20071470_Other Agency Comments_20080624

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STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA
TtRNPME AUTHORITY
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MICHAEL F. EASLEY 1578 MAIL SERVICE CENTER, RALEIGH, N.C. 27699-1578 DAVID W. JOYNER
GOVERNOR EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
June 20, 2008
US Army Corps of Engineers
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Regional Field Office q"7
3331 Heritage Trade Drive, Suite 105 V
Wake Forest, NC 27587
Attn: Mr. Eric Alsmeyer
NCDOT Coordinator, Division 5
Subject: Application for Modification to Section 404 Individual Permit for the Western Wake
Freeway from NC 55 at SR 1172 (Old Smithfield Road) to NC 55 near SR 1630 (Alston
Avenue), Wake County, Federal Aid No. BRSTP-000S(491), State Project No.
6.408006T, Division 5, TIP R-2635, WBS Element 35520.1.TA1.
Reference: USACE Permit Action ID No. SAW-2007-02903-292, issued April 22, 2008.
Dear Sir:
The North Carolina Turnpike Authority (NCTA), in coordination with the North Carolina Department of
Transportation (NCDOT), proposes to construct a 12.6-mile long, new location roadway (Western Wake
Freeway) on the western side of Wake County, North Carolina. The Western Wake Freeway will begin
just north of SR 1172 (Old Smithfield Road) between Apex and Holly Springs at NC 55, and will end
near SR 1630 (Alston Avenue) at NC 55 north of Cary. The Western Wake Freeway is planned as a six-
lane, fully controlled-access, toll facility with a 78-foot wide median. The NCTA submitted an
Individual Section 404 (of the Clean Water Act) Permit Application to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
(USACE) for the subject project on August 27, 2007. On April 22, 2008, the Section 404 Permit was
issued by the USACE (Action ID No. SAW-2007-0293-292). The Section 401 Water Quality
Certification (WQC) was issued by the North Carolina Division of Water Quality (DWQ) on March 17,
2008.
The purpose of this submittal is to request a modification to the Section 404 Permit. No modification of
the Section 401 WQC issued by DWQ is necessary due to no changes in stream or wetland impacts. The
modification for the permit is due to discrepancies of wetland mitigation requirements between what was
stated in the permit application versus the North Carolina Ecosystem Enhancement Program (EEP) letter
dated January 9, 2008. The wetland impacts in the permit application were broken down between
riverine and non-riverine while the impacts in the EEP letter were listed as riparian and non-riparian.
The different sets of terminology used in the two documents are not equivalent to one another. For
example, a riparian system is based upon its proximity to the adjacent stream and typically encompasses
greater area coverage, compared to a riverine system which is primarily influenced from overbank
NORTH CAROLINA TURNPIKE AUTHORITY
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flooding. Riparian systems may therefore include both riverine and non-riverine systems. It was
determined that the terms riparian and non-riparian should be used to be consistent with the EEP
terminology. Table 1 below updates and compares the types of wetland mitigation with the original
permit application.
Tahle 1 _ Cnmmarv of Wetland Tmnnetc Reanirina Miti¢ation
Section HUC Riverine
Wetlands (ac) Non-riverine
Wetlands (ac) Riparian*
Wetlands (ac)
R-2635A 03030004 0 1.77 1.77
R-2635B 03030004 4.25 0.62 4.87
Total for HUC 03030004 4.25 2.39 6.64
R72635B£ .. ? "17 0002 1.78 0.46 2.24
R-2635C -03030002 4.78 6.48 11.26
Total for HUC 03030002 6.56 6.94 13.50
Total in Project Stud Area 10.81 9.33 20.14
* All riverine and non-riverine wetlands in study area are classified as riparian as defined by EEP.
REGULATORY APPROVALS
Application is hereby made for the modification of the Section 404 Permit from the USACE. The
modification of this permit has been designed to comply with the EEP.
Thank you for your assistance with this project. If you have any questions or need any additional
information about this project, please contact Jennifer Harris at [phone].
Sincerely,

Steven D. DeWitt, P.E., Chief Engineer
North Carolina Turnpike Authority
cc:
Mr. Shannon Sweitzer, P.E., NCTA Director of Construction
Ms. Jennifer Harris, P.E., NCTA Staff Engineer
Mr. Brian Wrenn, NCDWQ (2 Copies)
Mr. Rob Ridings, NCDWQ
Mr. Travis Wilson, NCWRC
Ms. Kathy Matthews, USEPA
Mr. Ronald Mikulak, USEPA - Atlanta, GA
Mr. George Hoops, P.E., FHWA
Mr. Clarence W. Coleman, P.E., FHWA
Mr. Gary Jordan, USFWS
Mr. Michael Street, NCDMF
Mr. J. Wally Bowman, P.E., NCDOT Division 5 Engineer
Mr. Chris Murray, NCDOT Division 5 Environmental Officer
Mr. Phil Harris, P.E., NCDOT Natural Environment Unit
Mr. Scott McLendon, USACE, Wilmington
Ms. Beth Harmon, EEP
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