Designing and Permitting

Submit application materials through the permit portal

• Complete and sign an Erosion Control & Stormwater Joint Application form
• Complete and sign a Sediment & Erosion Control Construction Plan Submittal Checklist
• Complete a Financial Responsibility / Ownership form
• Submit construction designs with cover sheet, details, and plan & profile sheets should also be submitted. Calculations should also be included.
• A flood study may be required for any stream crossing or flood hazard area encroachment.
• Submit NC Division of Environmental Quality (DEQ) approval documentation for any Land Disturbance activities within any Neuse River Riparian Buffer Feature/Stream.

Notification of Plan Approval or Disapproval

• Within thirty (30) working days from the receipt of a complete plan, Wake County Watershed Management will notify the applicant or designer of the approval or disapproval of the plan. A disapproval letter will detail additional information/design criteria required for approval. Depending on the response or proposed solutions to the requested items, additional comments may be generated when your resubmission is reviewed. The first resubmission is free, but all subsequent resubmissions require a resubmission fee.
• Application materials for land disturbance permits have an initial review period of thirty (30) working days, and subsequent resubmissions have a review period of fifteen (15) days.
• The designer will be apprised of the permit fees when notified of the plan's approval. A Land Disturbance permit and two (2) copies of the Approved Plans can be obtained upon receipt of the permit fees.

For more information about fee costs, see the Watershed Management fee schedule.

1. Schedule a preconstruction conference with the Environmental Consultant. Obtain a Land Disturbance permit.
2. Install gravel construction pad, temporary diversions, silt fence, sediment basins or other measures as shown on the approved plan. Clear only as necessary to install these devices. Seed temporary diversions, berms and basins immediately after construction.
3. Call Environmental Consultant for an onsite inspection to obtain a Certificate of Compliance.
4. Begin clearing and grubbing. Maintain devices as needed. Rough grade site.
5. Install storm sewer, if in the approved plans, and protect inlets with block and gravel inlet controls, sediment traps or other approved measures as shown on the plan. Begin construction, building, etc.
6. Stabilize site as areas are brought up to finish grade with vegetation, paving, ditch linings, etc. Seed and mulch denuded areas per Ground Stabilization Time Frames.
7. When construction is complete and all areas are stabilized completely, call Environmental Consultant for an inspection.
8. If the site is approved, remove temporary diversions, silt fence, sediment basins, etc., and seed out or stabilize any resulting bare areas. All remaining permanent erosion control devices, such as velocity dissipators, should now be installed.
9. When vegetation has become established, call for a final site inspection by the Environmental Consultant. Obtain a Certificate of Completion.

Contact Wake County Watershed Management at 919-856-7436 when additional phases are needed, like with stormwater construction and conversion, phasing, stream crossing sequencing, etc.

Soil stockpiles shall be located on the approved plan and shall adhere to the following requirements.

Design Criteria

• A 25-foot temporary maintenance and access easement shall be shown around all proposed stockpiles (erosion control measures surrounding the stockpile shall be shown at the outer limit of this easement).
• Stockpile footprints shall be setback a minimum of 25 feet from adjacent property lines.
• A note shall be provided on the approved plan that stockpile height shall not exceed 35 feet.
• Stockpile slopes shall be 2:1 or flatter.
• Approved BMPs shall be shown on a plan to control any potential sediment loss from a stockpile.
• Stockpiling materials adjacent to a ditch, drainageway, watercourse, wetland, stream buffer, or other body of water shall be avoided unless an alternative location is demonstrated to be unavailable.
• Any concentrated flow likely to affect the stockpile shall be diverted to an approved BMP.
• Off-site spoil or borrow areas must be in compliance with Wake County UDO and State Regulations. All spoil areas over an acre are required to have an approved sediment control plan. Developer/Contractor shall notify Wake County of any offsite disposal of soil, prior to disposal. Fill of FEMA Floodways and Non-encroachment Areas are prohibited except as otherwise provided by Wake County UDO 14-19-2 and with required certifications and permits.

Maintenance Requirements to be Noted on the Plan

• Seeding or covering stockpiles with tarps or mulch is required and will reduce erosion problems. Tarps should be keyed in at the top of the slope to keep water from running underneath the plastic.
• If a stockpile is to remain for future use after the project is complete (builders, etc.), the financial responsible party must notify Wake County of a new responsible party for that stockpile.
• The approved plan shall provide for the use of staged seeding and mulching on a continual basis while the stockpile is in use.
• Establish and maintain a vegetative buffer at the toe of the slope (where practical).

