Although not required, Wake Stone notified personnel with the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) to inform them of our intent to begin exploratory drilling on the property. We also requested that representatives of DEQ’s Division of Energy, Mineral and Land Resources (DEMLR) visit the site to discuss our plans and to help determine whether or not an Erosion and Sedimentation Control Plan would be required. Regulators agreed that the placement of stone on existing roads was considered “stabilized” and that impacts of our proposed test drilling would be minimal. Therefore, an Erosion and Sedimentation Control Plan was not necessary.

Over the course of approximately five weeks, exploratory drilling was performed across the majority of the property. All drill holes were plugged upon completion of each test hole, and the areas were returned to a natural state as the drill was moved from one location to the next.