HomeMy WebLinkAboutSUB201900176 Review Comments Groundwater Assessment 2019-03-07COUNTY OF ALBEMARLE
Department of Community Development
401 McIntire Road, Room 227
Charlottesville, Virginia 22902-4596
Phone (434) 296-5832 Fax (434) 972-4126
Tier III GW report review
Project:
Property of Bella Signature Homes, LLC — Tier III GW Assessment Report
Tier III preparer:
Earnest W. Beasley IV, CPG, HydroGeo Environmental, LLC
418 E. Main St. Charlottesville, VA 22902
Owner or rep.l :
Bryan Chambers, Chambers Land Surveying[chamberslandsurveving(a,yahoo.com ]
253 Willow Drive, Keswick, VA 22947
Owner or rep.2:
Clint Shifflett, Timmons Group [clint.shifflett(&timmons.com]
680 Preston Ave., Suite 200, Charlottesville, VA 22903
Applicant:
Luke Kitelinger, Bella Signature Homes, LLC [kitelingerlgyahoo.com]
1410 Rialto Street, Charlottesville, VA 22902
Plan received date:
31 Jan 2019
Date of comments:
7 Mar 2019
Reviewer:
John Anderson
Planning Reviewer: Paty Saternye
Engineering review of Tier III GW Assessment report is complete.
SUB2018-00177
1. Tier III Groundwater Assessment: Albemarle County Parcel #45-59M for Bella Signature Homes, LLC,
dated 1/29/19, is comprehensive, but is not approved.
2. Findings detail efforts to obtain well data from VDH, but VDH, as of report date, has been non -responsive
to FOIA request for detailed well and septic records for parcels located up to 1000-feet beyond the property
lines (ref. ACDSM, Sec. 2.13. La. l.d.). Table 1 (p. 5, report), Summary of Available Well Records,
indicates the average yield of seventeen (17) well records for wells located within a 0.5 mile radius of the
property is 12.9 gpm. Sec. 7.0, Conclusions (p. 6, report) states, "VDH regulations require a minimum
yield of 3 gpm for private residential water supply wells, while Sec. 6.0, Assessment of Well Drilling and
Testing, states, "Based on this study, the Site lies in an area capable of producing groundwater yield
sufficient to meet the demands of the proposed Site development; however, the actual yields of future onsite
supply wells cannot be known until the wells are drilled and properly tested." [Emphasis added.]
3. The only well listed in Table 1 located within one thousand feet of the parcel yields 2 gpm. The Tier III
report states, "Standard practice for development of water supply wells involves drilling into water bearing
zones in the fractured bedrock and sealing off the overburden with a solid well casing. Thus, the ultimate
performance of individual water wells in the Blue Ridge Province typically depends on the borehole
encountering sufficiently interconnected bedrock fractures. A dry hole results if a well is drilled into
bedrock with insufficient fracturing. Fracture occurrence and density depend on a number of factors
including specific location, rock type, and site -specific geologic conditions. Because groundwater occurs in
discrete fractured zones, it is not unusual to find variability in yields for wells in close proximity to each
other. Because the regolith provides groundwater storage, a thicker mantle of overburden usually suggests
more favorable conditions for sustainable long-term groundwater withdrawals." (p. 3; emphasis added).
4. Attachment D, Water Budget Calculations for Tier III GW Assessment (Albemarle Co. Parcel #45-59M),
rounding difference: If use .0015 feet vs .00147 as average regional daily groundwater recharge value, this
Engineering Review Comments
Page 2 of 2
increases the post -development groundwater surplus report value by a negligible amount (z2%).
Attachment D projects 13,244 gpd surplus (post -development). For comparison, a household of five is
estimated to consume 500 gpd, and the proposed five additional households in the watershed are included
(subtracted) when calculating the 13,244 gpd surplus (if use .00147, surplus value decreases slightly to
z12,851 gpd). Attachment D calculations may assume 1,000' x 20' principal access /road, may apportion
9,068 ft2 new impervious area per lot. Even allowing 100' x 12' stone or paved driveway allows 7,868 ft2
of impervious roof, walk, etc., per lot, which is conservative. Attachment D appears reasonable and
accurate, and is accepted.
5. Report assessment of well drilling and testing, spatial variability of well yields, the relative lack of yield
data within 1,000' radius of the parcel, requires test well results:
a. Engineering recommends HydroGeo Environmental coordinate with Applicant, select a test drill
location coincident with the proposed well site location evaluated (for reasons HydroGeo should
outline for Engineering) to have low if not lowest potential well yield, and provide well test results
in accord with VDH well test protocol. Should this test well yield at least 3 gpm, Engineering will
approve the Tier III Groundwater Assessment. The only VDH available data within 1,000 of the
parcel to be subdivided yields 2gpm, which is insufficient for VDH permitting purposes.
Additional site -specific data is required to advance the final subdivision plat.
b. Alternative to item 5.a.: If proposed location rated least likely to yield 3 gpm does not yield 3 gpm,
Applicant should test a second of the five well sites for this 5-lot subdivision (ref. report /sketch —
Attachment A), and may choose a proposed well site evaluated most favorable, perform well test,
and average the two well test values. If this approach does not yield an average > 3 gpm, then
Applicant may persuade Albemarle that each of the proposed subdivided lots has reasonable
chance of encountering subsurface flow sufficient to support required 3 gpm, but this would seem
doubtful. Water budget calculations have little to do with peril faced by property owners unable to
establish a well supply that yields 3 gpm. Yields are influenced by chance, and additional site -
specific information is required prior to Tier III GW Assessment Report approval.
6. Minor: Reduced -size plat /sketch scales are inaccurate. Include note that defines accurate scale, or revise
plat sketches included with report using hand -notation to indicate an accurate scale so that a reader may
refer to scale, and acquire accurate length or distance information from plats included with the report.
Please call Engineering at 434.296-5832 -0069 if any questions.
Thank you
SUB201800177 Bella Signature GWA 030719