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Shopping Center and Hotel Site

Compare the photo taken in May (first photo) to the hotel and shopping center taken in Sep. (second photo )

Surely some portion of this project is subject to state erosion control measures requiring erosion stabilization after 7 days of inactivity after reaching final grade. ( if not at final grade, then after being dormant for 30 days)

Shopping Center, May 2002

shoppingcentermay.jpg

Shopping Center and Hotel Site, September, 2002
Note: This photo was taken 90 degrees clockwise vs. first photo

hotelnshopctr300a.jpg

  • Photo: looking west from intersection of 360 and Old Hundred road toward water treatment plant. Hull Street Road is main artery on left.
  • Observations:
  • Significant amounts of muddy water discharged from site into the church and Heritage  Woods creeks and into the reservoir close to the water treatment plant were observed by residents but not visible in this photo.
  • Construction site BMP/sediment basin still muddy a week after the rain.
  • No apparent mechanisms in place to separate mud/ sediment from discharge water.
  • Sediment basin should be about 400 cubic yards in size (3 acre drainage) with 50% of it wet.

phosphorus.jpeg

 

WHY IS MUDDY WATER A CONCERN?

Muddy water concerns:

1. not safety issue - utilities has assured us that water is safe and they can make drinking water out of a mud puddle. (higher cost)

2. phosphorus management is key management strategy for reservoir.

- imposed in reservoir limit of 0.05 mg/l

- imposed restrictions on new residentialconstruction to limit run off to 0.22 lb/ac/yr.

- used development plan for swift creek reservoir that controls ratio of residential to other more intense land uses (sets amount of impervious area for reservoir).

3. Muddy water is teltail for high levels of phosphorus in run off. If you can see it, it is bad.

- data from 2000 shows high phosphorus levels when suspended solids are not visible.

- expect significantly higher phosphorus loads if mud sediment is visible (20-50% sediment loading)

4. Reservoir data for tributaries(2000) showLittle Tomahawk creek at 1.5 mg/l (260 ppm suspended solids - not visible) are are 3x higher than in lake limit

- EPA guidelines for maximum phosphorus in surface waterrunoff is 1 mg/l Creek data higher than EPA guidelines. Mud

5. HAL has requested the data for 2001 be released,

6. HAL has requested this years phosphorus data for Otterdale creek and Little Tomahawk and Tomahawk creeks. (through Sep 5) .

7. High phosphorus levels can lead to taste and odor problems in the drinking water.

8. high phosphorus leads to plankton growth (algae) and reduced oxygen in water (fish kills).

9. copper sulphate (a known carcinogen at high enough concentrations) is used to kill algae.

10. High sediment loads require extra chemicals to remove the sediment from the drinking water (higher cost).

11. when Falling Creek water treatment plant was shut down some 25 years ago, high treatment cost was cited by the county for its closure. Twelve feet (12') of silt and sediment was at the base of falling creek dam at the time of plant closure.

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VA Erosion and Sediment Control Regulations

Minimum Standards

Section 4VAC50-30-40

1. Soil stabilization

- permanent or temporary soil stabilization shall be applied to denuded areas within 7 days after final grade is reached on any portion of the site.

- temporary soil stabilizatio shall be applied within 7 days to denuded areas that may not be at final grade but will remain dormant for longer than 30 days.

19 Storm water management

Properties and waterways downstream from development sites shall be protected from sediment deposition, erosion and damage due to increases in volume, velocity and peak flow rate of stormwater runoff . . .

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