07/19/17 — County approves stream cleanup

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County approves stream cleanup

By Steve Herring
Published in News on July 19, 2017 5:50 AM

Wayne County commissioners Tuesday morning were reassured that the low bid for cleaning out stream debris was not only valid, but allowed the county to expand the original scope of work.

The bids ranged from the low of $146,507.25 submitted by A&K Grading to a high of $605,1377 submitted by Santee Debris Removal.

"After we received their (A&K's) bid we met with them to make sure they understood the scope, that there was nothing missing as far as their understanding of what we were expecting," Assistant County Manager Craig Honeycutt told commissioners during their Tuesday morning session. "They were very comfortable with what they had submitted."

The board unanimously approved the recommendation to hire A&K Grading Co. of LaGrange.

The county has received $237,473 in funding through the Golden LEAF Foundation and another $223,961 from the Disaster Recovery Relief Program through Soil and Water Conservation to remove debris from streams and creeks, but not the Neuse River.

Beaver dams will be removed, too.

The low bid left the county with approximately $315,000 remaining in the grant.

The project is being administered by the Wayne County Soil and Water Conservation District.

After the county received the low bid, Soil and Water Director Ashley Smith asked Golden LEAF and Disaster Recovery Relief Program officials if the leftover funding could be used to expand the stream cleanup.

Both agreed, Honeycutt said.

Commissioner Wayne Aycock asked if the county had that in writing.

It does, Honeycutt said.

Honeycutt said that the county would work with A&K Grading on pricing, basically using the same unit price in the bid, for the new areas.

Those additional areas include

* Thunder Swamp (Mount Olive area).

* Nahunta Swamp (Eureka area).

* Poplar Branch to the Neuse River (Mar Mac area).

* Approximately 55 locations along the Neuse River that have blockages.

While the cleanout work can extend up to and along the Neuse River, the county cannot do any work in the river itself, County Manager George Wood said.

Also, suggestions are welcome for other possible cleanup areas, Wood said.

The original list calls for cleaning approximately 21 miles along 11 streams including:

* Stoney Creek (outside the Goldsboro city limits) between Combs Road Neuse River. The city has received funding to clear that portion of Stoney Creek that is inside city limits, Wood said.

* Halfmile Branch (near Ferry Bridge Road and Old Smithfield Road) to the Neuse River.

* Creek beginning near First Congregational Church on the Old Mount Olive Highway, Dudley, to Durham Lake.

* Durham Lake to Thoroughfare Swamp.

* Thoroughfare Swamp to Falling Creek.

* Blue line ditch at U.S. 13 South to Falling Creek.

* Falling Creek to the Neuse.

The cleanout will be a "snag and drag" operation in which crews will clean debris that has fallen into the stream bed and is restricting water flow and/or contributing to flooding during heavy rain events.

It will be done by hand and light equipment in order to minimize the impact on the streams and surrounding areas.

The grant does not provide money for hauling the debris off. Instead it will be taken from the stream and placed between 15 to 30 feet up from the stream bed.

Letters will be sent to property owners asking for permission to be on private property along the streams.

If the property owner does not respond, the section of the stream on the property be bypassed.