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Engineering Services
All of
the engineering services offered by RCMA are performed by or under the
direct supervision of a Professional Engineer (P.E.), and are
professional certified as necessary. Pricing for services varies
depending on the specific property and associated time involved.
For questions about pricing or a cost proposal please use the contact us
page or give us a call.
Feasibility Studies
and Zoning Review
The use
of land is regulated by the municipal Zoning Ordinance. It can be
a challenge to determine what type and the extent of development
activities that are permitted on a particular parcel. RCMA's Staff
assists our clients in planning for expansion or development whether
they are starting with undeveloped land or with an existing facility.
Our experience with land development projects ranges from small building
expansions or two lots subdivisions to commercial and residential
projects involving hundreds of acres. We will help our clients
refine their ideas for the development project, and will work with our
clients and other consultants such as architects or land planners to
find the most cost effective and practical development solutions to meet
our clients needs as well as conform to the various local zoning
regulations.
Sketch Plan
Preparation
After
an initial zoning review, a sketch plan can be prepared in accordance
with applicable zoning and subdivision regulations. This is an
important step in visualizing our clients development ideas as well as
provides a basis for discussion of the project with various governing
agencies. The RCMA staff will attend Township Planning Commission
meetings and Township Board of Supervisors meetings to present the
project and can serve as expert witnesses in Zoning, Conditional Use, or
Special Exception Hearings if necessary. We also have the
capability to prepared full color sketch plans and exhibits to help our
clients and others better understand the development proposal.
Subdivision and Land Development Plan Preparation
Preliminary Plans of Subdivision/Land Development includes all area and
dimensional details necessary to create the new subdivision, such as
building envelope areas, square footage of lots, on-site easements,
pertinent zoning information, etc. This plan also includes all
documentation necessary to ensure compliance with the applicable Zoning
Ordinances and will eventually become the record Plan of Subdivision
recorded at the Township offices and the County Courthouse. Preliminary
Plans are essentially a complete set of detailed design drawings and
will be based on the previously referenced Sketch Plan.
Typical Services
Provided
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Preparation of Grading and Storm Sewer
Plan
-- includes all design information for the construction of the project
such as building placement, driveways, storm sewer piping and grading
information. This plan will also contain design information regarding
the storm water management (detention) areas.
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Preparation of Sanitary Sewer and Water
Plan
-- includes all horizontal information for the construction of the
Sanitary Sewer and Water facilities including tie-in location and
information (in accordance with applicable Sewer Authority and Water
Authority requirements).
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Preparation of Roadway and Utility
Profiles
-- includes all necessary profile, design and grade information for
proposed roadways, parking areas and utilities.
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Preparation of Landscaping and Lighting
Plans
-- includes coordination and assistance with outside consultants for
preparation of landscaping and lighting plans. Much of this design can
be completed in-house depending on the municipal requirements.
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Preparation of Construction Detail Plans
-- includes all necessary construction details required for construction
of the site improvements for the project (according to Township
requirements).
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Preparation of storm water Management
calculations and report
-- includes all necessary hydraulic and hydrologic calculation and
documentation to demonstrate adequacy of the proposed storm water
facilities.
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Plan Presentation
-- Attend Township Planning Commission meetings and Township Board of
Supervisors meetings and applicable Authority meetings, complete the
necessary applications and assist with plan submission to the
jurisdictional agencies.
Storm Water Management Design
Storm water management design is a large part of what we do at RCMA.
Nearly all subdivision and land development require some form of storm
water facilities design. It is extremely important that excess runoff
resulting from development activities is adequately controlled in order
to reduce the impact to the environment as well as provided protection
to downstream property owners, and the community. RCMA is capable of
designing nearly all types of storm water management facilities. We
frequently provide designs of storm sewer collection systems, culverts,
detention basins, infiltration beds, swales, channels, and underground
detention basins. RCMA uses specialized computer software and proven
storm water design methodologies to accurately model and design storm
water management facilities. We also stay up to date on the latest
storm water management techniques and regularly attend storm water
management seminars.
Flood Plain Analysis
The
presence of a floodplain associated with a stream can significantly
affect the development of a parcel. Many times it is necessary to
accurately calculate the location of a floodplain in order to insure
protection of proposed facilities, and to demonstrate compliance with
local, state, and federal floodplain regulations. FEMA (Federal
Emergency Management Agency) regulates floodplains and produces FIRM's
(Flood Insurance Rate Map) that show the location of areas prone to
flooding. Sometimes during the course of the land development process
these flood maps must be corrected to accurately depict the floodplain,
or be revised as a result of proposed development activities. RCMA is
capable of performing flood studies and has worked with FEMA when
necessary to revise the flood maps.
