed. As part of this construction, two impervious dikes
were installed, one upstream and one downstream of the work area. On May 19, 2022, the area received
rainfall which was reported to have been between 0.3 and 0.7 inches in the vicinity of the project.

Following the rain event, the work area was inundated with water from the stream. As noted in the NOD,
the bypass pump that was located above the work area ran out of fuel. NCDOT notified NCDEQ of this
event on May 19, 2022. On May 20, 2022, NCDEQ visited the site. The contractor began the process of
dewatering the site and, for a short period of time, did not utilize the silt bags which were present on site.
NCDEQ stopped the operation and notified the on-site NCDOT representative who immediately visited the
location and ensured the dewatering operation was being performed correctly.

Please describe how you intend to prevent these violations from occurring in the future.

The contractor has been instructed not to dewater the work site directly into the stream. The contractor
may dewater the work site by using multiple pumps discharging through silt bags. A fuel tank is now
located on site to allow fueling of the pumps. The contractor will continue to monitor the pump system.

Moving forward, the plan is to maintain the existing upstream dike and bypass pump to maintain base flows
around the work area. A geotextile liner will be placed over the stone bed and adjacent slopes to allow for
larger flows of water to pass through the site from above and limit contact with bare soil in the work area.

Please describe all remediation efforts that have occurred and/or are planned including the removal of in-
stream sediment.

The exposed area in the vicinity of the pipe installation project has been seeded and mulched. The
contractor continues to dewater the site by utilizing silt bags and multiple pumps. The contractor has
begun the removal of the silt that is located just downstream of the construction area. The contractor has
removed 18 five-gallon buckets of material to date and plans to continue the removal of sediment as
necessary.

If you have any questions regarding the project, please contact Mr. McCray Coates, P.E., Resident
Engineer, at 828-658-7030.

Sincerely,

Tim W. Anderson, P.E.
Division Engineer

TWA/hmc

cc: Ms. Lori Beckwith, US Army Corps of Engineers, Asheville District Office
Mr. Mark T. Gibbs, P.E., Western Deputy Chief Engineer
Mr. Roger Bryan, Division Environmental Officer
Mr. Stan Aiken, DEMLR, Asheville Regional Office
Mr. McCray Coates, P.E., Resident Engineer