WHERE ARE WE?

• 201 East Main St, Fifth Floor, Durham, NC  27701, 919-560-0735 - The Stormwater Division is currently working remotely and in the office.

STAFF CONTACTS:

• McKenzie Bradshaw, PE, Stormwater Manager: mfbradshaw@dconc.gov
• Meredith Stull, GIS Analyst: mstull@dconc.gov                   

WHAT DO WE DO?

Proposed developments in Durham County (outside of City limits) that meet the review threshold requirements of the Durham County Stormwater Ordinance are reviewed, approved, and permitted by our Division. 

1. Subject projects are reviewed and approved at the Site Plan level through Durham City/County Planning for Stormwater compliance.
2. Construction drawings for subject projects are reviewed and approved directly through our office. See below for submittal procedure.
3. A Construction Stormwater Permit is issued by our office after approval of stormwater construction drawings and prior to development on site. 
4. Operational Stormwater Permits are issued to projects with stormwater control measures to ensure maintenance and compliance through the life of the property.

STORMWATER CONSTRUCTION DRAWING PLAN SUBMITTAL

 All new stormwater construction drawing submittals may be made through our Electronic Submittal Portal page, or in person at our office. A complete plan submittal contains:

1. Stormwater Construction Drawings, signed and sealed by a professional engineer. 

2. A Financial Responsibility/Ownership Form (FRO) properly executed and notarized along with documentation supporting signatory authority (Corporate Resolution). The original document should be mailed to our office, and electronic copy provided in the Electronic Submittal Portal.

3. The Plan Review Fee in accordance with the fee schedule (Do not round this to the nearest acre).

4. Stormwater Construction Drawing Submittal Checklist.

5. Stormwater calculations report, signed and sealed by a professional engineer. Report shall include a narrative, relevant maps, calculations, and approvals from other required agencies.

6. Construction cost estimate, signed and sealed, for the cost of construction and one year of maintenance for each Stormwater Control Measure proposed.

Upon plan approval, a letter will be sent to the financially responsible party as identified within the FRO. A copy will also go to the designer.  This letter will:

1. Ensure the validity of the address.
2. Provide the financially responsible party with any approval stipulations or conditions.
3. Inform the financially responsible party of remaining actions to be completed to obtain a Construction Stormwater Permit.

WHY ARE PLANS DISAPPROVED?

Deficiencies often noted on disapproved plans are:

1. Grading outside of the owner’s property line.  Offsite grading requires written authorization from the adjoining property owner.
2. Lack of some or all construction details.  Details must be provided for all proposed stormwater related items shown on the plans. 
3. Lack of supporting calculations for sediment and stormwater control measures such as SCMs, swales, velocity dissipators, buffer discharge velocities, etc.
4. Stream crossings/buffer encroachments are not adequately addressed, or required approvals are not provided.
   1. Properties within the Falls Lake Watershed and Neuse River Basin are required to obtain buffer encroachment approval from NCDEQ. This is to be provided prior to approval of a site plan showing encroachments.
   2. Properties within the Cape Fear River Basin are required to obtain buffer encroachment approval from Durham County Stormwater and Durham City/County Planning during the Site Plan Process.
5. Incorrect watershed regulations shown on the plans. 
   1. To determine your watershed, please follow the steps in this guide document using Durham GoMaps: How to find my watershed?

TRACKING YOUR PLAN

How best to track your project in our office:

All projects are assigned a job control number in the following format: SW-XXXX. Please refer to this job number in any written or verbal inquiries regarding your project. Contact McKenzie Bradshaw with questions regarding the status of your review. 

OPERATIONAL STORMWATER PERMIT

Prior to County Stormwater signoff on closure of an Erosion Control Permit, an Operational Permit must be obtained through the following process:

1. Electronically submit signed and sealed as-built plans of the Stormwater Control Measure, upstream pipe from SCM, and outlet structure/pipe from SCM. 

2. Submit updated Financial Responsibility Ownership Form (FRO) with post-construction party identified. The original is mailed to our office, and electronic copy also uploaded to our Electronic Submittal Portal. 

3. Submit performance bond or letter of credit in the amount of 125% of the approved Construction Cost Estimate (provided at Construction Drawings). 

4. Pay fee of $2,500 per SCM via check made payable to Durham County, or through the electronic payment process.

5. Submit an AutoCAD file of all newly contructed stormwater piping, including diameter, inverts, and pipe material.

6. Submit signed and sealed inspection report of SCM showing it has been constructed according to plan and is being properly maintained.

SUMMARY

Please remember that the stormwater construction drawing plan review process is separate from your subdivision and/or site plan review process.  The Planning Department does not forward plans to this office for stormwater construction drawing plan reviews, so submittals must be made directly to us.  The plan review process may run concurrently with your planning review.   Any changes required by the planning process should be reflected on your erosion control and stormwater plans and should be resubmitted to this office as a plan addendum.