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HomeMy WebLinkAbout20070595 Ver 1_Approval Letter_20070430m~{~~ud~ +" pea z a sung lDI~VISI~N~ 1 April 19, 2007 G4i k, P.E. Director }"i ~ ter Quality APR ~, © ~`~ Hyde County ;r~,l~~ypsl~f•.hq/ ~Q®~ DWQ Project No. 20070595 +!~nSr~~~Qaq~~,i ~~'~~cy APPROVAL of 401 WATER QUALITY CERTIFICATION and TAR-PAMLICO BUFFER AUTHORIZATION with ADDITIONAL CONDITIONS Mr. Anthony Roper, P.E. NCDOT, Division I 113 Airport Drive Suite 100 Edenton, NC 27932 Dear Mr. Roper: You have our approval, in accordance with the attached conditions and those listed below, for the following impacts: Wetland fill Site Number acres Bridge 24 0.029 The project shall be constructed in accordance with your application dated March 22, 2007 for the purpose of replacing Bridge # 24 with a culvert on a relic channel on NC 12 on Ocracoke Island in Hyde County. After reviewing your application, we have decided that these impacts are covered by General Water Quality Certification Number 3627. This certification corresponds to the General Permit 31, issued by the Corps of Engineers. This approval is also valid for the Tar- Pamlico Buffer Rules (15A NCAC 2B .0259). In addition, you should acquire any other federal, state or local permits before you proceed with your project including (but not limited to) Sediment and Erosion Control, Non-Discharge and Water Supply Watershed regulations. This approval will expire with the accompanying 404 permit issued by the US Army Corps of Engineers (this supercedes Condition 19 of General Certification 3627 issued on March 19, 2007). This approval is valid solely for the purpose and design described in your application (unless modified below}. Should your project change, you must notify the DWQ and submit a new application. If the property is sold, the new owner must be given a copy of this Certification and approval letter, and is thereby responsible for complying with all the conditions. If total wetland fills for this project (now or in the future) exceed one acre, or total impacts to streams or buffers (now or in the future) exceed 1501inear feet, compensatory mitigation may be required as described in 15A NCAC 2H .0506 (h) (6) and (7). For this approval to remain valid, you must adhere to the conditions listed in the attached certification. 1.) Upon completion of the project, the NCDOT Division Engineer shall complete and return the enclosed "Certification of Completion Form" to notify DWQ when all work included in the 401 Certification has been completed. 2.) The penmittee and its authorized agents shall conduct its activities in a manner consistent with State water quality standards (including any requirements resulting from compliance with §303(d) of the Clean Water Act) and any other appropriate requirements of State and Federal law. If DWQ determines that such standards or laws are not being met (including the failure to sustain a designated or achieved use) or that State or federal law is being violated, or that further conditions are necessary to assure compliance, DWQ may reevaluate and modify this certification 3.) If concrete is used during construction, a dry work area shall be maintained to prevent direct contact between curing concrete and stream water. Water that inadvertently contacts uncured concrete shall not be discharged to surface waters due to the potential for elevated pH and possible aquatic life and fish kills. N. C. Division of Water Quality FAX (252) 946-9215 943 Washington Square Mall Michael F. Easley, Governor William G. Ross Jr., Secretary North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources Washington, N.C. 27889 Telephone (252) 946-6481 Internet: www.ncwaterquality.org An Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Adion Empbyer - 50% Recyded110% Post Consumer Paper No Carolina ~tura!!y 4.) Sediment and erosion control measwes shall not be placed in wetlands or waters unless otherwise approved by this Certification. If placement of sediment and erosion control devices in wetlands and waters is unavoidable, they shall be removed and the natwal grade restored upon completion of the project. 5.) Erosion and sediment control practices must be in full compliance with all specifications governing the proper design, installation and operation and maintenance of such Best Management Practices in order to protect surface waters standards: a. The erosion and sediment control measwes for the project must be designed, installed, operated, and maintained in accordance with the most recent version of the North Carolina Sediment and Erosion Control Planning and Design Manual. b. The design, installation, operation, and maintenance of the sediment and erosion control measwes must be such that they equal, or exceed, the requirements specified in the most recent version of the North Carolina Sediment and Erosion Control Manual. The devices shall be maintained on all construction sites, borrow sites, and waste pile (spoil) projects, including contractor-owned or leased borrow pits associated with the project. c. For borrow pit sites, the erosion and sediment control measwes must be designed, installed, operated, and maintained in accordance with the most recent version of the North Carolina Surface Mining Manual. d. The reclamation measwes and implementation must comply with the reclamation in accordance with the requirements of the Sedimentation Pollution Control Act. 6.) During the construction of the project, no staging of equipment of any kind is permitted in waters of the U.S., or protected riparian buffers. 7.) Placement of culverts and other structwes in waters, streams, and wetlands shall be placed below the elevation of the streambed by one foot for all culverts with a diameter greater than 48 inches, and 20 percent of the culvert diameter for culverts having a diameter less than 48 inches, to allow low flow passage of water and aquatic life. Design and placement of culverts and other structwes including temporary erosion control measwes shall not be conducted in a manner that may result in dis-equilibrium of wetlands or streambeds or banks, adjacent to or upstrearn and down stream of the above structwes. The applicant is required to provide evidence that the equilibrium is being maintained if requested in writing by DWQ. If this condition is unable to be met due to bedrock or other limiting featwes encountered dwing construction, please contact the NC DWQ for guidance on how to proceed and to determine whether or not a permit modification will be required. 