D9 - Investigation Field Audit April 2021 - signed

Date:
To
CITY OF
DURHAM
July 20, 2021
Mikel Corporaal, EP&C Coordinator
Signature: Mike[ Corporaa[ (Juf 20, 202115:39 EDT)
Cc: Michelle Woolfolk, EP&C Sr. Manager
From: Jim Azarelo, EP&C Analyst
Subject: IDDE Field Investigation Audit
Introduction
Memo
Date: J u 120, 2021
This writing presents the results of an audit of the City of Durham's Illicit Discharge
Detection and Elimination (IDDE) investigation program for the 2020-2021 fiscal year.
This audit was conducted to evaluate investigation methods and practices used by staff
members in the Stormwater & GIS Services Water Quality Group. The staff member
subject to the field audit must read and sign this document to affirm his or her
understanding of its contents.
At 9:00 a.m. on April 21, 2021, Water Quality received a hotline call from Mr. Robert
Arriaga, owner of LHUR Properties, LLC. Mr. Arriaga's company was engaged in
renovating the residence and grounds located at 1619 Avondale Dr. Mr Arriaga reported
that residents at the adjacent 1621 Avondale Dr. premises were throwing trash into the
stream behind 1619.
At approximately 2:10 p.m. on April 22, 2021, 1 accompanied lead investigator Mikel
Corporaal while he conducted an investigation into this complaint. Database record
number 21 WQ076 was created for this investigation.
Investigation Preparation
This investigation was conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic, employees were all
telecommuting, and City Hall was closed to the public.
Before departing from his home office, Mikel queried the investigations database for
prior history at this location. There was no relevant site history. He also inspected the
GIS webmap for parcel data and other nearby related investigations. Mikel and I
discussed some investigation strategies prior to heading out. As we discussed, trash
investigations can be difficult to resolve unless there is sufficient evidence to link the
dumping to a responsible party. In the absence of such evidence, the only resolution
may be holding a property owner responsible for cleaning up their own premises.
101 City Hall Plaza, Durham, NC 27701 919.560.1200 DurhamNC.gov Follow Us @CityofDurhamNC

Mikel was prepared with the ESRI Explorer mobile app on his phone for ease of data
querying in the field. As this complaint did not allege any substance discharge, Mikel
reasonably did not choose to pack a Chemetrics kit or sample measurement devices.
He appropriately donned a high -visibility vest and safety shoes for this investigation.
Investigation Details
Mike[ and I drove together, following Risk Management guidelines for social distancing,
and he safely navigated to the intersection of Avondale and Camden. He chose to park
on Camden, where traffic was less frequent. We safely crossed Avondale to find the
investigation site.
Mikel initially made observations and took photographs of the 1619 and 1621 parcels
from the sidewalk. It was immediately apparent that 1619 was under significant
renovation and site grading. Mikel made contact with a worker at 1619 and, through
him, was able to speak with Mr. Arriaga on the phone. Mr. Arriaga granted permission
for us to cross the site and make observations of the stream behind it.
Mikel deduced from observations and the GIS webmap that the "stream" was actually a
mapped drainage ditch feature, receiving runoff from adjacent properties and drainage
inlets on Avondale Dr. He also observed and photographed a de minimus amount of old
trash and a few old bricks in and around the ditch. He concluded that the evidence did
not support a finding that illicit dumping of trash was occurring. He then turned his
attention to the actual work being conducted on Mr. Arriaga's premises. It was evident
that re -grading and removal of trees on the parcel resulted in considerable blockage of
the drainage ditch. He also observed that the stormwater pipe leading from an inlet on
Avondale was completely buried under the new property grade. Using GIS attribute
data, Mikel identified that NCDOT was the owner/operator of this stormwater
infrastructure.
InvPctieatinn RPSUItS
Mikel entered his initial investigation findings into the database at approximately 11:00
a.m. on April 23, 2021.
He correctly identified that no actionable Water Quality issues were evident, but that
evidence pointed to issues that may be actionable by both Infrastructure Drainage and
the NCDOT. He forwarded a well -worded description of his investigation findings to both
groups.
A representative from NCDOT later responded on May 4, 2021 to let Mikel know that
they would be conducting an inspection.
Sean Tuttle of Infrastructure Drainage created a Service Request on May 5, 2021
(#1210997) and additionally forwarded details to his NCDOT contact person. Sean
contacted Mr. Arriaga and performed a site visit to assess. Further collaboration with the
Development Services Center revealed that Mr. Arriaga had not secured the necessary
101 City Hall Plaza, Durham, NC 27701 919.560.1200 DurhamNC.gov Follow Us @CityofDurhamNC
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permits for the construction. Subsequently, a stop work order was issued on May 25,
2021 until necessary permits and clearances were granted.
As of July 7, 2021, a building permit had not yet been granted and the site construction
and grading had not progressed since May. The Service Request was closed, referring
the matter entirely to NCDOT.
This Water Quality investigation was also closed, as no actionable stormwater quality
issues were identified.
Audit Recommendation:.
I have no recommendations for Mikel at this time. This investigation was conducted
efficiently and according to all established IDDE and safety procedures and guidelines.
Excellent work gathering sufficient information to pass on to other groups and agencies
who may have interests at stake.
101 City Hall Plaza, Durham, NC 27701 919.560.1200 DurhamNC.gov Follow Us @CityofDurhamNC
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Investigation Field Audit April 2021
Final Audit Report 2021-07-20
Created:
2021-07-20
By:
James Azarelo ([e-mail])
Status:
Signed
Transaction ID:
CBJCHBCAABAA4yAWNYmuKw2SjnHhDxVJYBZGkcYtYJBb
"Investigation Field Audit April 2021" History
Document created by James Azarelo ([e-mail])
2021-07-20 - 7:17:08 PM GMT- IP address: 45.37.177.21
Document emailed to Mikel Corporaal ([e-mail]) for signature
2021-07-20 - 7:17:28 PM GMT
Email viewed by Mikel Corporaal ([e-mail])
2021-07-20 - 7:18:23 PM GMT- IP address: 3.91.194.240
dp Document e-signed by Mikel Corporaal ([e-mail])
Signature Date: 2021-07-20 - 7:39:36 PM GMT - Time Source: server- IP address: 99.14.151.134
Agreement completed.
2021-07-20 - 7:39:36 PM GMT
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