Orange County NC Website
Browse       Search
24 <br /> MM& michael m. hughes, p.e. <br /> Civil Engineers <br /> July 31, 2015 <br /> Michael D. Harvey AICP, CFO, CZO <br /> Current Planning Supervisor—Planner III <br /> Orange County Planning Department <br /> Re: Harts Mill Sewer System Design <br /> Dear Mr. Harvey: <br /> Some questions have been raised about wastewater disposal for the Harts Mill Village and they are <br /> centered about four general areas. <br /> These questions are addressed in the paragraphs below. <br /> 1) What is the appropriate solution for Harts Mill, a single large field for the entire community or <br /> smaller, either individual or clustered fields? <br /> The answer is tightly coupled to the overall site design objectives and goals. Either answer could <br /> be correct depending on several factors. The Harts Mill Village by design is pedestrian centric, <br /> with dwelling units in close proximity to each other,maximizing open space, with an emphasis on <br /> low impact development. <br /> These goals create a design concept which condenses the overall footprint of the community <br /> leaving the greater area of the parent tract for conservation and passive activities. The <br /> manifestation of this design is that the provision of individual or clustered septic fields and the <br /> associated tanks becomes a spatially challenged, if not impracticable and costly exercise. <br /> The better solution for a tightly-clustered village like the current design for Harts Mill is a <br /> centralized sewage collection system resulting in a single larger diameter sewer pipe for the <br /> village. In contrast, individual or clustered septic fields if utilized would require a web of <br /> individual sewer pipes,which out of necessity would be side-by-side, difficult to access and <br /> maintain, with cleanouts at each bend, ultimately radiating from the village boundary to the <br /> smaller scale septic fields. <br /> Individual or clustered fields would also introduce other issues that are inconsistent with the goals <br /> of the community. First,the location of the septic tanks,with appropriate access for cleanout by <br /> heavy trucks, becomes problematic considering setback requirements if they are located close to <br /> the home, and potential solids deposition in pipes if they are located further away from the homes. <br /> Secondly,the footprint of the community would have to be larger with either individual or <br /> clustered systems with more space between the homes for piping and tankage. <br /> 8112 Orange Grove Road Chapel Hill,NC 27516 (919)270-6462 <br />