The following words, terms and phrases, when used in this article, shall have the meanings ascribed to them in this section, except where the context clearly indicates a different meaning:
25-year storm means the surface runoff resulting from a rainfall of an intensity expected to be equaled or exceeded, on the average, once in 25 years, and of a duration which will produce the maximum peak rate of runoff, from the watershed of interest under average antecedent wetness conditions.
Accelerated erosion means any increase over the rate of natural erosion as a result of land disturbing activity.
Act means the North Carolina Sedimentation Pollution Control Act of 1973 and all rules and orders adopted pursuant to it.
Adequate erosion control measure, structure, or device means a measure, structure or device which controls the soil material within the land area under responsible control of the person conducting the land disturbing activity.
Affiliate means a person that directly, or indirectly through one or more intermediaries, controls, is controlled by, or is under common control of another person.
Being conducted means a land disturbing activity has been initiated and permanent stabilization of the site has not been completed.
Borrow means fill material which is required for on-site construction and is obtained from other locations.
Buffer zone means the strip of land adjacent to a lake or natural watercourse.
Commission means the state sedimentation control commission.
Completion of construction or development means the point at which no further land disturbing activity is required on a phase of a project except that which is necessary for establishing a permanent ground cover.
Contractor means anyone performing work at the behest of a property owner, whether the contract is verbal or written.
Department means the state department of environment and natural resources.
Director means the director of the division of energy, mineral, and land resources of the department of environment and natural resources.
Discharge point means that point at which stormwater runoff leaves a tract of land.
District means the county soil and water conservation district created pursuant to G.S. ch. 139.
Energy dissipator means a structure or shaped channel section with mechanical armoring placed at the outlet of pipes or conduits to receive and break down the energy from high velocity flow.
Erosion means the wearing away of land surface by the action of wind, water, gravity, or any combination thereof.
Erosion control officer means a town official working under the auspices of the community development administrator for the purpose of applying this article.
Ground cover means any natural vegetative growth or other material which renders the soil surface stable against accelerated erosion.
High quality water (HQW) zones means areas within one mile and draining to HQWs.
High quality waters means those waters classified as such in 15A NCAC 2B.0101(e)(5) - general procedures, which is incorporated herein by reference to include further amendments pursuant to G.S. 150B-14(c).
Lake or natural watercourse means any stream, river, brook, creek, run, branch, wetland, waterway, and any reservoir, lake or pond, natural or impounded in which sediment may be moved or carried in suspension, and which could be damaged by accumulation of sediment.
Land disturbing activity means any use of the land by any person in residential, industrial, educational, institutional, or commercial development, highway and road construction and maintenance or other construction or maintenance activity, including chemical applications or other techniques, that results in a change in the natural cover or topography and that may cause or contribute to sedimentation.
Major erosion control plan means an erosion and sedimentation control plan for land disturbance of one acre or more approved by the town or the state department of environment and natural resources.
Minor erosion and sedimentation control plan means an erosion and sedimentation control plan approved by the town for land disturbance activities taking place on less than one acre.
Natural erosion means the wearing away of the earth's surface by water, wind, or other natural agents under natural environmental conditions undisturbed by man.
Parent means an affiliate that directly, or indirectly through one or more intermediaries, controls another person.
Permit means written governmental permission issued by an authorized official, empowering the holder thereof to do some act not forbidden by law but not allowed without such authorization.
Person means any individual, partnership, firm, association, joint venture, public or private corporation, trust, estate, commission, board, public or private institution, utility, cooperative, interstate body, or other legal entity.
Person conducting land disturbing activity means any person who may be held responsible for a violation unless expressly provided otherwise by this section or any order adopted pursuant to this article.
Person responsible for the violation means any developer or other person who has or holds himself out as having financial or operational control over the land disturbing activity; or the landowner or person in possession or control of the land that has directly or indirectly allowed the land disturbing activity, or benefited from it or failed to comply with a duty imposed by any provision of this section, the Act, or any order adopted pursuant to this article or the Act.
Phase of grading means one of two types of grading โ rough or fine.
Plan means an erosion and sedimentation control plan.
Sediment means solid particulate matter, both mineral and organic, that has been or is being transported by water, air, gravity, or ice from its site of origin.
Sedimentation means the process by which sediment resulting from accelerated erosion has been or is being transported off the site of the land disturbing activity or into a lake or natural watercourse.
Siltation means sediment resulting from accelerated erosion which is settleable or removable by properly designed, constructed, and maintained control measures; and which has been transported from its point of origin within the site of a land disturbing activity; and which has been deposited, or is in suspension in water.
Storm drainage facilities means the system of inlets, conduits, channels, ditches and appurtenances which serve to collect and convey stormwater through and from a given drainage area.
Stormwater runoff means the direct runoff of water resulting from precipitation in any form.
Subsidiary means an affiliate that is directly, or indirectly through one or more intermediaries, controlled by another person.
Ten-year storm means the surface runoff resulting from a rainfall of an intensity expected to be equaled or exceeded, on the average, once in ten years, and of a duration which will produce the maximum peak rate of runoff, for the watershed of interest under average antecedent wetness conditions.
Tract means all contiguous land and bodies of water being disturbed or to be disturbed as a unit, regardless of ownership.
Uncovered means the removal of ground cover from, on, or above the soil surface.
Undertaken means the initiating of any activity, or phase of activity, which results or will result in a change in the ground cover or topography of a tract of land.
Velocity means the average velocity of flow through the cross section of the main channel at the peak flow of the storm of interest. The cross section of the main channel shall be that area defined by the geometry of the channel plus the area of flow below the flood height defined by vertical lines at the main channel banks. Overload flows are not to be included for the purpose of computing velocity of flow.
Waste means surplus materials resulting from on-site construction and disposed of at other locations.
Working days means days exclusive of Saturday and Sunday during which weather conditions or soil conditions permit land disturbing activity to be undertaken.
(Code 1989, ยง 96.03; Ord. of 6-12-2007; Ord. of 5-8-2018)