HomeMy WebLinkAboutWQCS00371_Compliance Eval Inspection_Response Rvd_202211031
NC STATE
UNIVERSITY
November 3, 2022
Office of Finance and Administration
Campus Operations & Maintenance
facilities,ofa.ncsu.edu
Mr. Scott Vinson
Regional Supervisor
Water Quality Regional Operation Section
Raleigh Regional Office
NC DEQ — Division of Water Resources
1611 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, North Carolina 27699-1641
Reference: Response to Compliance Evaluation Inspection
North Carolina State University Collection System
Collection System Permit No: WQCS00371
Wake County
Dear Mr. Vinson:
Campus Box 7513
Raleigh, NC 27695-7513
P 919.513.7151
F: 919.513.8805
NC Dept ofEnvironmental Quality
Nov 3 2022
Raleigh Regional Office
This letter is to respond to NC DWR regarding the Compliance Evaluation Inspection(CEI) that was received
on October 5, 2022. The CEI letter requested responses to items 2, 3 and 7 noted during the June 30,
2022 inspection. My staff has reviewed the items and responses to each are provided below.
Item 2. The CIP lacks the following elements: goal statement, description of the project area, description of
the existing facilities, known deficiencies and forecasted future needs. The CIP has been updated to
include these elements and is attached for your review/use.
Item 3. System map does not include simplex pump stations and related pressure sewer. All simplex pump
station locations and associated pressure sewer piping will be added to the system map by November 30,
2022.
Item 7. Weisiger Brown Facility pump station inspection deficiencies and determination of simplex/duplex
pump stations and provide locations, pump number and pump capacity of all pump stations to the Division.
The Weisiger Brown pump station alarm has been connected to the Building Automation System (remote
alarm system). The visual/audible alarms will be repaired within the next three months. A pad lock will be
installed on the wet well by November 7, 2022.
Mr. Scott Vinson
Response to Compliance Inspection
November 3, 2022
Page 2
It has been our understanding since the initial issuance of this permit that pumps serving a single building
are not considered a duplex pumping station, even if two pumps are installed. We would request further
discussion with your staff on this designation while my staff is collecting the pump information requested.
It is anticipated that these discussions could take place by November 30, 2022. In order to be in compliance
while this review is taking place, weekly inspections of the Weisiger Brown pump station will begin the week
of November 7, 2022.
If there are any further concerns regarding this matter please contact Alan Daeke at agdaekencsu.edu,
or 919-513-5081.
Sincerely,
7i,//r
Allen Boyette
Senior Director, Campus Operations and Maintenance
Facilities Division
North Carolina State University
c: Douglas Morton, NCSU (e-copy)
Alan Daeke, NCSU (e-copy)
Cheng Zhang, DW R RRO (e-copy and hard copy)
NC Dept of Environmental Quality
NOV 3 2022
Raleigh Regional Office
NC STATE UNIVERSITY
Sanitary Sewer Master Plan and
Capital Plan
November 2022
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Contents
Executive Summary 3
Overview 3
Observations 3
Introduction 4
Goal Statement 4
Topography 4
Planning Considerations 4
Regulatory Considerations 5
Summary 5
Existing Wastewater Collection System Description 5
Overview 5
Service Areas 5
Main Campus 6
Centennial Campus 6
CBC Veterinary School 6
Operation and Maintenance 7
Known Deficiencies 7
Projected Changes 7
Projected Projects 7
Main Campus 7
Centennial Campus 8
CBC Veterinary School 8
Summary 8
Proposed Improvements 8
Overview 8
Capital Improvements Plan 9
Summary 9
Appendix 1 — NC State Campus Region Diagram 10
Appendix 2 — NCSU Five Year Sanitary Sewer Capital Improvement Plan 11
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Executive Summary
Overview
This document represents the 2022 Sanitary Sewer Master Plan for the Raleigh Campus of North
Carolina State University. NC State was founded in 1887 as a land-grant institution. There have been
tremendous changes over the years, and as a research -extensive land-grant university, North Carolina
State University is dedicated to excellent teaching, the creation and application of knowledge, and
engagement with public and private partners. By uniting our strength in science and technology with a
commitment to excellence in a comprehensive range of disciplines, NC State promotes an integrated
approach to problem solving that transforms lives and provides leadership for social, economic, and
technological development across North Carolina and around the worldbut the mission remains as an
opportunity for higher education for the citizens of North Carolina and beyond. The growth has lead NC
State to be the largest University in North Carolina. The school strives to provide quality, accessible
education to students that is grounded in real -work experience.