8.) All mechanized equipment operated near surface waters must be regularly inspected and maintained to prevent contamination of stream waters from fuels, lubricants, hydraulic fluids, or other toxic materials. 9.) The outside buffer, wetland or water boundary located within the construction corridor approved by this authorization shall be clearly marked by highly visible fencing prior to any land distwbing activities. Impacts to areas within the fencing are prohibited unless otherwise authorized by this certification. 10.) Discharging hydroseed mixtures and washing out hydroseeders and other equipment in or adjacent to surface waters is prohibited. 11.) All fill slopes located in jurisdictional wetlands shall be placed at slopes no flatter than 3:1, unless otherwise authorized by this certification. 12.) Native riparian vegetation must be reestablished within the construction limits of the project by the end of the growing season following completion of construction. 13.) There shall be no excavation from, or waste disposal into, jurisdictional wetlands or waters associated with this permit without appropriate modification. Should waste or borrow sites be located in wetlands or streams, compensatory mitigation will be required since that is a duect impact from road construction activities. 14.) Strict adherence to the most recent version of NCDOT's Best Management Practices For Bridge Demolition and Removal approved by the US Army Corps of Engineers is a condition of the 401 Water Quality Certification. 15.) A copy of this Water Quality Certification shall be posted on the construction site at all times. In addition, the Water Quality Certification and all subsequent modifications, if any, shall be maintained with the Division Engineer and the on- site project manager. If you do not accept any of the conditions of this certification, you may ask for an adjudicatory hearing. You must act within 60 days of the date that you receive this letter. To ask for a hearing, send a written petition that conforms to Chapter 150B of the North Carolina General Statutes to the Office of Administrative Hearings, P.O. Box 27447, Raleigh, N.C. 27611-7447. This certification and its conditions are final and binding unless you ask for a hearing. This letter completes the review of the Division of Water Quality under Section 401 of the Clean Water Act. If you have any questions, please contact Garcy Ward at (252) 948-3922. incerel , ~. for A 1' Director, Division of Water Quality Attachment cc: Wilmington District Corps of Engineers Mr. Bill Biddlecome, US Army Corps of Engineers, Washington Field Office Mr. Clay Willis, Division 1 Environmental Officer, NCDOT Cathy Brittingham, DCM, 1638 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699 Sonia Gregory, NC DWQ, 401/Wetlands Unit Central Files File copy WQC #3627 This General Certification is issued in conformity 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, Section .0500 and 15A NCAC 26 .0200 for the discharge of fill material to waters and adjacent wetland areas 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) (14) of the Corps of Engineers regulations (Nationwide Permit No. 14 and Regional General Permit 198200031) and for the Riparian Area Protection Rules (Buffer Rules) in 15A NCAC 26 .0200. The category of activities shall include any fill activity for road crossings and is limited to fill less than one-third acre in tidal waters and less than one-half acre in non-tidal waters. This Certification replaces Water Quality Certification Number 2177 issued on November 5, 1987, Water Quality Certification Number 2666 issued on January 21, 1992, Water Quality Cert~cation Number 2732 issued on May 1, 1992, Water Quality Certification Number 3103 issued on February 11, 1997, Water n...,l•a.. l+..-L'i:....~:.... wl.....i...r AOfIA 'ocunrl nn J41ne , 0000 anr41 Water (]~ lality C~Prtifratinn \.iUQlllY \JGI l11 RsQlIV 11 IYUIIIVGI ~lLVN IJJYl.4 ., ~ J Number 3375 issued March 18, 2002 and WQC 3404 issued March 28, 2003. This WQC is rescinded when the Corps of Engineers re-authorizes Nationwide Permit 14 or Regional General Permit 198200031 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, 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 requirements. 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, 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. WQC #3627 Lakes and Ponds -Lake and Pond Impacts Enumeration- 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 that results in a loss of use of aquatic functions including but not limited to filling and dredging shall be considered waters impacts; 2. Proposed fill or substantial modification of wetlands or waters (including streams) under this General Cert~cation requires application to and prior written concurrence from the Division of Water Quality; 3. Application to and payment of a fee to DWQ is not required for construction of a driveway to a single family lot as long as the driveway impacts less than 25 feet of stream channel including any in-stream stabilization needed for the crossing; 4. 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 appiy for written concurrence under This Certification. New deveiopment 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; Irrespective of other application thresholds in this General Certification, all impacts to perennial waters and their associated buffers require written approval from DWQ since such impacts are allowable as provided in 15A NCAC 26. 