Targeted civil engineering investigation for sites experiencing drainage failures, grading problems, construction deficiencies, or other unexpected conditions. Our firm identifies root causes and provides the technical foundation for corrective action.
Site problems rarely announce themselves clearly. Drainage that ponding after every rain could trace to grading errors, inlet undersizing, outlet blockage, off-site upstream changes, or design deficiencies. Acting without a clear diagnosis usually produces repairs that fail to address the cause, or that create new problems while addressing the symptom.
Our firm conducts civil engineering forensic investigations that identify the actual source of site problems before recommending corrective measures. With 30 years of NC site engineering experience and CFM credentials on staff, our principal engineer can assess drainage failures, grading deficiencies, and construction anomalies from first principles, using field observation, plan review, hydrologic analysis, and comparison to original design intent.
Five investigation and assessment services covering the civil engineering problems most commonly encountered on NC commercial, institutional, and public sites.
Systematic investigation of stormwater and drainage systems that are not performing as intended. Our firm reviews original design documents, inspects installed infrastructure, performs hydrologic and hydraulic analysis, and compares observed performance to design parameters to identify whether the problem is a design deficiency, a construction deviation, a maintenance failure, an upstream change, or some combination. Findings are documented in a technical report with corrective recommendations.
Field investigation and analysis of grading and water flow problems including ponding, sheet flow across buildings or structures, slope failures, erosion patterns, and pavement drainage deficiencies. Our firm assesses the relationship between existing grades, drainage paths, and the problems being experienced, identifies where grading deviates from design intent or where design intent was itself inadequate, and recommends the minimum corrective work needed to resolve the condition.
Technical review of completed or in-progress site construction to identify work that does not conform to contract documents, approved plans, or applicable standards. Our firm inspects installed work, compares conditions to design documents, tests or surveys field conditions where warranted, and documents deficiencies with sufficient technical specificity to support contractor correction notices, payment withholding decisions, or remediation scoping.
Written technical opinions from our licensed P.E. on civil engineering questions arising from site conditions, contract disputes, insurance claims, or regulatory inquiries. These opinions are produced for non-litigation purposes and focus on providing an independent, technically grounded assessment of what the civil engineering record shows. Expert technical opinions are used to support negotiated resolutions, insurance adjustments, and regulatory correspondence.
Site visits and field documentation to establish the current condition of civil infrastructure: stormwater management devices, drainage channels, utility infrastructure, grading conditions, and site access. Field condition assessments are used for due diligence on property acquisitions, deferred maintenance planning, capital program scoping, and as a baseline before renovation or expansion work begins.
Addressing symptoms without understanding causes consistently produces repairs that fail or create new problems.
Repairs to ponding and drainage problems that don't address the hydraulic root cause return the next storm season, costing more each cycle
Without an independent technical assessment, owners frequently accept contractor scopes for corrective work that are broader than what the actual deficiency requires
Drainage and stormwater failures on regulated sites can generate agency notices, penalties, and required corrective action orders that make the engineering investigation cost look very small
Construction deficiency disputes that lack independent technical documentation escalate to formal proceedings more often and cost more to resolve than those with clear, well-documented forensic findings
Forensic civil engineering requires the depth to evaluate problems from first principles, not just compare them to a checklist.
Drainage and stormwater forensic work requires the analytical depth of a Certified Floodplain Manager combined with P.E. engineering judgment. Our firm has both on staff, which is uncommon at the scale of firms that typically do forensic work in NC.
Recognizing site problems requires pattern recognition that comes from seeing how NC soils, drainage systems, grading conditions, and construction practices interact across decades of project work. Our firm's principal engineer brings that context to every investigation.
Our firm does not perform construction services. Forensic findings are not influenced by contractor relationships or future construction work opportunities. Clients receive an honest technical assessment, which is the only kind that is actually useful.
Contact our firm to discuss a site problem or investigation need. We can typically scope a forensic engagement quickly once the basic conditions are described.