Observations
• Capital Project funding is a major mechanism for sewer system improvements. The campus has
undergone significant growth in the past two decades, and the sewer system has improved with
these projects.
• The NC State University (NC State) wastewater collection system (WCS) is, on the whole, well
maintained and administered, as evidenced by the limited number of historical releases from
the system.
• A program of cleaning and inspecting the sewer system, including those parts which have had
no history of causing operational problems, has been carried out for a number of years, leading
to the low number of sanitary sewer overflow events.
• The wastewater collection system (WCS) is currently operating at or below capacity. Campus
growth projects are managed during the design stage to prevent overload situations.
• City of Raleigh (CoR) sewer mains pass through the NC State campus, and service as the main
wastewater flow lines leading to the Neuse River POTW.
• Significant WCS updates are funded as capital projects through Repair and Replacement Funding
(R&R) and are approved by the North Carolina legislature and the UNC System Office.
• NC State uses an inspection program to cover the entire campus over a 10 year period. One
tenth of the campus is cleaned and inspected each year.
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Introduction
Goal Statement
This plan has been prepared to serve two primary purposes: (1) to provide the University with the
information it needs to budget and plan for wastewater collection system infrastructure needs, and; (2)
to satisfy a condition of the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ)collection system
permitting program. NC State University in Raleigh consists of 5 campus precincts occupying a total of
2,200 acres. These precincts are (1) Centennial Campus, (2) the West, or CBC Veterinary Campus, (3)
North portion of Main Campus, (4) Central portion of Main campus, and (5) South portion of main
Campus. The portions of Main Campus make up the original Campus. The report deals with the
Campuses as three distinct areas. The three campus areas (Main, Centennial, and CBC) are
geographically distinct with no interconnection of wastewater collection lines between these areas.
Topography
The entire NC State Campus lies within the City of Raleigh borders, and within the Neuse River water-
shed. The area is part of the Piedmont Region of North Carolina, having relatively gentle sloping
landscape. The gravity sewer system generally flow toward bodies of water, where the WCS connects to
the City of Raleigh sewer mains. Water bodies within the campus areas include: Rocker Branch Creek, a
tributary of the Walnut Creek; Lake Raleigh; and the Teaching Animal Unit Pond, in the CBC Vet School
pasture, that feeds into House Creek. All water bodies are eventually connected to the Neuse River.
The campus is served by gravity sewer systems, with no duplex or multi -building lift stations included in
the system.
Planning Considerations
NC State has made significant improvements in the update and maintenance of the sewer drawing
records. The WCS is now entered into and maintained on a Computer Aided Design (CAD) software
system. This improvement alone allows for better inspections of the WCS, improved information for
project planning involving the WCS, and better identification of parts that need maintenance or other
improvements. The improvement in the WCS records also facilitates the continued growth regarding the
tie-in of new sewer pipe connections. The tracking of the age of the sewer branches, being documented
in the drawings, also serves as an aid in the identification of planned sewer maintenance and
improvements.
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Regulatory Considerations
NC State received its first Wastewater Collection System permit in 2010, and is in the process of applying
for a permit renewal. The existing permit expires in 2026. Following the receipt of the first WCS permit,
the University developed a Standard Operating Policy (SOP #837) to address the permit and regulatory
requirements. The SOP has been updated and maintained to reflect current conditions as things have
changed within the University.
NC State uses an Integrated Maintenance Management System to keep track of preventative
maintenance, and to routinely assign tasks necessary for compliance with the requirements. Examples
of tasks scheduled by the Work Order System include: Grease Trap inspections; Sewer System
Inspections, and Annual Reporting requirements.
There are appendices to the SOP dealing with Sanitary Sewer Overflows emergency response and
reporting requirements, as well as a Contact Phone Listing. The documents and Work Order system have
proved to be invaluable for maintaining a good operating WCS and compliance with the regulations.
