North Carolina Administrative Code
Title 15A - Environmental Quality
Chapter 02 - ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
Subchapter K - DAM SAFETY
Section .0200 - OBTAINING APPROVAL FOR DAM CONSTRUCTION: REPAIR:OR REMOVAL
Section 02K .0204 - INVESTIGATIONS

(a) General. The applicant shall be required to complete all investigations prior to submission of the final plans and application. The scope and the degree of precision that will be required for a specific project will depend on the conditions of the site and the hazard created by the proposed structure.

(b) Foundations and Abutments. The foundation and abutments investigation shall consist of borings, test pits, and other subsurface exploration necessary to assess the soil, rock, and groundwater conditions. Geologic profiles and a geologic report prepared by a qualified geologist may be required for class B dams and shall be required for class C dams.

(c) Construction Materials. Specifications for construction materials shall establish minimum acceptance criteria so that design properties are achieved. If the use of on site borrow materials is specified, exploration, testing, and calculations should be performed to indicate that there are sufficient quantities of material available that meet the design criteria.

(d) Surveys. Surveys shall be made with sufficient accuracy to locate the proposed construction and to define the volume of the storage in the reservoir. The downstream area shall be investigated in order to delineate the area of potential damage in case of failure. Locations of centerlines, and other horizontal and vertical control points, shall be shown on a map of the site.

(e) Hydrologic Investigation. The drainage area shall be determined. Both present and projected future land use shall be considered in determining the runoff characteristics of the drainage area. The most severe of these two conditions shall be used in the design. All hydrologic assumptions and design calculations shall be included in the report.