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HomeMy WebLinkAboutGC 3362WQC #3362 GENERAL CERTIFICATION FOR PROJECTS ELIGIBLE FOR CORPS OF ENGINEERS NATIONWIDE PERMIT NUMBERS 18 (MINOR DISCHARGES} 39 (RESIDENTIAL, COMMERCIAL AND INSTITUTIONAL DEVELOPMENTS}, 41 (RESHAPING EXISTING DRAINAGE DITCHES}, 42 (RECREATIONAL FACILITIES), 43 (STORMWATER MANAGEMENT FACILITIES} AND 44 (MINING ACTIVITIES}, AND RIPARIAN AREA PROTECTION RULES (BUFFER RULES} This General Certification is issued inconformity with the requirements of Section 401, Public Laws 92-500 and 95-217 of the United States and subject to the North Carolina Division of Water Quality (DWQ) Regulations in 15A NCAC 2H, Secti0n .0500 and 15A NCAC 2B .0200 for the discharge of fill material to waters and adjacent wetland areas which are above headwaters or to wetland areas that are not a part of the surface tributary system to interstate waters or navigable waters of the United States (i.e., isolated wetlands) as described in 33 CFR 330 Appendix A (B) (18, 39, 41, 42, 43 and 44) of the Corps of Engineers regulations (i.e., Nationwide Permit No. 39) and for the Riparian Area Protection Rules (Buffer Rules} in 15A NCAC 2B .0200. This Certification replaces Water Quality Certification Numbers 3106 and 3108 issued on February 11, 1997, and Water Quality Certification Number 3287 issued on June 1, 2000. This WQC is rescinded when the Corps of Engineers re-authorizes Nationwide Permits 18, 39, 41, 42, 43 or 44 or when deemed appropriate by the Director of DWQ. The State of North Carolina certifies that the specified category of activity will not violate applicable portions of Sections 301, 302, 303, 306 and 307 of the Public Laws 92-500 and 95-217 if conducted in accordance with the conditions hereinafter set forth. Conditions of Certification: 1. Enumerating and Reporting of Impacts: • Streams -Impacts to streams as determined by the Division of Water Quality shall be measured as length of the centerline of the normal flow channel. Permanent and/or temporary stream impacts shall be enumerated on the entire project for all impacts regardless of which 404 Nationwide Permits are used. Stream relocations and stream bed and/or bank hardening are considered to be permanent stream impacts. Any activity that results in a loss of use of stream functions including but not limited to filling, relocating, flooding, excavation, dredging and complete shading shall be considered stream impacts. Enumeration of impacts to streams shall include streams enclosed by bottomless culverts, bottomless arches or other spanning structures when a 404 Permit is used anywhere in a project unless the entire structure (including construction impacts} spans the entire bed and both banks of the stream, is only used for a road, driveway or path crossing, and is not mitered to follow the stream pattern. Impacts for dam footprints and flooding will count toward the threshold for stream impacts, but flooding upstream of the dam will not (as long as no filling, excavation, relocation or other modification of the existing stream dimension, pattern or profile occurs) count towards mitigation. • Wetlands -Impacts to wetlands as determined by the Division of Water Quality shall be measured as area. Permanent and/or temporary wetland impacts shall be enumerated on the entire project for all impacts regardless of which 404 Nationwide Permits are used. Any activity that results in a loss of use of wetland functions including but not limited to filling, excavating, draining, and flooding shall be considered wetland impacts. Enumeration of impacts to wetlands shall include activities that change the hydrology of a wetland when a 404 Permit is used anywhere in a project. • Lakes and Ponds -Impacts to waters other than streams and wetlands as determined by the Division of Water Quality shall be measured as area. Permanent and/or temporary water impacts shall be enumerated on the entire project for all impacts proposed regardless of which 404 Nationwide Permits are used. Any activity WQC #3362 that results in a loss of use of aquatic functions including but not limited to filling and dredging shall be considered waters impacts. Application Thresholds -Stream, wetland and water impacts that exceed any of the thresholds below require a complete application and written concurrence to use this Certification: • Total stream impacts of greater or equal to 150 cumulative feet of stream length for the entire project require written notification to and approval by the Division of Water Quality, and/or • Impacts to waters of equal to or greater than 113 of an acre require written notification to and approval by the Division of Water Quality, and/or • Wetland impacts of greater or equal to 1 /3 of an acre east of I-95 and 1110 of an acre west of I-95 require written notification to and approval by the Division of Water Quality except as specified below. Any impacts to wetlands adjacent to waters designated as ORW, SA, WS-I, WS-II or Trout or are designated as a North Carolina or National Wild and Scenic River and wetlands classified as SWL and/or UWL as well as wetlands described in 15A NCAC 2H .0506 (e) require a complete application and written concurrence from the Division of Water Quality to use this Certification. These thresholds apply for the entire project regardless of the number of Nationwide Permits applicable to the Certification that are issued by the USACE for the project; • Written notification to DWQ is required for all applications that propose to use Nationwide Permit 18. This notification requirement will be satisfied by providing two (2} copies of the PCN form to DWQ at the same time that the PCN form is sent to the US Army Corps of Engineers. A formal application and fee is not required unless DWQ decides that an Individual Certification will be required for the project. In this case, the applicant will be notified in writing from DWQ within 30 days of the receipt of the written notification. • Proposed fill or substantial modification of any amount of wetlands classified in accordance with 15A NCAC 2B .0101(e)(7) as Unique Wetlands (UWL) shall require written concurrence from the Division of