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34 <br /> 1 David Barcal said each lot requires an initial system, plus a 100% sized repair field per <br /> 2 state and county rules. For example, a four-bedroom home would require the installation of a four- <br /> 3 bedroom system for the initial septic, and space would have to be dedicated to an equal-sized <br /> 4 system for the repair field, which could not be disturbed by sheds, structures, pools, etc. <br /> 5 Vice-Chair Hamilton said it looks like most of the yards are reserved for septic in the plan. <br /> 6 David Barcal said that it is true for lots of this size. He said residents will not be able to <br /> 7 have pools or manipulate the yards very much. <br /> 8 Beth Trahos said with cluster designs, there are smaller lots, but there is more dedicated <br /> 9 open space maintained by the Homeowners' Association, which provides an opportunity for <br /> 10 recreation. <br /> 11 Vice-Chair Hamilton asked how septic systems in conventional soils perform when there <br /> 12 is a lot of rain or flooding. <br /> 13 David Barcal said typically when the soil scientists conduct analyses for systems of this <br /> 14 size, they're just looking at the texture of the soil. He said they will drill borings, and will go down <br /> 15 until they either hit a confining layer or a restrictive layer, or a soil wetness layer. That is what <br /> 16 helps them determine the class of the soil, and each one of those classes is based on the North <br /> 17 Carolina rules. The soil falls into either group one, group two, group three, or group four, and the <br /> 18 group classifies what your loading rate can be, which is how many gallons the soil can accept per <br /> 19 day per square foot. He said in this case, the soil scientist has drilled holes throughout the site to <br /> 20 develop a map to figure out where those soils fall. He said it isn't possible to design for extreme <br /> 21 weather scenarios per se, but a system designed right that was investigated right, should function <br /> 22 in the dry seasons and the wet seasons. <br /> 23 Commissioner McKee asked for more information about going back to the original septic <br /> 24 system after failure. From personal experience, he said it is not always possible to go between <br /> 25 the original drain field and the repair field. <br /> 26 David Barcal said there are some variables, but it would be unlikely to be able to go back <br /> 27 to the original drain field after a short amount of time because there has been no recovery time. <br /> 28 He said recovery time typically means the lifespan of a traditional septic field. <br /> 29 Commissioner McKee said he asked that because 37 borings were suitable conventional <br /> 30 and 45 were less than conventional. He said he understands that most of the lots fall in the <br /> 31 conventional soil area, but there is still lots of less ideal soil. <br /> 32 David Barcal said the reason you might see a lot of borings with low profiles is that the soil <br /> 33 scientist is trying to identify the perimeter areas of where that soil transitions and is trying to map <br /> 34 exactly where the boundaries of that conventional soil are. <br /> 35 Commissioner McKee said he is concerned about homeowners who may not have enough <br /> 36 conventional soil on their lot. He said these are very compressed lots/ <br /> 37 David Barcal said the actual septic area wouldn't change regardless of the lot size, and <br /> 38 the probability of it failing wouldn't be dictated by the lot size either. <br /> 39 Commissioner McKee said he was not talking about the probability of failure due to the lot <br /> 40 size, but rather that there are fewer options to relocate a third option with a smaller lot size in case <br /> 41 the original septic field and the repair field both fail. <br /> 42 David Barcal said the options to relocate are based on where the suitable soil is, and some <br /> 43 of these smaller lots have more conventional soil than larger lots he's worked on. <br /> 44 Commissioner McKee reiterated that a 20,000 square foot lot reduces the options. <br /> 45 David Barcal acknowledged Commissioner McKee's point and added that the initial and <br /> 46 repair fields are identified prior to pursuing a permit to ensure there is a 100% repair option. <br /> 47 <br /> 48 <br />