NCDOT 7-98 Dismal Swamp Mitigation Site

MEMORANDUM
TO: Cathy Brittingham
CC:
FROM: Melissa Carle
DATE: December 16, 2005
SUBJECT: Dismal Swamp Mitigation Site, Gates/Perquimans County
I agree that DCM can consider the Dismal Swamp mitigation site to be closed-out. I have not
visited this site. In April 2004, I noted that several of the monitoring wells along the outer edges
of the site had not consistently met the hydrologic success criteria. This issue was addressed at
the DOT Mitigation Site Review Meeting held later that month. I do not have detailed notes
from that meeting and I do not remember how the issue was resolved. However, the vast
majority of the site did consistently achieve success criteria and given that the site serves as
mitigation for impacts to 404 wetlands, I am willing to accept the site as successful if USACE
has already done so. I was unable to attend the Division I site visits in summer 2004. I believe
that Steve Sollod attended the site visits for DCM.
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� T OF\ DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY
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a 1!I!� `4 WILMINGTON.NORTH CAROLINA 28402-1890
G2 •''fo ,,,s,r REPLY TO
S'AT FS OF'''' ATTENTION OF:
September 9, 2004
Regulatory Division
Action ID No. 200010328
Mr. Philip S. Harris, III, P.E.,Manager
North Carolina Department of Transportation
Project Development& Environmental Analysis
Office of Natural Environment
1548 Mail Service Center
Raleigh,North Carolina 27699-1548
Dear Mr. Harris:
This correspondence is in reference to your letter dated July 29, 2004,regarding the
Dismal Swamp Mitigation`Site in Gates/Perquimans Counties,North Carolina. This site is being
utilized by the North Carolina Department of Transportation as compensatory mitigation for TIP
projects.
By copy of this letter,we are notifying you that no further monitoring of the site will be
required since the construction and success criteria for the mitigation site have been met.
Thank you for your time and cooperation. Questions should be directed to Mr. Michael
Bell, NCDOT Coordinator/Regulatory Project Manager at the Washington Regulatory Field
Office, telephone [phone], extension 26.
Sincerely,
E. David Franklin
Chief, NCDOT Team

Copies Furnished:
Mr. Doug Huggett
Division of Coastal Management
North Carolina Department of Environment and
Natural Resources
1638 Mail Service Center
Raleigh,North Carolina 27699-1638
Mr.John Dorney
Water Quality Section
Division of Environmental Management
North Carolina Department of Environment
and Natural Resources
1650 Mail Service Center
Raleigh,North Carolina 27699-1650
Ms. Becky Fox
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency/EAB
1349 Firefly Road
Whittier,North Carolina 28789
Mr.Pete Benjamin
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Fish and Wildlife Enhancement
Post Office Box 33726
Raleigh North Carolina 27636-3726
Mr. Ron Sechler
National Marine Fisheries Service
Pivers Island
Beaufort, North Carolina 28516
Mr. Travis Wilson
Eastern Region Highway Project Coordinator
Habitat Conservation Program
1142 I-85 Service Road
Creedmore,North Carolina 27522
Mr. Chris Militscher
U.S. EPA,Raleigh Office
310 New Bern Avenue, Room 206
Raleigh,North Carolina 27601
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I a•` Zn .Z
F
STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
MICHAEL F. EASLEY LYNDO TIPPETF
GOVERNOR SECRETARY
July 29, 2004
Mr. Bill Biddlecombe
Washington Regulatory Field Office ACOE
P.O. Box 1000
Washington,NC 27889-1000
Re: Dismal Swamp Mitigation Site, Gates/Perquimans Counties, State Project No.
6.129003T,TIP No. R-2208WM (see below for project nos. for site), USACE Action ID Nos.
