County in recovery after strong storms on Thursday

Posted Feb 7, 2020 at 11:56 AM

Davidson County is on the road to recovery one day after severe storms, bringing strong winds and heavy rainfall, throughout the area on Thursday.

Local emergency management and law enforcement said although a majority of flooding and power outages have improved, there were still several problem areas throughout the county Friday.

The Davidson County Airport weather service reported 3.5 inches of rain fell between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m. Thursday.

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Will DOT replace St. Matthews Church Road at High Rock Lake? By Josh Bereron Published 12:01 am Monday, February 10, 2020 St. Matthews Church Road’s one-lane setup over High Rock Lake will remain unchanged until it’s deemed a high-enough priority in a state ranking system for construction funding, according to N.C. Department of Transportation staff. So far, that funding has been elusive. Five years ago, DOT closed the road to vehicle traffic because “the foundation of the 85-year-old causeway has slowly eroded, creating a situation where the road can no longer support the vehicles that travel it every day,” Division 9 Engineer Pat Ivey said in 2014. Though, it later re-opened the road under a temporary setup that narrowed two lanes to one and prohibited commercial vehicles.  Read more...

Health official:  OK to swim in High Rock if away from algal mats

By Ben Coley / The Dispatch

Posted Sep 30, 2019 at 4:15 PM

Although the swimming advisory at High Rock Lake issued by the Davidson County Health Department remains intact, it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s unsafe for people or their pets to swim in the water, according to Janna Walker, a health educator within the department.

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Rowan County Sheriff’s Office restructures lake patrol

Published 12:00 am Friday, August 2, 2019

SALISBURY — The Rowan County Sheriff’s Office has restructured its Water Patrol Division and will provide seasonal coverage and enforcement on High Rock Lake.

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Considering the disastrous flooding caused by the hurricane, High Rock Lake fared very well. Cube Yadkin used an abundance of caution by drawing High Rock down more than 6 feet below full prior to the storms arrival in this area. River, stream, and runoff flows into High Rock Lake reached an estimated 60,000 cu.ft./sec. This flow, although very high, is only about 12% of the maximum flow the flood gates on High Rock Dam can handle. That’s why FEMA flood zone maps show most waterfront property around High Rock as having a worst-case probability of rising only about 1-2ft. above normal full pool elevation 623.9 USGS (655.0 Yadkin Datum). The Lake came up to 623.6 (654.7 YD) Tuesday after the storm had passed, about 4” below full pond.

Major Relief on Pier Repair Permitting - 9.10.18

 

Cube Yadkin will no longer require a permit for repairs you or your contractor make to your pier or boathouse as long as the repair is “like-for-like”.  Here’s how it happened:

In January 2018 the High Rock Lake Association (HRLA) began receiving a lot of conversation and complaints about permits and penalties arising from pier maintenance.

The HRLA learned that Cube Yadkin met with Inspection Department officials of the five counties that surround the Yadkin Project in early 2018.  After that meeting, Cube Yadkin posted a guidance document covering Cube Yadkin permit requirements along with a new schedule of permit fees.  Cube Yadkin management also made clear that assertive enforcement would be used on 

Badin and High Rock to deal with violations of the SMP and permitting policy. 

The multitude of complaints the HRLA received in early 2018 convinced the HRLA Board to get involved in finding a solution to the problems our members (and non-members) were facing.

Mr. Todd Yates, a Davidson County Commissioner and a member of the HRLA Board arranged a meeting with NC Department of Insurance (NCDOI) Commissioner Mike Causey. Commissioner Causey directed his engineering staff to work with the HRLA to get a full understanding of the code interpretations and permitting procedures. After reviewing our concerns, the NCDOI staff concluded that a lot of commercial code standards were being applied to piers for single family dwellings. Rather than issue interpretation and clarification documents, NCDOI wisely chose to issue a new NC Residential Code, effective July 1, 2018 that is very clear and concise with respect to standards for piers and docks associated with single or two family private dwellings.

Section R327 of the 2018 North Carolina Residential Code provides a defined set of parameters (limitations) for docks and piers that are exempt from the North Carolina Residential Code and the North Carolina Building Code. According to NCDOI, a property owner planning a structure that does not exceed the limitations may submit certification to the County CEO and a County Building Permit will not be required.

In addition to issuing the 2018 North Carolina Residential Code, NCDOI has issued a Guidance Document to all North Carolina County Inspection Departments providing very direct and clear answers to the questions the HRLA submitted to NCDOI in April 2018. That document, dated June 25, 2018 addresses the permit exemptions, and other issues, including:

·        No County permit required for repairs on piers meeting R327 limitations

·        No County permit required for repairs on piers when cost of work is less than $15,000.00 and does not involve repair to the load bearing structural components. Railings and decking are not classified as a structural component.

·        NC Residential Code does not require handrails or guardrails on piers meeting R327 limitations.

·        Replacement of ramp hinge assembly hardware and bolts does not constitute a “repair of load bearing structure” and does not require a County permit unless cost exceeds $15,000.00

·        Handicap Accessibility requirements of the NC Building Code do not apply to any private waterway structure associated with one or two-family dwellings.

HRLA Officers met with Davidson County Officials in August to review these changes. Davidson Officials acknowledged the Code changes make a significant change in their approach to Pier Permits and inspections and agree that when pier construction or repair is in accordance with the Residential Code exemptions and NCDOI Guidelines, the County will not require a building Permit or conduct inspections. The lakeside property owner or contractor will fill out an “Exemption Form”, available at county inspection departments or the HRLA website, certify the exemptions, and leave the form with the county inspection office.

Davidson’s Code Enforcement Officer expressed a concern that he believes some people will want a County Building Permit and Inspection of their pier/dock.  If that’s your case, you can retain the services of a licensed engineer or architect, have them to prepare a set of signed design documents, present these documents to the County office, pay their permit fee, and Davidson County will issue a building Permit, inspect, and issue a certificate of completion.

The HRLA asked to meet with Rowan County officials, but the county declined. The HRLA believes Rowan will operate in generally the same manner as Davidson.

HRLA Board members met with Cube Yadkin staff in mid-August to review changes to the Building Code, changes in COE procedures, and the effect of these changes to the Cube Yadkin permitting procedures put in place in January 2018.

In late August Cube Yadkin responded to the HRLA concerns in a very positive manner. Cube Yadkin rescinded the January 2018 Permit Requirement table (three columns) and posted a revised Table of Requirements for Permits (dated August 28, 2018).