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HomeMy WebLinkAbout20011381 Ver 1_Court Case Correspondence_20010806Proposed language for Settlement Agreement and 401 Certification PTR, Inc. versus NC Department of Environment and Natural Resources Prepared by the N.C. Division of Water Quality August 6, 2001 a) Stormwater management — PTR shall provide a final, written stormwater management plan that must be approved in writing by NC DENR by October 1, 2001. The stormwater management plan must include plans and specifications for stormwater management facilities designed to remove 85% TSS according to the most recent version of the NC DENR Stormwater Best Management Practices Manual. These facilities must be designed to treat the runoff from the entire project, unless otherwise explicitly approved by the Division of Water Quality. Also, the facilities (as approved by this Office) shall be constructed and operational, and the stormwater management plan (as approved by this Office) shall be implemented by December 1, 2001. The structural stormwater practices as approved by this Office 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. PTR may design the proposed wetland at the bottom of the relocated stream as an extended detention wetland as described in the above manual. If the runoff from the project cannot be added to the above wetland, bioretention areas (designed according to the above manual) must be provided to treat the runoff from the areas not draining to the wetlands b) The May 29, 2001 (with a monitoring supplement dated June 7, 2001) proposed mitigation plan prepared by Mitchell and Associates, Inc states that impacts to Leak Fork Creek will be reduced to less than 500 feet. Accordingly, approximately 350 feet of culvert removal and stream restoration is required from Leak Fork Creek such that the total culverted length of Leak Fork Creek is no more than 500 linear feet. This reopening of Leak Fork Creek must be completed by November 1, 2001 and the site stabilized according to the plan referenced above This area must be replanted in woody vegetation (preferably trees) to a width of at least 30 feet from the active stream bank. This stream restoration shall be designed and maintained according to the provisions in DENR's "Internal Technical Guide for Stream Work in North Carolina (April 2001, Version 3 0). If the stream restoration outlmeds in the reports by Gary Mitchell (mentioned above) do not correspond with the DENR Manual, they must be modified and submitted to DWQ for written approval. c) Stream mitigation — The proposed on -site stream mitigation plan in the May 29, 2001 proposed ntigation plan (with a monitoring supplement dated June 7, 2001) prepared by Mitchell and Associates, Inc. is acceptable to DWQ with the following modifications The following additional items /amendments to the mitigation plan are required to be submitted to DWQ by October 1, 2001 for written approval. These reports are available on our website at http. //h2o.enr.state nc.us/ncwetlands. • Modification of the riparian (streamside) restoration to omit sycamore and sweet gum and to achieve 320 trees per acre at maturity, • Provide a satisfactory benthic macroinvertebrate monitoring plan as outlined in DWQ's Interim, Internal Technical Guide — Benthic Macroinvertebrate Monitoring Protocols for Compensatory Stream Restoration Projects (May 2001), • Plans that adequately depict the footprint of the stream restoration efforts, detailing the location of riffle /pools, streambed sinuosity, streambed profile, location of root wades, and grade control structures as outlined in DENR's "Internal Technical Guide for Stream Work in North Carolina (April 2001, Version 3 0) • Grading and planting of the stream restoration site must begin by December 1, 2001 and be completed by April 1, 2002 DWQ shall be copied with an as -built plan upon completion of the project within 30 days of completion of the stream restoration, • Annual monitoring reports shall be sent to DWQ for five years within 30 days of the anniversary of the completion of the stream restoration These plans must outline any planned measures to resolve any problems identified with the success of the stream restoration, and • DWQ shall be copied on the conservation easement that will be placed on the stream restoration area for the stream mitigation and re- opening of Leak Fork Creek d) At least 1160 linear feet of stream restoration shall be done on site At least 90% of this restoration must be successful within five ( %) years. Successful restoration is defined as 1) a channel with positive baseflow at least 90% of the time in a normal year or mirrors the baseflow of the approved reference stream (for instance, the remaining undisturbed portion of the stream between US 52 and the restoration site), 2) tree plantings must meet the criteria of 320 trees per acre, 3) at least 90% of the streambank and bed is stable and not eroding, and 4) naturally maintains the referenced pattern, dimension and profile If any of these criteria are not PTR, Inc (Parker Enterprises, Inc ) shall purchase stream mitigation credits from the N C. Wetlands Restoration Program by payment at no more than $125 00 a linear foot for each foot of length of unsuccessful restoration e) Appropriate modifications to PTR, Inc's Erosion and Sedimentation Control Plan must be secured prior to the beginning of construction of the on -site stream restoration and stormwater management efforts f) One of the remaining culverts under Leak Fork Creek shall be partially plugged at the uppermost end by November 1, 2001 to force stream base flow to enter only one pipe rather than both pipes Higher storm flows may enter both pipes. g) DWQ shall issue a 401 Water Quality Certification for Nationwide Permit 32 (Completed Enforcement Action) for this project incorporating the