199401492, 199400991, 199500023, 199504770, 199304571, 199400838, 199706721,
199706722, 199502334; DWQ Project Nos. 94203, 960280, 991270, 95122, 970098, 970856,
991270; CAMA Project Nos. 88-96, 124-95, 89-96, 62-97, 7-98
Dear Mr. Bill Biddlecombe,
As you are aware, the Department has monitored the Dismal Swamp Mitigation Site since its
construction in the summer of 1996. Monitoring was restarted in March of 1999 after phase 2 of
construction work and phase 2 of tree planting. Located in Gates and Perquimans Counties, this
612-acre site is designed to provide non-riverine and riverine restoration along with some
preservation. Hydrologic gauges were installed February 1997 and phase 2 tree planting occurred
February 1999. NCDOT proposed to monitor the Dismal Swamp site for at least five years or
until the success criteria were met; both hydrologic and vegetation monitoring were conducted
each year. After each growing season, annual monitoring reports were submitted to the
appropriate regulatory agencies.
The following roadway projects have been debited from this site: R-2208 (A &Amod); R-2512
(A/B, A/B mod, & B mod), R-2515 A, R-2228 A, R-2404 B/C,R-2551, K-4003, SR-1180, SR-
1135, SR Flat Branch.
Hydrologic success criteria stipulated that the site must be inundated or saturated within 12-
inches of the surface for a consecutive 12.5%of the growing season. The growing season is 232
days in New Hanover County; therefore, the criterion is a consecutive 29 days. The Annual
Report for 2003 provides a summary of the hydrologic data(the percentage of the growing
season that saturation was indicated) at each groundwater gauge location for the past five years of
monitoring.
As the summary table in the 2003 Annual Monitoring Report indicates, most of the hydrologic
gauges for this site have been consistently inundated or saturated for the majority of each
growing season since phase 2 of site construction. In the spring of 2002, five surface water
MAILING ADDRESS: TELEPHONE: [phone] LOCATION:
NC DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION FAX: [phone] PARKER LINCOLN BUILDING
PROJECT DEVELOPMENT AND ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS 2728 CAPITAL BOULEVARD
1598 MAIL SERVICE CENTER WEBSITE: WWW.NCDOT.ORG RALEIGH NC
RALEIGH NC 27699-1598

gauges were installed to illustrate surface water levels in the riverine area of the mitigation site.
The region has experienced above to below average rainfall. A more detailed analysis of site
hydrologic conditions is provided within each individual annual monitoring report.
After five years of vegetation monitoring, vegetation data for 2003 shows that the site has met
vegetative success criteria by yielding an average density of 463 trees per acre surviving.None of
the four planting zones had a survival density that was below the 5-year requirement. Yearly
monitoring data is provided within the annual monitoring reports submitted between 1998 and
2003.
During the annual monitoring report meeting on April 29, 2004,NCDOT and resource agencies
agreed that the Dismal Swamp Mitigation Site could be closed and that monitoring could be
discontinued. A site review was held on July 27, 2004 with representatives from NCDOT,
CAMA, USCOE, WRC, USFWS, and EPA. It was decided at this site review that the Dismal
Swamp mitigation site could be closed and monitoring discontinued.NCDOT requests that the
appropriate resource agencies provide documentation stating that no further monitoring is
required and that the site is closed. If you have any questions about this project, please contact
Mr. Randy Griffin at(919) 715-1425.
Sincerely,
CC
Philip S. Harris,III,P.E., Manageer
PDEA- Office of Natural Environment
cc: Mr. John Hennessy,NCDWQ
Ms. Nicole Thomson,NCDWQ
Mr. Mike Bell, USACOE
Mr. Travis Wilson, WRC
Mr. Chris Militscher, EPA
Mr. Gary Jordan,USFWS
Ms. Lynn Mathis, CAMA
Mr. Steve Sollod, CAMA
Mr. Tommy Douglas,NCDOT
Mr. Freddie Wescott,NCDOT
Mr. Jason Elliot,NCDOT
Mr. Clay Willis,NCDOT
Mr. Ron Sechler,NOAA

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1.4 Debit Ledger
Because of its size, the Dismal Swamp Mitigation Site will provide mitigation for several
highway projects. Table 1 shows the projects that this site is providing mitigation for, as
of November 2003.
