Pender R-3300B Hampstead Bypass - Report of Losses and Compliance Issues

From:Farrell, Sean C
To:Shaver, Brad E CIV USARMY CESAW (US); Sprinkle, Hannah H; Lane, Stephen
Cc:Bullard, Jason M; Herndon, T. Mason; Westphal, Anneliese; Gingrich, Sophia E
Subject:Pender R-3300B Hampstead Bypass - Report of Losses and Compliance Issues
Date:Monday, August 22, 2022 8:44:30 PM
Attachments:image001.png
inletTempPipe.jpg
bankscourOutlet.jpg
underminedSiltFence.jpg
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RestorationEfforts.JPG
Brad, Hannah, and Stephen,

I am reporting some compliance issues out at R-3300B Site # 3 Culvert # 10 at Harrisons Creek. The
project received over 4.5” or rain over the weekend which caused erosion around the inlet of the
temporary diversion pipe and the temporary diversion channel that the contractor had just finished
prior to the weekend (this was all constructed within the originally permitted impacts but the
contractor will still need the additional impacts that we submitted in our recent modification request
for the wing wall installation phase). The diversion channel also received sediment from
undermining of the silt fence that was installed along the top of the bank of the diversion channel. I
did not see any deposits of sediment downstream but it looked more turbid and it is safe to assume
a good amount of sediment made it’s way offsite. We will keep our eye out as the water level drops
for anything that we may be able to retrieve.

Part of the undermining of the silt fence was due runoff from a large a stockpile site (spoils from the
digging of the channel and the adjacent basin) that was located less than 50’ from the diversion
channel. I asked the contractor to relocate the material and informed them that they need to treat
the diversion channels as if they were active streams with regards to stockpiling material. The
contractor installed a fill burrito (fill wrapped in geotextile fabric) to dike off the temporary diversion
channel and reroute water back through the JS since they had not yet grubbed the banks. The water
looked clear running through the JS and I did not see any erosion. I also informed the contractor that
they needed to use sheet pile or another approved impervious dike method while they fix the pipes
and diversion channel as the fill burrito is not an approved method.

Last but not least, the contractor made a bad situation worse. In an effort to dike off the inlet of the
temporary diversion channel, the contractor drove their excavator across an area of wetland where
we are not permitted for any impacts. The safety fence was laying to the side and had been caught
in the tracks of the excavator. Evidently the contractor did not think about what they were doing in
their urgency to dike off the temporary diversion channel. Our initial estimates of this unpermitted
wetland impact area is approximately 657 square feet (Y30RPA ~16+00 98L). They had their
surveyors out this evening and we will send an accurate square footage and marked up permit
drawing of the area tomorrow. Ben Meyer was able to send me a photo of their restoration efforts
of where the contractor tried to place the material back in the ruts. I will be onsite again tomorrow
to get some additional photos and monitor how they are proceeding. I will provide updates. I am
pretty sure a good portion of the unauthorized impacts are in the area of additional temporary
impacts that we recently submitted a modification request for, so that is something else we need to
consider.

I am very sorry to have to report this and I am pretty disappointed in the many compliance issues
that transpired so quickly at this site. We are going to have to monitor this contractor’s activities
more closely to make sure they our meeting our expectations for environmental compliance.

Thanks,

Sean Farrell
Division Environmental Officer
Division 3
NCDOT- Division of Highways

910-341-2033 office
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