HomeMy WebLinkAbout20231146 Ver 1_CampCreek IRT Site Visit Summary
MEETING NOTES
MEETING: IRT Draft Prospectus Site Walk
Camp Creek Mitigation Site
Neuse River Basin CU 03020201; Durham County, NC
USACE Action ID: SAW‐2023‐01616
DWR# TBD
DATE: Tuesday, September 12, 2023
LOCATION: Isham Chambers Rd. and Range Rd.
Rougemont, NC
Attendees
Todd Tugwell, USACE
Casey Haywood, USACE
Julia Tillery, USACE
Laura Myer, USACE
Maria Polizzi, NCDWR
Katie Merritt, NCDWR
Kaitlyn Hogarth, Wildlands
John Hutton, Wildlands
Chris Roessler, Wildlands
Materials
Wildlands Engineering Camp Creek Mitigation Site Draft Prospectus
Maps of existing and proposed conditions for the site and proposed conservation easement
Meeting Notes
The primary purpose of this site visit was to provide an opportunity for the IRT members to see the site and for
Wildlands staff to explain the various components of the project. The site is on an active row crop farm and will
include stream restoration and enhancement, and wetland re‐establishment and enhancement. There may also
be preservation components of streams and wetlands.
Riparian buffer and nutrient offset credits will also be developed. Wildlands will coordinate with NCDWR
separately on that. The draft mitigation plan for stream and wetland mitigation should include a draft of the
riparian buffer and nutrient offset mitigation plan in the appendix, as well as a map that shows all credits
sought.
This meeting summary is organized by stream reach. A concept map with comments added from this site visit is
attached.
T1
Wildlands proposes E1 on T1, beginning below the power line crossing. Berms along the stream will be
removed and the profile will be stabilized to remove the incision that increases as the channel
Wildlands Engineering, Inc. page 2
Camp Creek Mitigation Site
September 12, 2023 IRT Draft Prospectus Site Walk Meeting Notes
approaches Camp Creek. The IRT requested a streamflow gage and cross section on this reach to show
that the channel remains a stream after construction.
The group also discussed T1 at the power line and upstream. The IRT views it as a linear wetland while
DWR considers it to be an ephemeral stream. Either way, stream mitigation will not be proposed above
the point at which the stream is considered intermittent. If the power line and utility easement can be
moved upstream to Isham Chambers Road, NCDWR believes it would be feasible to get nutrient offset
credit along the channel.
Ellis Branch
The IRT agreed with Wildlands proposal to do Priority 1 restoration following the path shown in the
draft Prospectus. This is intended to follow the path of the existing stream above Bahama Road and
where it appeared to be before 1972.
Wildlands will work with DWR to determine what to do with the ditch that runs across the field south of
Ellis Branch in the mitigation plan phase.
On Site areas west of Range Road, Wildlands does not plan to seek wetland credits. Instead, they will
propose buffer and nutrient offset credits. The BPDP will be included with the mitigation plan as an
appendix.
Camp Creek
Camp Creek Reach 1 (between Bahama Rd and Range Rd) has a bank height ratio of 1.4 but little erosion
is visible because the reach is backwatered by a relic beaver dam. The beaver dam is located
immediately upstream from Range Rd. Wildlands proposed E2 at 4:1 because the plan is to set grade
with a constructed riffle based on the elevation of the relic beaver dam. Instead, the IRT prefers an E1
approach to Reach 1 that adds constructed riffles; this will lower the bank heigh ratio and create a riffle
pool sequence. Wildlands proposes to do this at a 2:1 credit ratio.
Downstream from Range Rd, the IRT agreed with stream restoration on Reach 2 of Camp Creek.
Wildlands proposes to do this at a Priority 1 elevation until Priority 2 is required at the downstream end
to tie to existing grade. The group decided this is preferable to requesting a TCE from the downstream
landowner, which would extend Priority 1 on the Site and Priority 2 on the adjacent property.
The IRT would like to see additional soil mapping by an LSS. One area that will require more attention is
the proposed wetland enhancement area in the southwest corner near Range Rd. This will help to
characterize the different soil conditions across the Site and inform which wetland approach is
appropriate.
The IRT and Wildlands agreed that pre‐construction wetland gages should be installed soon. This will be
important to show hydrologic uplift, which is a primary wetland function objective of the project.
Kudzu was observed around the margins of Range Road. This will need to be eliminated to meet the
IRT’s zero tolerance requirement for kudzu. Other invasive species, including multilfora rose and privet,
will be controlled.
The Corps will conduct Section 408 research to determine what past projects related to Camp Butner
have been done in the area.
Wildlands Engineering, Inc. page 3
Camp Creek Mitigation Site
September 12, 2023 IRT Draft Prospectus Site Walk Meeting Notes
TLC Branch
Wildlands proposed TLC Branch for preservation in the draft Prospectus. Upon further discussion and
seeing the channel in the field, the group agreed that restoration with an alignment that takes the
branch more directly to Camp Creek would be most beneficial for re‐establishing wetlands on the Camp
Creek floodplain. It appears that TLC Branch was initially created as a toe slope ditch but it has evolved
into a jurisdictional channel. A cross section and flow gage should be included in the monitoring phase
to show that TLC Branch remains a jurisdictional stream.
Wildlands will contact Triangle Land Conservancy, owner of the parcel immediately south of TLC Branch
and the Camp Creek floodplain, to gain their acceptance of potential hydrologic trespass resulting from
this project, as well as moving (and filling) TLC Branch.
Copley Branch
Wildlands proposed restoration on all but the upper 250 feet of this stream. Priority 2 restoration will be
required at the downstream end to tie to Priority 2 Camp Creek, but the rest will be Priority 1
restoration.
The upper approximately 250 feet of Copley Branch will be E2 at a 7:1 ratio. Most of the work is related
to planting a riparian buffer but some spot channel fixes may be done.
As with the Camp Creek floodplain, more detailed soil mapping should be done to characterize the
various hydric soil areas.
General Discussion
JD wetlands should be shown on the existing conditions and concept maps in the mitigation plan.
Priority 1 and 2 restoration should be shown on the concept map in the mitigation plan by different line
types.
Any intermittent reaches on the project should have flow gages, and cumulative and consecutive flow
data should be provided in the monitoring reports.
Summary
At the conclusion of the site visit the IRT indicated that they approved of the site and had no issues with the
proposed approaches and had no objections to the minor changes to the plan discussed.
These meeting notes were prepared by Chris Roessler on September 14, 2023 and reviewed by John Hutton on September
15, 2023 and represent the authors’ interpretation of the visit.