Table 1. DISMAL SWAMP DEBIT LEDGER
BLH Non-Riverine SPH Riverine Total Acres
Total Acres at Site 485 58 543
TIP Pro'ect Debits - ,,;, .. ,, ' ,
R-2208A 39.71 6.09 45.8
R-2512A&B 2.69 8.06 10.75
R-2515A 20.6 - 20.6
R-2228A - 0.88 0.88
R-2512A&B 1.93 - 1.93
R-2404B&C 52.66 4.26 56.92
R-2208A mod 14.93 - 14.93
R-2512B mod 2.39 - 2.39
R-2512A/B mod 3.89 - 3.89
R-2551 - 1.5 1.5
R-2515A 0.46 - 0.46
Division Project Debits I y :
xa
Unnamed project 0.34 - 0.34
SR-1180 0.22 - 0.22
SR-1135 1.4 - 1.4
SR Flat Branch - 0.95 0.95
Remaining Acres at Site 343.78 36.26 380.04
* 69 acres of upland not included on debit ledger.
1.5 Permit Related Requirements
There are no additional permit special conditions pertaining to the success criteria of the
site that must be met in order for the site to be deemed successful.
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Site Notes:
Zone 1: Other species noted: smartweed, fennel, foxtail, ragweed, goldenrod, red
maple, Juncus sp., switchgrass, cattail, pine, and Bermuda grass. Evidence of deer
browsing.
Zone 2: Other species noted: sweetgum, goldenrod, and pine. Evidence of deer
browsing.
Zone 3: Other species noted: pine, fennel, broomsedge, sweet gum, woolgrass,
goldenrod, smartweed, foxtail, red maple, ragweed, various grasses, Baccharis
halimifolia, Panicum sp., Juncus sp., switchgrass, Aster sp., pokeberry, Bermuda grass,
and grapevine. Evidence of deer browsing.
Zone 4: Other species noted: switchgrass and smartweed. Evidence of deer browsing.
3.4 Conclusions
Of the 612 acres on this site, approximately 576 involved tree planting. There were
forty-eight plots established throughout the planting areas, encompassing all plant
communities. The 2003 vegetation monitoring revealed an average total density of 463
trees per acre, which is well above the minimum success criteria of 260 trees per acre.
NCDOT proposes to discontinue vegetation monitoring on the Dismal Swamp Mitigation
Site.
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A M I
4.0 OVERALL CONCLUSIONS/ RECOMMENDATIONS
The Dismal Swamp Mitigation Site has shown success for the fifth consecutive
monitoring year. Vegetation plots located in both phases reveal high tree survival. The
total density average is 463 trees per acre, which is well above the success criteria of
260 trees per acre.
For the 2003 year, hydrology monitoring resulted in twenty-three of the twenty-eight
gauges having met or exceeded their expected jurisdictional wetland criteria for the
growing season.
The surface gauges in the riverine area demonstrated periods of inundation throughout
the growing season. Gauge (SG-2), which is located in the stream, revealed periodic
flooding. This gauge (SG-2) experienced malfunctions and also could not be
downloaded due to hurricane debris during portions of the growing season. Gauge (SG-
6) also experienced malfunctions throughout the growing season; therefore, no data is
available for this gauge. Groundwater gauge (DS-29) is installed adjacent to (SG-6)
and meets the success criteria for 27.6% of the growing season. Groundwater gauges
(DS-28) and (DS-8), which are installed in the riverine area, both met success for 22.8%
of the growing season. These three groundwater gauges (DS-8, DS-28, and DS-29), as
well as the available surface gauge data show periodic inundation, which indicates a
riverine system.
The 2003-monitoring year represents the fifth consecutive year that the site has been
monitored for hydrology and vegetation. The monitoring results have shown that the
site has succeeded in meeting the established success criteria, therefore NCDOT
proposes to discontinue hydrology and vegetation monitoring on the Dismal Swamp
Mitigation Site.
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