0212 (WS-I), 26 .0213 (WS-II), 2B .0214 (WS-III) and 26 .0215 (WS-IV). Only water dependent activities, public projects and structures with diminimus increases in impervious surfaces will be allowed as outlined in those rules. All other activities require a variance from the delegated local govemment and/or the NC Environmental Management Commission before the 401 Water Quality Certification can be processed. In addition, a 30 foot wide vegetative buffer for low density development or a 100 foot wide vegetative buffer for high density development must be maintained adjacent to all perennial waters except for allowances as provided under the Water Supply Watershed Protection Rules. Far the purposes of this condition, perennial waters are defined as those shown as perennial waters on the most recent USGS 1:24,000 topographic map or as otherwise determined by local government studies; 6. Additional site-specific stormwater management requirements may be 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(d) 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 stormwater management plan when asite-specific stormwater management plan is required. WQC #3627 Alternative designs may be 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 Tong 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) steal! 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. 7. Compensatory stream mitigation shall be required at a 1:1 ratio for not only perennial but also intermittent stream impacts that require application to DWQ in watersheds classified as ORW, HQW, Tr, WS-I and WS-II unless the project is a linear, publicly-funded transportation project, which has a 150-foot per-stream impact allowance; 8. 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 through the Division of Coastal Management and will be the higher of the two fees; 9. 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 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 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 travelling public. Projects may also be implemented once payment is made a,.., ,..t.,.,+„ „~.~+7,,.~-].,r, hon4 nr nthor in_Iioi i fqr~ mm~ram as specified in the written concurrence of 401 Certification for a project. 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; WQC #3627 10. 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, 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 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; 11. 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 DWC~. Additionaily, 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; 12. 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; 13. 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; 14. That additional site-specific conditions may be added to projects proposed under this Certification in order to ensure compliance with all applicable water quality and effluent standards; 15. Measures shall be taken to prevent live or fresh concrete from coming into contact with freshwaters of the state until the concrete has hardened; 16. 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; 17. 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 WQC #3627 Certifications. For road construction purposes, this Certification shall only be utilized from natural high ground to natural high ground; 18. 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; 19. 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 14 or Regional General Permit 198200031, whichever is sooner. Non-compliance with or violation of the conditions herein set forth by a specfic fill project may result in revocation of this Cert~cation 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 date: 19 March 2007 DIVISION OF WATER QUALITY ray ~~ , Alan W. Klimek, P.E. Director WQC # 3627 Michael F. Easley, Uovernor William G. Ross Jr., Secretary North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources Alan W. Klimek, P.E. Director Division of Water Quality DWQ Project No.: Applicant: Project Name: Date of Issuance of 401 Water Quality Certification: County: Certificate of Completion Upon completion of all work approved within the 401 Water Quality Certification or applicable Buffer Rules, and any subsequent modifications, the applicant is required to return this certificate to the 401/Wetlands Unit, North Carolina Division of Water Quality, 1621 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC, 27699-1621. This form may be returned to DWQ by the applicant, the applicant's authorized agent, or the project engineer. It is not necessary to send certificates from all of these. Applicant's Certification hereby state that, to the best of my abilities, due care and diligence was used in the observation of the construction such that the construction was observed to be built within substantial compliance and intent of the 401 Water Quality Certification and Buffer Rules, the approved plans and specifications, and other supporting materials. Signature: Agent's Certification Date: hereby state that, to the best of my abilities, due care and diligence was used in the observation of the construction such that the construction was observed to be built within substantial compliance and intent of the 401 Water Quality Certification and Buffer Rules, the approved plans and specifications, and other supporting materials. Signature: Engineer's Certification Partial Final Date: I, , as a duly registered Professional Engineer in the State of North Carolina, having been authorized to observe (periodically, weekly, full time) the construction of the project, for the Permittee hereby state that, to the best of my abilities, due care and diligence was used in the observation of the construction such that the construction was observed to be built within substantial compliance and intent of the 401 Water Quality Certification and Buffer Rules, the approved plans and specifications, and other supporting materials. Signature Date Registration No. NJo e~Carolina Transportation Permitting Unit " ' ""~uCa~~l~ 1650 Mail Service Center, Ralegh, North Carolina 27699-1650 2321 Crabtree Boulevard, Suite 250, Raleigh, North Carolina 27604 Phone: 919-733-17861 FAX 919-733-68931 Internet: httn_i/h2o.enr.state.nc.us/ncwetlands An Equal OpportunitylAffirmative Action Employer- 50°k Recycled/10°/° Post Consumer Paper