conditions of this agreement assuming that the Corps of Engineers intends to permit the remaining stream fill on the site through this Permit. This Certification shall be issued by October 1, 2001 The applicant must subnut a written request to modify the existing Individual Permit application by September 15, 2001 h) PTR, Inc. shall pay a total of $6,592 28 to DENR (add Anita's language). Proposed language for Settlement Agreement and 401 Certification PTR, Inc. versus NC Department of Environment and Natural Resources Prepared by the N.C. Division of Water Quality August 5, 2001 a) Stormwater management — Applicant shall design, construct and maintain the proposed wetland area (shown at the terminus of the proposed stream mitigation site) as an extended detention wetland as described in the most recent version of the NC DENR DWQ's Stormwater Best Management Practices Design Manual. In addition the existing stormwater outfalls from the developed portion of the site shall either be 1) redirected to flow into the extended detention wetland or 2) redesigned and reconstructed to create bioretention areas at the end of each stormwater outfall before they reach Leak Fork Creek or the relocated tributary. These plans shall be submitted to DWQ for written approval by October 1, 2001. Construction of these facilities shall begin by December 1, 2001. (Do we want to add the statement that the stormwater facilities (wetland plus any bioretention) must be designed to remove 85% TSS ?) b) The May 29, 2001 (with a monitoring supplement dated June 7, 2001) proposed mitigation plan prepared by Mitchell and Associates, Inc. states that impacts to Leak Fork Creek will be reduced to less than 500 feet. Accordingly, approximately 350 feet of culvert removal and stream restoration is required from Leak Fork Creek such that the total culverted length of Leak Fork Creek is no more than 500 linear feet. This reopening of Leak Fork Creek must be completed by November 1, 2001 and the site stabilized according to the plan outlined above. c) Stream mitigation — The proposed on -site stream mitigation plan in the May 29, 2001 proposed mitigation plan (with a monitoring supplement dated June 7, 2001) prepared by Mitchell and Associates, Inc. is acceptable to DWQ with the following modifications. The following additional items /amendments to the mitigation plan are required to be submitted to DWQ by October 1, 2001 for written approval: Modification of the riparian (streamside) restoration to omit Sycamore and * * * ** and to achieve 320 trees per acre at maturity. Provide a satisfactory benthic macroinvertebrate monitoring plan as outlined in DWQ's May 10, 2000 "Rexible StFeam Mitigation Polieyt,- Interim, Internal DWQ Policies on Stream Mitigation Options and Associated Macrobenthos Monitoring, (You may want to use the "official" title of this document — so as not to confuse them any more than they already seem to be.) Plans that adequately depict the footprint of the stream restoration efforts, detailing the location of riffle /pool complexes, streambed sinuosity, streambed profile, location of root wades, cross - sectional details, and grade control structures as outlined in DENR's " " Internal Technical Guide for Stream Work in North Carolina (April 2001). Also include details regarding the morphological stream classification, table of morphological characteristics and sediment transport analysis. • Grading and planting of the stream restoration site must begin by December 1, 2001 and be completed by April 1, 2002. DWQ shall be copied with an as -built plan upon completion of the project within 30 days of completion of the stream restoration. • Annual monitoring reports for 5 years? shall be sent to DWQ within 30 days of the anniversary of the completion of the stream restoration. These plans must outline any planned measures to resolve any problems identified with the success of the stream restoration. d) At least 1160 linear feet of stream restoration shall be done on site. At least 90% of this restoration must be successful within five ( %) years. Successful restoration is defined as 1) a channel with positive baseflow at least 90% of the time in a normal year or mirrors the baseflow of the remaining undisturbed portion of the stream between US 52 and the restoration site, 2) tree plantings must meet the criteria of 320 trees per acre, 3) at least 90% of the streambank is stable and not eroding. If any of these criteria are not met, PTR, Inc. (Parker Enterprises, Inc.) shall purchase stream mitigation credits from the N.C. Wetlands Restoration Program by payment at no more than $125.00 a linear foot for each foot of length of unsuccessful restoration. e) Appropriate modifications to PTR, Inc's. Erosion and Sedimentation Control Plan must be secured prior to the beginning of construction of the on -site stream restoration and stormwater management efforts. f) One of the remaining culverts under Leak Fork Creek shall be partially plugged at the uppermost end by November 1, 2001 to force stream base flow to enter only one pipe rather than both pipes. Higher storm flows may enter both pipes. g) DWQ shall issue a 401 Water Quality Certification for Nationwide Permit 32 (Completed Enforcement Action) for this project incorporating the conditions of this agreement. This Certification shall be issued by September 1, 2001. We need to make certain that this is the avenue (a NWP 32) that the USACE is taking. It seems to me that even though this is a certification that does not require written concurrence from us — we could consider this project one that does (using Condition 10 of the Cert.) — mainly because of the stormwater and restoration issues. Also, we need to note that a written application must be submitted by a particular date. h) PTR, Inc. shall pay a total of $6,592.28 to DENR. (add Anita's language).