Orange County NC Website
The major stream in the project area transporting runoff is Phil's Creek. Phil's Creek flows <br /> through the quarry area in a southeasterly direction emptying into University Lake. University <br /> Lake is one of two water supply sources for Orange County residents. At the quarry site Phil's <br /> Creek is bordered by a 50 foot stream buffer area. Within protected watershed districts, areas <br /> of land along perennial streams are required to remain in their natural state unless the area is <br /> subject to serious erosion, in which case an erosion resistant vegetative cover shall be <br /> established and maintained. These areas are referred to as stream buffers. The ground cover <br /> in the stream buffer area slows the velocity of runoff and allows water to infiltrate into the soil <br /> where natural bacterial and chemical processes can change or trap pollutants before they reach <br /> the stream. These stream buffers are required by Orange County in an attempt to capture non- <br /> point source pollutants. <br /> Drainage in the quarry project area is towards Phil's Creek with the area adjacent to the quarry <br /> pit draining into the pit. Water collected in the pit is pumped to one of three holding/settling <br /> ponds. Water from these ponds is used in the plant crushing operations to control particle air <br /> pollution and is returned to the holding/settling basin where the solids settle and the water is <br /> recycled through the plant. <br /> As a precaution against fuel contaminants at the new asphalt plant, the entire area in which fuels <br /> and asphaltic materials will be stored, processed, and handled will be graded so that natural <br /> surface flows will be directed to a holding pond and any oil which might enter this pond will be <br /> removed. The clean water from this pond will pass through an inverted siphon to a sedimentation <br /> basin which will hold any soil which might be present in the runoff water. This basin will be <br /> protected from having oil enter it, therefore, no liner is needed. <br /> In accordance with requirements of the North Carolina Department of Environmental Health and <br /> Natural Resources, erosion control structures have been placed at appropriate locations outside <br /> the buffer along Phil's Creek. Runoff is directed to these sediment basins and is filtered prior to <br /> entering the buffer area and on into the creek. The erosion control structures are highlighted in <br /> Figure 3.7. The Erosion and Sedimentation Control Plan for the quarry, which is included in the <br /> mining permit approved by the Division of Land Resources, is also considered a requirement of <br /> the NPDES General Permit. Guidelines in the NPDES General Permit require that all erosion and <br /> sedimentation control facilities be inspected every 7 calendar days and within 24 hours after any <br /> storm event that results in a discharge of stormwater runoff from the site. The stormwater runoff <br /> discharges shall be inspected by visual observations and the permittee shall keep a record of all <br /> 3-18 <br />