Erosion Control Design & N.P.D.E.S. Permitting
Any
earth disturbance will require approval of the respective County
Conservation District. If the project proposes more that one acre of
disturbance, an N.P.D.E.S. permit is required. Concurrent with the
preparation of the Preliminary Subdivision Plans RCMA prepares Erosion
and Sedimentation Control Plans and Post Construction Storm Water
Management Plans.
Erosion and
Sedimentation Control Plan
The
Erosion and Sedimentation Control Plan documents all of the measures
necessary to prevent erosion and protect the environment from sediment
potentially could leave the site if not properly controlled. This
process typically requires the following:
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Preparation of Erosion and
Sedimentation Control Plan and Construction Details;
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Preparation of Erosion and
Sedmentation Control narrative, documenting sequencing and staging
of construction and all design measures and calculations;
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Submission of the Erosion
and Sedimentation plans and reports to the County Conservation
District for review and approval;
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Attendance of meetings with
representatives of the Conservation District as required to review
the plans;
Post Construction
Storm Water Management - N.P.D.E.S. Permitting
Any
earth disturbance over one acre requires the preparation of the
N.P.D.E.S. Permit application and a Post Construction Storm Water
Management Plan. The Post Construction Storm Water Management Plan is
part of the N.P.D.E.S. permit requirements. The plan details the best
ways to control storm water after the site is stabilized and
construction is completed. N.P.D.E.S. permitting is designed to promote
Best Management Practices (BMP's) that address water quality issues.
BMP's are typically designed to promote infiltration of rainwater into
the ground and protect the health of the stream, environment and
watershed. This process typically requires the following:
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Preparation of a Post
Construction Storm Water Management Narrative that documents all
aspects of the storm water management design;
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Preparation of storm water
management calculations that document and justify the use of each
(BMP) Best Management Practice;
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Preparation of construction
details and maintenance procedures for each BMP;
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Preparation of a N.P.D.E.S.
Permit application:
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Submission of the Post
Construction Storm Water Management plans and reports to the County
Conservation District for review and approval;
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Attendance of meetings with
representatives of the Conservation District as required to review
the plans;
Sewage Facilities Planning
Most subdivisions and land developments require Sewage Facilities
Planning. Each municipality is required to have a township wide plan
for dealing with the need for sewage treatment and the management of
wastewater. This plan is known as the Act 537 Plan. The Act 537 plan
describes which areas of the municipality are to be serviced by public
sewer and which areas are to be serviced by private on-lot sewage
disposals systems. There are two methods of sewage facilities planning:
(1) Full sewage facilities planning, and (2) an exemption from sewage
facilities planning.
The Planning Module
Full sewage facilities planning requires the preparation of a planning
module package. The developer, or the developer's consultant, generally
prepares the Planning Module. The Planning Module assesses the various
possibilities for the handling of wastewater generated from the
development (on-lot septic system, package treatment plant, and public
sewer) and describes the reasoning for the method selected. The package
describes how much wastewater will be generated by the project, how it
will be conveyed to the point of treatment, and how the wastewater will
be treated. The Planning Module must demonstrate consistency between
the proposed method for treatment and the municipal Act 537 plan and
comprehensive plan. The planning module must be reviewed by the
municipal planning commission, the county planning commission, and the
county health department. After these agencies have had an opportunity
to review and comment on the Planning Module, it must then be formally
approved at a public meeting by the municipal governing body (board of
supervisors). After the module is approved at the local level, it is
forwarded to the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP)
for review and approval. The entire process can take several months to
complete, but can generally be completed concurrently with the
subdivision and land development process. Full Planning Module
preparation is always required for private on-lot sewage disposal and is
often required for public sewer.
Planning Module
Exemption
In
some cases, a project can be exempt from sewage facilities planning, and
can receive DEP approval for connection to a public sewer system by
simply filling out a Planning Module Exemption Postcard. The exemption
postcard briefly describes the project and provides verification by the
Township that the project is consistent with the Act 537 plan. An
exemption also requires verification from the authority providing sewer
service that treatment and conveyance capacity is available,
verification that water service is available to the project, and
verification that the project does not conflict with natural resources
(plant and wildlife). An exemption can only be used when the
municipality has anticipated the development and previously planned to
provide sewer service to the project.
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