HomeMy WebLinkAboutWPO200900058 Review Comments Mitigation Plan 2009-11-17COUNTY OF ALBEMARLE
Department of Community Development
401 McIntire Road
Charlottesville, Virginia 22902 -4596
Phone (434) 296 -5832 Fax (434) 972 -4126
Project: Yancey Elementary School Stream Determination; WPO- 2009 -00058
Owner: Heir of Mary Monroe Scott c/o Joseph W. Scott
Applicant: Lisa Glass and Joe Letteri
Plan received date: 21 October 2009
Date of comments: 17 November 2009
Reviewer: Phil Custer
On the afternoon of Monday November 16th, I visited the site at the applicant's request to perform a stream
determination on the existing channel located behind Yancey Elementary School. This channel shows up
on the county's GIS system as an intermittent stream which, in the rural area, possesses a 100ft stream
buffer. At the time of the site visit, the last recorded rainfall for the Charlottesville area was 0.01" on
Saturday November 14th (with —2.1" of rainfall over the previous 4 days) and the temperature was in the
mid 60's.
I began the site inspection from the western property boundary of TMP 128A2 -18 with the intention of
walking downhill towards 128A2 -22. Once I arrived at the channel, I immediately discovered moving
water within the stream channel and a defined bed and banks (see Photo A), which is significantly
indicative of an intermittent stream. As I progressed downstream the channel became more defined and
eroded (especially at the footbridge) but the flowing water in the previous sections of the channel had
seeped into the ground (see Photo B). Approximately 75ft downstream of the footbridge the bed and
banks of the channel vanished and the ground became soggy with scattered small pools of water. The
absence of a defined bed and banks continued to the property boundary with 128A2 -19 where a barbed
wire fence impeded my progress downstream. It appears that a possible reason for the lack of defined
channel below the footbridge could be a result of excess erosion and sediment disposition in the streambed
due to the failure of the embankment which was created during the construction of the ball field behind the
school.
After reaching the barbed wire fence I retreated and begin walking upstream from my original starting
point in search of the headcut and the beginning of the intermittent stream. I noticed a continuous defined
channel with flowing water as I walked upstream until I was obstructed by thick brush on TMP 128A2-
15A, approximately 50ft from the property boundary of 128A2 -7. I anticipate that the beginning of the
intermittent stream is somewhere near this property line but, until another investigation confirms this, the
existing stream layer and buffer in the GIS system should not be updated.
In summary, the stream determination performed by engineering review confirmed that the current stream
and stream buffer layers shown on the County's GIS system are accurate. The stream buffer must be
managed on the County School's parcels (15, 18, and 22) in accordance with the Water Protection
Ordinance (17 -317, 17 -318, 17 -319, 17 -320, and 17 -321).
Albemarle County Community Development
Engineering Review Comments
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Photo A
Photo B
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