Gov't Officials requiring too much?

[wds1]

We work in a local community that just came out with a new fee schedule, based on sf, for site plan review. For a 100,000 sf factory/warehouse they were going to charge us $70,000 to review the plans. This is probably 3x the cost for us to design the site, arch, structural, electrical, mechanical, and fire suppression plans. They are Only reviewing the site. They require far more than any other community.
I would like to know what other engineers are seeing for stormwater calculations. In general for private sites, we design pipes for usu. 5 year and sometimes 10 year storms. For detention we determine a critical storm by the increase in Volume for a 1 yr. storm. ie. [(post_V/pre_V)-1.0]=75%, yields a 10 yr critical storm. Then post_Q 1,2,5,10 yr. storms have have to be held to Pre_Q 1 yr storm flows. The post_Q for the 25, 50, and 100 yr storms are restricted to their pre_Q 25, 50, and 100 yr. storms. The NPDES is requiring Post Const. Water Quality Volume (WQv). If you use Extended Detention(which is the easiest to modify for existing detention methods), you have to draw-down the WQv=.75"*C*A over 48 hours. This usually leads to orifices of 1" dia. for a 1-5 Ac site. The orifice has to be protected with riprap so leaves and grass clippings do Not clog it. Everyone in this area is still trying to feel-out the Post WQv methods.
The same community above, requires us to prove that all of the 100 yr. storm makes it to the detention basin. This requires us to size all our pipes for the 100yr storm with a max ponding in the parking areas of 9".
I'm curious to see what other engineers are required to do?

 

[LHA]

That fee seems high, but not unheard of, depending on complexity of plans.

Your calc methods are not acceptable in this area, but if they are in your area, then they are fine, noone who doesn't practice in your area should comment on their validity.

About the 100-yr conveyance:
I always make Applicants prove safe conveyance to storage facilities, or safe bypass, not necessarily within the pipes. See if the reviewer will allow that...overflow can run overland for larger storms.

If your storage calcs claim a watershed to a storage volume, and your calcs include the 100-yr event, you must show that all that runoff gets to the storage, or enlarge your bypass area.

Remember: The Chinese ideogram for “crisis” is comprised of the characters for “danger” and “opportunity.”
-Steve