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MEMORANDUM <br />Civil, <br />Environmental <br />Et Water <br />Resources <br />ENGINEERING CORP. <br />TO: Kasey Foley, REHS <br />Interim Director, San Joaquin Environmental Health Department <br />FROM: Norman Hantzsche, PE, Questa Engineering Corpora q 4 , <br />DATE: January 29, 2020 <br />SUBJECT: OWTS Design Review for Truck Terminal, 25 E French Camp Road, French Camp <br />PROJECT OVERVIEW <br />The project is for the development of a Class 8 tractor -trailer vehicle parking facility with a shop, <br />office and restroom. The subject property consists of a 15.71 -acre parcel of which 4.48 acres <br />will be developed for the project. The site is presently undeveloped, but was used historically for <br />agriculture. Surrounding properties in the area consist of a mix of residential, commercial and <br />industrial land uses. A new onsite wastewater system (OWTS) will be installed to accommodate <br />wastewater flows from restroom use by employees and customers, up to an estimated maximum <br />of about 43 people per day. <br />Plans and supporting documentation for the OWTS are contained in the "Nitrate Loading Study, <br />Soil Suitability Study" by Chesney Consulting, dated November 30, 2019_ Surface soils on the <br />site are reported to have a high clay content and slow permeability to a depth of about three feet; <br />below that the soil transitions from sandy clay loam to loam at about 5 feet, and then to very <br />permeable loamy sand at eight feet. Percolation testing demonstrated a rate of 83.3 min/inch at <br />36 -inch depth and 4.8 min/inch at 96 -inch depth. Estimated water table depth in the project area <br />is 30 feet below grade, based on regional groundwater maps. The proposed OWTS consists of a <br />standard 2,000 -gallon septic tank with disposal to a 1,500 ft2 filter bed, followed by overflow to <br />a 2 -ft wide by 20 -ft long by 8 -ft deep leaching trench (sump) at the end. The design wastewater <br />flow is estimated at 215 gpd, with a projected average annual wastewater generation of <br />approximately 64,500 gallons per year. <br />COMMENTS <br />The Nitrate Loading Study by Chesney Consulting projects an estimated resultant groundwater <br />nitrate—nitrogen concentration of 1.8 mg-N/L, well below the 10 mg-N/L drinking water <br />standard. I agree with the methodology and calculations presented by Chesney with the <br />exception of the value for rainfall recharge. The study states an assumption of 13 inches per year <br />for average annual rainfall recharge (R value in the Hantzsche-Finnemore equation), based on <br />the assumption that average recharge is equal to average annual rainfall. This is not universally <br />true, since there will always be some amount of rainfall lost to runoff, evaporation from the <br />Box 70356, 1220Brickyard Cove Rd. Suite 206 Pt. Richmond, CA 94807 T: 510/236.6114 F. 510/236.2423 E: Questa@QuestaEC.com <br />