Orange County NC Website
Commissioner Rich: I don't know if this question is for you or for our staff. How come the <br /> septic system is reviewed by the State as opposed to Orange County? <br /> Chad Abbott: It is because the system at this site —and we designed these as well — I don't <br /> know that we designed this system, but the system at this site, there was no conventional septic <br /> field big enough for the uses on this site when it was built as a school. So therefore, they took <br /> in the State—that is by Orange County deferred to the State, for design and approval by a <br /> consultant and the State approves an Alternate Septic System, is what it's called. And it's an <br /> alternate septic system. It's not your conventional septic tank with drain lines. It's a spray field. <br /> Commissioner Rich: Follow up? So as you get more students in here, and you're building <br /> more and more, it says that you're going to need to have additional septic field capacity? <br /> Chad Abbott: Possibly, yes. <br /> Commissioner Rich: Do you have room to have the additional capacity for the septic fields? <br /> Chad Abbott: The way that would work would be an additional design. You know, the reason <br /> for these alternative systems is that you don't have soil that perks, in the first place. And so <br /> there's —you can look at the campus- there is abundant room to design an alternate system, <br /> such that it can be—the discharge of those systems, or the spray, or the drip of those systems <br /> is, is predicated by the infiltration rate of the soil. So whatever—there is abundant land, in <br /> whichever section, if needed to add on to the existing system, you know would just be, the <br /> design would be per that section of land. It's not a matter of it could be designed, it can be. It's <br /> just whether or not— if it doesn't perk, you know it just requires a little bit more area, which <br /> there's abundant area on the site. If one of the buildings shown creates a volume of waste <br /> water that can't be treated on site, then obviously they'd just wouldn't be able to build that <br /> building. <br /> Commissioner Rich: And is that also regulated by the State, as you grow? So you would <br /> have to get the State to approve that? <br /> Chad Abbott: I think, I think, yes, I think the building permits with the County somehow through <br /> this approval — I'm not going to speak for them — but would be tracked. The occupancy of each <br /> building —which then, you know—the waste water flow is based on number of students. So as <br /> those students grow, obviously it'll hit a trigger, for which the old septic system is now <br /> insufficient, and would require a new design, or upgrade. <br /> Patrick Mallet: I'll just add to that. So, this is the master planner conceptual part of the <br /> process. So we're looking at things in what I would call a cartoon fashion. After that point, they <br /> continue to refine, and there's not a necessary sequence in terms of the building, so they can't <br /> really define their septic field. But, yes, when they would go and submit for any one of the <br /> buildings, they would have to submit site plans for that building or buildings and then part of the <br /> check off process would be to insure that there's enough capacity, and if not, they would have to <br /> expand the field. The other thing that I would note is that the area that they are currently using <br /> is — it's probably not even a third of the area south of Millhouse. They have a large <br /> undeveloped, or underdeveloped, portion of property on the south side of Millhouse. <br /> Commissioner Rich: Thank you. I mean I guess my biggest concern is that the State is <br /> approving it, and I just want to make sure that we're also keeping track of it. I'm sure you all <br />