Water Quality; 2. Impacts to any stream length in the Neuse, Tar-Pamlico or Randleman River Basins (or any other major river basins with Riparian Area Protection Rules [Buffer Rules] in effect at the time of application} requires written concurrence for this Certification from DWQ in accordance with 15A NCAC 26.0200. Activities listed as "exempt" from these rules do not need to apply for written concurrence under this Certification. New development activities located in the protected 50-foot wide riparian areas (whether jurisdictional wetlands or not) within the Neuse and Tar-Pamlico River Basins shall be limited to "uses" identified within and constructed in accordance with 15A NCAC 2B .0200. All new development shall be located, designed, constructed, and maintained to have minimal disturbance to protect water quality to the maximum extent practicable through the use of best management practices; 3. Additional site-specific stormwater management requirements maybe added to this Certification at DWQ's discretion on a case by case basis for projects that have or are anticipated to have impervious cover of greater than 30 percent. Site-specific stormwater management shall be designed to remove 85% TSS according to the latest version of DWQ's stormwater Best Management Practices manual at a minimum. Additionally, in watersheds within one mile and draining to 303(4) listed waters, as well as watersheds that are classified as nutrient sensitive waters (NSW), water supply waters (WS}, trout waters (Tr), high quality waters (HQW), and outstanding resource waters (ORW), the Division shall require that extended detention wetlands, bio-retention areas, and ponds followed by forested filter strips (designed according to latest version of the NC DENR stormwater Best Management Practices Manual) be constructed as part of the WQC #3362 stormwater management plan when asite-specific stormwater management plan is required. For streams classified as Water Supply, High Quality Waters and Outstanding Resource Waters, post-construction, on-site stormwater management shall be required as appropriate and as outlined in 15A NCAC 2B .0104(m) and 2H .1000 to .1007, respectively, in addition to that required in this General Certification. Alternative designs maybe requested by the applicant and will be reviewed on a case-by- case basis by the Division of Water Quality. Approval of stormwater management plans by the Division of Water Quality's other existing state stormwater programs including appropriate local programs are sufficient to satisfy this Condition as long as the stormwater management plans meet or exceed the design requirements specified in this condition. This condition applies unless more stringent requirements are in effect from other state water quality programs. • Unless specified otherwise in the approval letter, the final, written stormwater management plan shall be approved in writing by the Division of Water Quality's Wetlands Unit before the impacts specified in this Certification occur. • The facilities must be designed to treat the runoff from the entire project, unless otherwise explicitly approved by the Division of Water Quality. • Also, before any permanent building or other structure is occupied at the subject site, the facilities (as approved. by the Wetlands Unit) shall be constructed and operational, and the stormwater management plan (as approved by the Wetlands Unit) shall be implemented. • The structural stormwater practices as approved by the wetlands Unit as well as drainage patterns must be maintained in perpetuity. • No changes to the structural stormwater practices shall be made without written authorization from the Division of Water Quality. 4. Compensatory stream mitigation shall be required at a 1:1 ratio for all perennial and intermittent stream impacts equal to or exceeding 150 feet and that require application to DWQ in watersheds classified as ORW, HQW, Tr, WS-I and WS-II; 5. In accordance with North Carolina General Statute Section 143-215.3D(e}, any application fora 401 Water Quality Certification must include the appropriate fee. If a project also requires a CAMA Permit, one payment to both agencies shall be submitted and will be the higher of the two fees; 6. In accordance with 15A NCAC 2H .0506 (h) compensatory mitigation may be required for impacts to 150 linear feet or more of streams and/or one acre or more of wetlands for an entire project. For linear public transportation projects, impacts equal to or exceeding 150 feet per stream may require mitigation. In addition, buffer mitigation may be required for any project with Riparian Area Protection Rules (Buffer Rules) in effect at the time of application for buffer impacts resulting from activities classified as "allowable with mitigation" within the "Table of Uses" section of the Buffer Rules or require a variance under the Buffer Rules. A determination of buffer, wetland and stream mitigation requirements shall be made for any Certification for this Nationwide Permit. The most current design and monitoring protocols from DWQ shall be followed and written plans submitted for DWQ approval as required in those protocols. When compensatory mitigation is required for a project, the mitigation plans must be approved by DWQ in writing before the impacts approved by the Certification occur, unless otherwise specified in the approval letter. The mitigation plan must be implemented and/or constructed before any permanent building or structure on site is occupied. In the case of public road projects, the mitigation plan must be implemented before the road is opened to the WQC #3362 travelling public. Please note that if a stream relocation is conducted as a stream restoration as defined in The Internal Technical Guide for Stream Work in North Carolina , April 2001, the restored length can be used as compensatory mitigation for the impacts resulting from the relocation; 7. For any project involving re-alignment of streams, a stream relocation plan must be included with the 401 application for written DWQ approval. Relocated stream designs should include the same dimensions, patterns and profiles as the existing channel (or a stable