§ 4-6. Utilities and stormwater management.

4-6.1.

Utility construction plans. Construction plans for all water and sanitary sewer facilities shall be submitted to the county or other appropriate utility provider following preliminary plat approval. For each subdivision section, the utility construction plans shall include all improvements lying within or adjacent to that section as well as all water and sanitary sewer lines lying outside that section and being required to serve that section. No utility improvements shall be constructed until the utility construction plans have been reviewed and approved by the applicable utility provider.

4-6.2.

Utility improvements inspection. Work performed pursuant to approved utility construction plans shall be inspected and approved by the applicable utility provider.

4-6.3.

Public water and sewer construction requirements.

(A)

Water and sewer lines, connections, and equipment shall be constructed in accordance with state and local regulations and policies and to the specifications and standards of the applicable utility provider.

(B)

In the interest of adequately providing service to adjacent properties, the county may require the installation of certain oversized utility improvements or the extension of utility improvements to adjacent properties. If the county requires the installation of utility improvements in excess of the standards and specifications required in this ordinance as well as those adopted by reference, the county shall pay the cost of differential between the required oversized improvements and the standard improvements required by this ordinance.

(C)

As-built drawings shall be submitted to the county or other appropriate utility provider within 30 days of the completion or installation of required utility, stormwater, street, park, and recreational improvements. Final plat approval shall be withheld until all required as-built drawings are provided to the county.

4-6.4.

Water and wastewater disposal connection.

(A)

Connection of each lot to public water and sewer utilities shall be required if the proposed subdivision is within the minimum distance of the nearest adequate lines of a public system specified in the following table, provided that no geographic or topographic factors would make such connection infeasible or that a specific variance of this requirement is granted by the planning commission in cases where it is not legally possible to obtain necessary easements for extending the utility lines:

Dwelling Units	Distance to Public System
0—10	200'
11—20	300'
21—50	600'
51—100	1,000'
101 or more	1,500'

 

If the tract to be subdivided is proposed to contain the number of dwelling units indicated in the left hand column of the above table or with a nonresidential use that places a comparable demand on the water and/or sewer system, then the distance within which the tract must be connected is indicated in the right hand column of the table. In determining the number of dwelling units proposed for the tract, all phases of the proposed subdivision shall be considered.

(B)

Where public/private sewer is not available, lots may be evaluated, at the owner's expense, in accordance with Laws and Rules for Sanitary Sewage Collection, Treatment, and Disposal 15 A NCAC 18 A 1900. An Improvement Permit may be obtained from the Carteret County Environmental Health Department prior to final plat approval. The final plat shall show lot(s) which do not have septic permits as not evaluated for septic. If the lot has been evaluated and denied, the final plat shall show lot(s) denied with the "unsuitable for septic symbol" (ST).

(C)

Water and sewer lines shall be constructed in conformance with the design criteria of the county or to the standards and specifications of another water and sewer service provider if applicable.

(D)

Where public water is not available, wells and/or other private water systems shall be constructed in accordance with the standards and specifications of the Carteret County Environmental Health Department, applicable county ordinances, and applicable State of North Carolina regulations.

4-6.5.

Utility and drainage easements.

(A)

Easements shall be provided for electrical, telephone, natural gas, cable television, water, and sewer utilities where necessary to serve every platted lot. The developer and the utility provider(s) shall agree on the location and the width of the easements. Any easements for subsurface sewage disposal systems shall be delineated on the final plat and described by bearings and distances.

(B)

The developer shall transfer to the applicable utility provider the necessary ownership or easement rights to enable the utility provider to operate and maintain the utility facilities. In addition, the developer shall dedicate sufficient easement rights to accommodate the extension of utility service to adjacent or nearby properties whenever it can reasonably be anticipated that utility facilities constructed in one development will be extended to serve other adjacent or nearby developments.

(C)

Where a subdivision is traversed by a water course, drainageway, channel or stream, there shall be provided a storm water easement or drainage right-of-way conforming substantially with the lines of such water course, and such further width or construction, or both, as will be adequate for the purpose of drainage. Parallel streets may be required in connection therewith.

(D)

Lakes, ponds, creeks, and similar areas will be accepted for maintenance only if sufficient land is dedicated as a public recreation area or park or if such area constitutes a necessary part of the drainage control system. The acceptance of such dedicated areas must be reviewed and recommended by the planning commission before the board of county commissioners will consider accepting it.

4-6.6.

Stormwater management.

(A)

An adequate surface water drainage system, including necessary open ditches, pipes, culverts, intersectional drains, drop inlets, bridges, etc., shall be provided for the proper drainage of all surface water. The surface water drainage system plan shall be designed in accordance with the Sedimentation Pollution Control Act, the North Carolina Stormwater Run-off Regulations, the Handbook for the Design of Highway Surface Drainage Structures, and the specifications and standards of the NCDOT.

(B)

The storm drainage system shall follow existing topography as nearly as practical, shall divert stormwater away from surface waters, and shall incorporate stormwater best management practices to minimize adverse water quality impacts. The banks of ditches shall be immediately seeded upon grading and installation of utilities and the ditch itself shall be improved with appropriate vegetative cover to retard erosion.

(C)

No surface water shall be channeled into a sanitary sewer.

(D)

Where feasible, the subdivider shall connect the new subdivision's storm drainage system to an existing storm drainage system. Where an existing storm drainage system cannot feasibly be extended to the new subdivision, a drainage system shall be designed to protect the proposed development from water damage. Ten-year storm drainage data shall be used as a minimum standard for storm drainage system design.

4-6.7.

Electric power. Every lot within a subdivision shall have available to it a source of electric power adequate to accommodate the reasonable needs of the uses anticipated within the subdivision.

4-6.8.

Telephone service. Every lot within a subdivision shall have available to it a telephone service cable adequate to accommodate the reasonable needs of the uses anticipated within the subdivision.

4-6.9.

Fire protection. Every subdivision that is served by an approved water system shall include a water supply capable of supplying the required fire flow for fire protection, as per the current edition of the state fire code.

(A)

The code enforcement official (CEO) shall determine the precise location of all fire hydrants within the subdivision. The minimum spacing between fire hydrants shall be determined by the CEO in accordance with the current edition of the state fire code. In general, fire hydrants shall be located such that every lot within the subdivision is within 500 feet of a fire hydrant.

(B)

All hydrants shall be designed in accordance with state fire code and shall consist of national standard threads.

(C)

All fire hydrants shall be painted and marked according to National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) standards, unless approved by the code enforcement official after reviewing the data provided by the developer.

(D)

No fire hydrants shall be installed on less than a six-inch water main.

(E)

If a subdivision is served by a central water system that is not capable of providing the minimum water flow required by the North Carolina Division of Environmental Health, then post hydrants shall be constructed utilizing fittings and piping such that the post hydrants may be exchanged for full size hydrants with minimal efforts and expenditures at such time the central water system becomes capable of providing the required water flow.

To provide for current and future fire protection, all subdivisions that are to be served by a central water system shall provide fire hydrants on no less than six-inch water mains.

(Amd. of 3-20-06; Amd. of 1-22-07(2); Amd. of 3-19-07(2))