Knightdale Starts Erosion Control Program
At the February 22, 2022 meeting of the NC Sedimentation Control Commission, the Town of Knightdale received delegated authority to administer a local erosion control program. Application for Land Disturbance Permits for projects in Knightdale and its ETJ should be submitted to Knightdale as of May 16, 2022.
Protecting Well and Septic from Flood Damage 
Wells and Septic Systems can be damaged by flood waters. If your system must be placed in a flood hazard area steps must be taken to protect it from flood damage. Wake County restricts development from flood hazard areas and its Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) 14-18: Special Flood Hazard Area Standards specifies that an appropriate design professional must certify that the standards are satisfied. The certification must be submitted to the Department of Environmental Services.

Design specifications include, but are not limited to: 
  •  All new construction and major repairs must be floodproofed and constructed to minimize flood damage
  • All new and replacement water supply systems must be designed to eliminate infiltration of flood waters into the system
  • On-site waste disposal systems must be located to prevent impairment of them, or contamination from them, during the flooding
  • All new construction or major repairs [substantial improvements] must have adequate drainage provided to reduce exposure to flood hazards.

A complete listing of design standards required for certification are available at the following link: Wake County’s UDO 14-18: Special Flood Hazard Area Standards

For additional information, visit the following federal resources:
Federal Regulations 40 CFR 60.3 Flood plain management criteria for flood-prone areas: CFR-2012-title44-vol1-sec60-3.pdf (govinfo.gov)

Protecting Building Utility Systems from Flood Damage

Questions or requests for additional information may be directed to Betsy Pearce, Field Services Supervisor at betsy.pearce@wakegov.com.
PLANWake Update
Last April, the Wake County Board of Commissioners adopted PLANWake, the comprehensive plan that lays out the county's vision for future growth and development. This plan relied heavily on feedback from the public. 

Since the plan's adoption, staff has been working on strategy and has begun implementing the changes resulting from the new plan. These changes include updates to the county’s current land use plan and development policies while incorporating other planning efforts such as open space, economic development, population health and wellbeing, greenways, affordable housing and transit/transportation. 

Just as the creation of PLANWake depended on public feedback, effective implementation of PLANWake will need input from the community to help shape staff's approach to countywide change. Staff are currently seeking input on updates to the Unified Development Ordinances (UDO). Possible changes to the UDO have been outlined in eight topic narratives on the UDO webpage. Once you have reviewed these updates, please complete a short survey to share your feedback on how those potential changes should be approached and prioritized. We appreciate your feedback!
Wake County Groundwater Study
In 2019, Wake County, initiated a groundwater resource study in partnership with United States Geological Survey (USGS) that includes a county-wide groundwater level monitoring network, analysis of thousands of well construction records and forty years of hydrologic and climate data. USGS tracks water levels in seventeen monitoring wells across the county and is using data to develop tools that give the county a better understanding of groundwater and help the county plan for a sustainable and resilient supply of groundwater into the future. 

USGS recently published the first of two reports associated with this study: 

Some key takeaways from this report include:
  • Median well depth is 265 ft and median casing depth is 68 ft; median well yield is 10 gpm
  • On average, well yield increases to a depth of about 200 ft, then begins to decline
  • The lowest well yields were in the Triassic basin, along the western edge of the county
  • Groundwater recharge is highly variable across Wake County, but on average 8.6 inches of water reaches the water table each year, out of an annual average of 48 inches of precipitation
  • On an annual basis, groundwater contributes 1/3 to 2/3 of the flow in streams
The study also helps validate a method for modeling the water resource impacts of different development and climate scenarios for the county’s future. 

The next step in the project will be development of a groundwater flow model that supports future planning by providing information on sustainable groundwater quantities. Additional information about the study and link to groundwater gauge data is available on the USGS website or by contacting Nancy Daly, Water Resources Manager at Nancy.daly@wakegov.com.
Panel Block Septic System Training
Wake County hosted an in-person design training session on panel block septic systems with Brad Johnson of T&J Panel on May 13, 2021. Missed the training? You can access the presentation along with compiled Q&A by clicking on the image below. For additional information or questions, contact Jie Liu, Wake County Wastewater Management Program Manager, at    jie.liu@wakegov.com.
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Wake County Water Quality | wakegov.com/water