Summary
The 2017 Sanitary Sewer Master Plan has been prepared for the North Carolina State University. It
encompasses the entire Raleigh Campus and the oldest sanitary sewer lines in the University sewer
collection system. Sanitary Sewer Master Plan has been prepared to: (1) assist the University in making
sure the planned improvements in the classroom, teaching, student housing, administration and support
facilities have adequate wastewater infrastructure; (2) assist the University in the maintenance of
existing sewer infrastructure, and; (3) assist the University in complying with its wastewater collection
system operating permit conditions.
Existing Wastewater Collection System Description
Overview
It is best to describe the existing WCS separately for the three Campus areas: Main, Centennial, and CBC
Veterinary Campuses. CBC is the abbreviation for the Centennial Biomedical Campus, historically termed
Veterinary School or "Vet School".
Service Areas
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Main Campus
This encompasses the oldest portions of the NC State University, and is roughly bordered on the north
by Hillsborough Street, and on the south by Western Blvd. As the Main Campus expanded over the
years, there were a great deal of projects that were completed to maintain sewer capacity and allow for
the growth of the University. Some early projects were not well documented, therefore the exact age of
the system in some area is unknown. Age has been estimated by the construction dates for the nearby
buildings. It has been acknowledged that this is an inaccurate method, but selected as the best available
information. Some early improvement projects and repairs and replacement of sewer piping in this area
has not historically been well defined or documented.
The system operates well considering the age of parts of the system. It is a testament to the University's
infrastructure maintenance and the consideration of capacity during building design phases. In summary
the WCS for Main campus is considered adequate and there are no significant growth plans for this
campus area.
Centennial Campus
This is the newest of the campus areas within NC State. The first. buildings in this area were constructed
in the late 1980's and most of the growth in building this campus was within the last 15 years. The
campus is roughly bordered by Centennial Parkway and Avent Ferry Road. The sewer infrastructure is
considered to be in excellent condition.
This area is where the future growth for NC State will occur. The infrastructure changes needed to
support this growth are done at the beginning of each capital project for building design, and reviewed
by North Carolina State Construction Office prior to ground breaking. The multi -step practice prevents
the design of buildings without the necessary sewer capacity to support the buildings occupancy.
CBC Veterinary school
The Vet School Campus sewer system is of intermediate age, with the first buildings for this area
constructed in 1950's, with real growth for the facility in the early 2000's. There have been some
historical sewer problems regarding the management of animal wastes, but this issue has been
addressed with the use of floor drain solid traps in key areas.
Overall the sewer system is in good shape and the area is expected to go through moderate growth. This
will be managed in a similar manner to the Centennial Campus with capital project review, both by NC
State, the State Construction Office, and the project engineering team.
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Operation and Maintenance
Operation and Maintenance of the wastewater collection system is the responsibility of the Utilities
Distribution sub -group within the Utilities and Engineering Group under the Facilities Division of the
North Carolina State University Campus Operations and Maintenance. The Utilities Distribution group is
fully equipped with jet cleaning equipment and sewer cameras needed for routine maintenance and has
an excavator and other construction equipment where more substantial repairs are required. The
Utilities and Distribution group maintains a close working relationship with licensed utility contractors
should situations arise which require more maintenance and repair work than the Utilities Distribution
group can accomplish within any given allotted time.
The Utilities distribution group has a program for cleaning and inspecting all wastewater collection lines
and the Work Order system provides reminders to complete the preventative maintenance on the WCS.
This is a program to systematically assess problem free lines for the purpose of detecting future
potential problem areas before line back-ups or stoppages occur. The program performs inspections and
cleanings on one tenth of the system each year. The current pipe run is calculated to be 120,000 feet of
sewer piping, therefore the inspection and cleaning is to cover 12,000 feet per year.
Known Deficiencies
There are only a small number of known problem areas within the University wastewater collection
system, and the Utilities Distribution group has developed preventative maintenance programs for each
of these areas to prevent overflows and backups from occurring. Known problem areas are located on
the North portion of Main Campus. These sewer mains are washed weekly to prevent backups from
occurring and are slated for repair and/or replacement with future planned projects.
Projected Changes
Projected Projects
Main Campus
There is one significant building project scheduled for the next few years in this campus area: the
Integrative Sciences building. This project has gone through the project review process, including
capacity review, described previously.