reference reach if the existing channel is unstable), to the maximum extent practical. The new channel should be constructed in the dry and water shall not be turned into the new channel until the banks are stabilized. Vegetation used for bank stabilization shall be limited to native woody species, and should include establishment of a 30 foot wide wooded and an adjacent 20 foot wide vegetated buffer on both sides of the relocated channel to the maximum extent practical. A transitional phase incorporating coir fiber and seedling establishment is allowable. Also, rip-rap, A-Jacks, concrete, gabions or other hard structures may be allowed if it is necessary to maintain the physical integrity of the stream, but the applicant must provide written justification and any calculations used to determine the extent of rip-rap coverage requested. If suitable stream mitigation is not practical on-site, then stream impact will need to be mitigated elsewhere. Please note that if a stream relocation is conducted as a stream restoration as defined in The Internal Technical Guide for Stream Work in North Carolina ,April 2001, the restored length can be used as compensatory mitigation for the impacts resulting from the relocation; 8. Placement of culverts and other structures in waters, streams, and wetlands must be placed below the elevation of the streambed to allow low flow passage of water and aquatic life unless it can be shown to DWQ that providing passage would be impractical. Design and placement of culverts including open bottom or bottomless arch culverts and other structures including temporary erosion control measures shall not be conducted in a manner that may result in aggradation, degradation or significant changes in hydrology of wetlands or stream beds or banks, adjacent to or upstream and down stream of the above structures. The applicant is required to provide evidence that the equilibrium shall be maintained if requested to do so in writing by DWQ. Additionally, when roadways, causeways or other fill projects are constructed across FEMA-designated floodways or wetlands, openings such as culverts or bridges must be provided to maintain the natural hydrology of the system as well as prevent constriction of the floodway that may result in aggradation, degradation or significant changes in hydrology of streams or wetlands; 9. That appropriate sediment and erosion control practices which equal or exceed those outlined in the most recent version of the "North Carolina Sediment and Erosion Control Planning and Design Manual" or the "North Carolina Surface Mining Manual" whichever is more appropriate (available from the Division of Land Resources (DLR) in the DENR Regional or Central Offices) shall be in full compliance with all specifications governing the proper design, installation and operation and maintenance of such Best Management Practices in order to assure compliance with the appropriate turbidity water quality standard; 10. All sediment and erosion control measures placed in wetlands and waters shall be removed and the original grade restored within two months after the Division of Land Resources has released the project; 11. That additional site-specific conditions maybe added to projects proposed under this Certification in order to ensure compliance with all applicable water quality and effluent standards; 12. Measures shall be taken to prevent live or fresh concrete from coming into contact with waters of the state until the concrete has hardened; WQC #3362 13. If an environmental document is required, this Certification is not valid until a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) or Record of Decision (ROD) is issued by the State Clearinghouse; 14. If this Certification is used to access building sites, all lots owned by the applicant must be buildable without additional fill beyond that explicitly allowed under other General Certifications. The applicant is required to provide evidence that the lots are buildable without requiring additional impacts to wetlands, waters Or buffers if required to do so in writing by DWQ. For road construction purposes, this Certification shall only be utilized from natural high ground to natural high ground; 15. Deed notifications or similar mechanisms shall be placed on all lots with remaining jurisdictional wetlands and waters or areas within 50 feet of all streams and ponds. These mechanisms shall be put in place within 30 days of the date of issuance of the 401 Certification letter or the issuance of the 404 Permit (whichever is later). A sample deed notification format can be downloaded from the 401/Wetlands Unit web site at http://h2o.enr.state.nc.uslncwetlands . DWQ shall be sent copies of all deed restrictions applied to these lots; 16. When written concurrence is required, the applicant is required to use the most recent version of the Certification of Completion form to notify DWQ when all work included in the 401 Certification has been completed; 17. Concurrence from DWQ that this Certification applies to an individual project shall expire three years from the date of the cover letter from DWQ or on the same day as the expiration date of the corresponding Nationwide Permit 18, 39, 41, 42, 43 or 44, whichever is sooner. Non-compliance with or violation of the conditions herein set forth by a specific fill project may result in revocation of this Certification for the project and may also result in criminal and/or civil penalties. The Director of the North Carolina Division of Water Quality may require submission of a formal application for Individual Certification for any project in this category of activity that requires written concurrence under this certification, if it is determined that the project is likely to have a significant adverse effect upon water quality or degrade the waters so that existing uses of the wetland or downstream waters are precluded. Public hearings may be held for specific applications or group of applications prior to a Certification decision if deemed in the public's best interest by the Director of the North Carolina Division of Water Quality. Effective dated 13 March 2002 DIVISIQN OFWATER QUALITY By WQC # 3362