In North Carolina, a watershed is defined as the “entire land area contributing surface drainage to a specific point.” In other words, a watershed is an area where any fluids drain into drinking water reservoirs. State law allows only certain amounts of parcels to be developed to protect the water supply and part of the requirement is that we must maintain the amount of impervious surface on your property. We have created this quick guide to help you create a site plan and the amount of impervious surface on your property. Site plans for Watershed Protection Permits must be drawn to scale, showing the following information.
- Location of property.
- Lot dimensions using actual dimensions and acreage of the lot to be built up on the location of any rights-of-way that may affect development on the lot.
- Built upon area including location and use of all existing and proposed buildings and other structures and, for non-residential development, the location and size, in square feet, of all built-upon areas including parking and locating facilities.
- The total number of dwelling units on the lot.
- The accurate location of perennial streams and natural drainage areas on the property.
- The location of all required buffer areas.
- The location of the individual water supply system and/or septic system.
The site plan and the Watershed Protection Permit must be approved and issued before any building permits are issued.