Ground Stabilization per NCG01 NPDES Stormwater Discharge Permit for Construction Activities

Note: After the permanent cessation of construction activities, any areas with temporary ground stabilization shall be converted to permanent ground stabilization as soon as practicable but in no case longer than 90 calendar days after the last land disturbing activity.  Temporary ground stabilization shall be maintained in a manner to render the surface stable against acceleration erosion until permanent ground stabilization is achieved.

Stabilize the ground sufficiently so that rain will not dislodge the soil. Use one of the techniques in the table below:

Seedbed Preparation

1. Chisel compacted areas and spread topsoil three inches deep over adverse soil conditions, if available.
2. Rip the entire area to six inches deep.
3. Remove all loose rock, roots and other obstructions, leaving surface reasonably smooth and uniform.
4. Apply agricultural lime, fertilizer and superphosphate uniformly and mix with soil (see mixture below).
5. Continue tillage until a well-pulverized, firm, reasonably uniform seedbed is prepared four to six inches deep.
6. Seed on a freshly prepared seedbed and cover seed lightly with seeding equipment or cultipack after seeding.
7. Mulch immediately after seeding and anchor mulch
8. Inspect all seeded areas and make necessary repairs or reseedings within the planting season, if possible. If stand should be more than 60% damaged, reestablish following the original lime, fertilizer and seeding rates.
9. Consult Wake County Soil & Water or NC State Cooperative Extension on maintenance treatment and fertilization after permanent cover is established.

Seeding Mixtures

Seeding Schedule

*For Sorghum-Sudan Hybrids, reseed according to optimum season for desired permanent vegetation. Do not allow temporary cover to grow more than 12 inches in height before mowing; otherwise, fescue may be shaded out.

Consult Wake County Soil & Water Conservation District or NC State Cooperative Extension for additional information concerning other alternatives for vegetation of denuded areas. The above vegetation rates are those that do well under local conditions; other seeding rate combinations are possible.

Federal Guidelines require all sediment basins over 1 acre to drain from the top of the water column. Below are Wake County's minimum requirements for sizing the sediment basin and the associated weir (if utilized).

Sizing the Storage Area

• Surface area requirements must be met for all sediment basins.
• For High Quality Water zones, Falls Lake, Jordan Lake, Swift Creek, and Little River Watersheds use: 435 X Q25 = basin surface area
• For other areas use: 435 X Q10 = basin surface area
• Use minimum C=0.5 for areas draining to basin.
• Sediment Basin volume is determined by 1,800 cu/ft per Drainage Acre.
• Wake County Custom Basin volume is determined by 3,600 cu/ft per Drainage Acre.
• The maximum depth allowed is 4 feet, measured from bottom of basin to weir.
• The minimum depth required is 2 feet, measured from bottom of basin to weir.
• The floor of all basins should be roughly level.
• Basin should dewater in 3 to 5 days.
• Use required Sediment Basin volume (1,800 ft³ per Drainage Acre) to size skimmer and orifice diameter.

The Wake County Basin Design Spreadsheet can be used to assist with calculations.

Sizing the Weir

Weir Equation: Q= CLH^3/2

where C = 3.0 (max) and H for Q is not to exceed 0.5 ft.

An additional 1.0 ft of weir capacity is required for the conveyance of larger storm events; therefore, the total weir depth will be 1.5 ft.

A minimum weir length of 10 ft is required.

Calculations for skimmer sizing & drawdown and sizing of the anti-flotation block must also be included.

1. Schedule a site meeting with the Environmental Consultant to determine if a basin can be removed or converted for stormwater use. Install silt fencing or other temporary erosion control measures as needed prior to removal or conversion of the basin.
2. Contact the NCDEQ Raleigh Regional Office at 919-791-4200 to determine the Division of Energy, Mineral and Land Resources (DEMLR) contact person to receive dewatering notifications. At least 10 days prior to beginning dewatering activity, send an email to the NCDEQ-DEMLR contact and copy the Wake County Environmental Consultant that met you onsite. The email be kept for NPDES monitoring documentation and should include:
   1. E&SC Jurisdiction: Wake County
   2. Wake County Project: Name, Number, and Location (city/town)
   3. Environmental Consultant Name
   4. Reason for conversion
   5. Basin #
   6. Dewatering method
   7. All other necessary info from Part II, Section G, Item 4 of the NCG01
3. After receiving positive confirmation from NCDEQ-DEMLR that you may remove the basin OR on > Day 11, whichever is sooner. Remove Basin(s) and associated temporary diversion ditches. If pipes need to be extended, perform this operation at this time. Fine grade area in preparation for seeding.
4. Perform seedbed preparation, seed, mulch and anchor any resulting bare areas immediately.
5. Install velocity dissipators and/or level spreaders as required on the Erosion Control Plan.
6. When site is fully stabilized, call the Environmental Consultant for approval of removing remaining temporary erosion control measures and advice on when site can be issued a Certificate of Completion.