By: Lane Enterprises, LLC
Project Summary
At the Heric Properties development in Indian Trail, North Carolina, the project team faced an important challenge: meeting stormwater quality requirements without relying on traditional cartridge filters or expensive concrete vault systems. Working with Lane Enterprises, LLC, the project team chose a smarter path, combining water quality treatment and detention storage into one efficient corrugated steel pipe solution.
As the project fabricator, Lane Enterprises helped bring the innovative stormwater design to life, supporting a system that ultimately earned the 2026 NCSPA Retention/Detention Project of the Year Award.
A Smarter Approach to Stormwater Retention and Detention
When developers plan a stormwater system, cost and compliance often drive decisions. However, the owner of Heric Properties brought a unique perspective to the project.
Owner Eric Donnelly operates Heric Solutions, a company specializing in underground detention system maintenance and water quality devices. Because of that experience, he understood the long-term maintenance challenges tied to many stormwater systems. Therefore, when meeting North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality requirements, he intentionally moved away from cartridge filters and selected a retention and detention stormwater system using corrugated steel pipe instead.
This decision created a practical and maintenance-friendly solution while still meeting stormwater quality requirements.
Why Corrugated Steel Pipe Was the Right Fit
To support the stormwater system, Lane Enterprises fabricated approximately 320 feet of 103-inch by 71-inch corrugated steel pipe arch for the sand filter. Additionally, the project included 376 feet of 72-inch corrugated steel pipe to support detention storage needs.
Unlike round pipe, the pipe-arch shape creates a wider footprint near the bottom. Consequently, this design provides ideal conditions for a sand bed system. The wider cross-section improves filtration performance while still maintaining efficient stormwater flow.
The retention and detention stormwater system works by pairing water quality treatment with storage capacity. Instead of separating these functions into different structures, both components work together to satisfy overall stormwater storage requirements. As a result, the system delivers efficiency without sacrificing performance.
Moving Beyond Traditional Concrete Vaults
Historically, sand filters often relied on large concrete vault systems. Unfortunately, those systems can be expensive, labor intensive, and require larger installation equipment.
This project proved there is another way.
By adapting sand filter design methodology to large diameter corrugated steel pipe, the Heric Properties development gained a solution that installed differently and more efficiently. Smaller equipment handled installation, helping simplify construction and reduce disruption on-site. Furthermore, the use of corrugated steel pipe created a more practical approach to long-term maintenance. Learn more about corrugated steel pipe systems here.
The retention and detention stormwater system also delivered another major advantage. Rather than relying on a large contractor team, owner Eric Donnelly and his family installed the system themselves in only a few days, demonstrating how constructible and user-friendly the design truly was. They later praised both the installation process and long-term maintenance accessibility.
A Project That Blends Performance With Practicality
Stormwater systems often live underground and out of sight. Nevertheless, their performance affects communities every day.
The Heric Properties Sand Filter demonstrates how corrugated steel pipe can deliver practical, cost-conscious stormwater solutions while still meeting demanding environmental requirements. For additional information on the long-term advantages of steel drainage infrastructure, explore NCSPA’s Why Steel page.
More importantly, the project highlights how industry experience can shape smarter infrastructure choices. When someone who repairs detention systems every day chooses corrugated steel pipe for their own development, people tend to pay attention.
For more engineering guidance and educational resources, visit our Design Resources.
Related Project Stories
Stormwater challenges come in many forms. Explore how other NCSPA Project Spotlight winners used corrugated steel pipe to solve drainage, environmental, and infrastructure challenges.
Buckingham Creek Stream Rehabilitation Project
See how a rehabilitation project restored trout habitat while improving long-term water management through stream restoration in Minnesota.
Corrugated Steel Pipe Culvert Replacement Solves Challenging Forest Crossing in Oregon
Discover how an award-winning corrugated steel pipe solution addressed environmental concerns and site access challenges in a remote forest crossing.
Explore More Award-Winning Projects
Looking for more innovative stormwater and drainage solutions? Browse the full NCSPA Project Spotlight collection to see how corrugated steel pipe continues solving complex infrastructure challenges.