Surveys
Surveying (Merriam-Webster dictionary)
“A branch of applied mathematics that is concerned with determining the area of any portion of the earth's surface, the lengths and directions of the bounding lines, and the contour of the surface and with accurately delineating the whole on paper.”
As-Built Survey: the position of the house or any other physical element is located after it is built.
Boundary Survey: the actual physical extent of property ownership, typically witnessed by monuments or markers, such as iron rods, pipes or concrete monuments in the ground, but also includes tacks in trees, piled stone corners or other types of monuments, which are measured, and a map, or plat, is drawn from the data.
The Global Positioning System, usually called GPS, is the only fully functional satellite navigation system. A constellation of more than two dozen GPS satellites broadcasts precise timing signals by radio, allowing any GPS receiver to accurately determine its location (longitude, latitude, and altitude) in any weather, day or night, anywhere on Earth.
GPS has become a vital global utility, indispensable for modern navigation on land, sea, and air around the world, as well as an important tool for map-making and land surveying.
Land surveyors to locate boundaries and physical structures use precise GPS receivers.
Survey Stakeout: the position of the house or any other physical element is located before it is built.
Topographic Survey: a survey that measures the elevation of points on a particular parcel of land, and presents them as contours on a plot. Topography (literally ‘describing a place’) is the detailed recording of all the features of a place, which may be of significance.
The surveying equipment we use:
- ProMark 3 GPS
- Nikon Total Station
- Topcon Total Station
- Trimble Total Station
Septic System Design
The purpose of a septic system is to provide treatment and disposal of sanitary sewage. The septic system disposal bed size is based on usage and soil permeability. The typical in-ground or mounded septic system provides two forms of treatment. The primary treatment process occurs in the septic tank where solids settle out from liquids and are treated by an anaerobic process, which partially digests the organic matter. The secondary treatment process occurs in the upper four feet of the disposal bed where pollutants are removed from the septic tank effluent by physical interactions between the gravel filter material and the soil. Finally, the lower four feet of soil within the septic system bed is used to promote downward or lateral movement of the treated wastewater away from the area of the septic system disposal bed.
Advanced technology is being applied to situations where septic system malfunctions are occurring. In years past, homes and septic systems were located in areas, which did not promote effective treatment and/or disposal of sewage effluent as per current required standards. As these older systems require replacement or alteration we find increasingly more difficult challenges in design parameters. In extreme cases of malfunction where the possibility of ground water contamination is a concern, the administrative authorities have been requiring greater degrees of treatment. MCE has been incorporating Peat Moss Technology in our designs for these ‘worst case’ malfunctions. This technology is approved by the DEP for use in alterations due to system malfunction. Sphagnum Peat Moss has properties, which can treat septic system effluent to a much higher degree than the typical gravel and soil disposal bed. While the administrative authorities have approved these types of systems they do require a much more intensive review, installation and maintenance process.
For simplicity, we have broken down the septic system designs into three basic categories:
Septic In-Ground Systems
In-ground systems are entirely below existing ground levels. They can be gravity fed or pressure dosed and are generally the most inexpensive and aesthetically pleasing. In-ground Septic System Detail.
Septic Mounded Systems
Mounded systems are above ground and are most often pressure dosed. They are typically constructed when a soil-limiting zone is encountered at a shallow depth from existing ground levels. They are generally considered less pleasing to the eye and can be more expensive to construct. Mounded Septic System Detail.
Peat Moss Technology Systems
Peat moss systems are allowed to be constructed when a system is in a state of malfunction. They can be in-ground or mounded systems. They are comparable in price to a mounded system and can be used to lower the height of a mounded system. While the cost to construct these systems is comparable to a mounded system, the design, permitting, and maintenance protocols are much more stringent.
New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Wastewater Management Program
Storm Water Management Design
Stormwater management is the collection, control and management of rainwater on a tract or parcel of land to reduce or minimize runoff and pollutants to adjoining properties and/or waterways.
New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Stormwater Management Rules set forth the design and performance standards for new development. The rules emphasize, as a primary consideration, the use of non-structural stormwater management techniques including minimizing disturbance, minimizing impervious surfaces, minimizing the use of stormwater pipes, preserving natural drainage features, etc. The rules also set forth requirements for groundwater recharge, runoff quantity controls, and a buffer adjacent to Category One waters and their immediate tributaries.
Mace Consulting Engineers
985 Belvidere Road • Phillipsburg, NJ 08865
(908) 454-9500 • Fax (908) 454-2262
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