There are also repair and renovation projects targeted specifically for addressing known problem areas
in the WCS on Main Campus scheduled to occur in the next few years.
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Centennial Campus
Two new buildings opened on Centennial Campus over the past two years, Fitts -Woolard and Plant
Sciences. These buildings were connected to the WCS and designed to meet the sanitary sewer codes
for the building's designed use. No problems were identified during the excavation and tie in for these
new facilities.
There are currently no named buildings that are scheduled to be constructed in the next few years,
however the growth of the engineering school as well as the start of construction of the new Innovation
District are likely to begin. All new buildings and connections will go through the project review process,
including capacity review, to ensure that the WCS is adequate to handle the project growth.
CBC Veterinary School
There is one new building scheduled to be constructed in the next few years in this campus area: The
Translational Research Facility. This project has gone through the project review process, including
capacity review, described previously.
Summary
No significant changes are planned for the immediate future, other than the work required to enable
new buildings to tie-in to the existing WCS.
Proposed Improvements
Overview
Of the three campus areas covered by this plan, only the main Campus has significant age to the system.
The Main Campus has benefitted from having a dedicated on -staff corps of employees responsible for
the maintenance of the Wastewater Collection System throughout the history of the University. This
management approach has resulted in a history of minimal sewer releases to nearby bodies of water.
The implementation of annual sewer inspections and cleanings continues. One tenth of the system is
inspected and cleaned each year, preventing plugging of the system, and the resulting sewer overflow
and releases. During the inspection program, any areas found to need maintenance are placed on a
project listing and prioritized for funding in the annual budget planning effort.
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Capital Improvements Plan
NC State University is a public university, and capital improvement funds are appropriated from the
State Legislature. This frequently comes in the form of R&R (Repair and Renovation) funds, The
Legislature provides this funding for all of the UNC System, and it is divided by Campus under this
umbrella. The portion of this fund provided to NC State is further divided to meet all of the R&R needs
of the Campus, including the WCS maintenance.
The management of this funding requires a system of prioritizing all the Campus maintenance and
dividing of the funds to meet the top priorities. The portion allocated to the WCS is managed by the
Utilities and Engineering Services department. Each project is reviewed to determine whether internal
staff can provide the solution to the maintenance issue, or whether a contractor will be required to
resolve the identified issue.
NC State is under the obligation to manage the public funds in the best way possible to assure the tax
payers of North Carolina that the funding is put the best use possible. R&R money has recently been
allocated to NC State to make improvements and repairs to the WCS. Project locations will be
determined based on known problem areas identified from annual inspections and maintenance. These
projects are in the earliest stages and design is expected to start in the next few years.
Summary
NC State University ensures a proper operating Wastewater Collection System via staff support and the
prioritization of R&R funding for Campus maintenance projects.
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Appendix 1— NC State Campus Region Diagram
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Appendix 2 — NCSU Five Year Sanitary Sewer Capita! Improvement Plan
NC State University
Wastewater Collection System Budget
OPERATING BUDGET (Salary. Maintenance and Repair) 5 218.400
5a ary
Maintenance & Repair
General maintenance 521,000
Contracted Repairs 515,750
Supplies/Vehicles 5 3.675
Fixed Charges 5 1,050
5176.925
541,475
Five Year Sanitary Sewer Capital Improvement Plan
Correct issues on sewer line between Dabney and Cox 5150,000
Replace Sanitary Collectors/lines at Court of North Carolina 5175,000
Reline sewer line from West Parking lot to Sullivan Drive 5 75,000
Rene sewer line from Mann Hall to Yarbrough CUP $ 75,000
Correct Various Storm & Sanitary Issue 5 70,000
Replace line searing Tucker Residence Hall 5 78,000
Replace line serving Wood and Welsger Brown $101,000
Replace lines in the Syme/Gold/Welch Area 5269,000
Replace/upgrade lines in the Scott/Phytotron/Gardner Area 5315,000
Broughton Hall replace —500 FT of pipe 5100,000
College of Design at Riddick Lot replace/new pipe 5150,000
integrated Sciences Building $ 897,000
TOTAL: 52,505,000
Updated 3/1B/2022
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