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HomeMy WebLinkAbout20061046 Ver 2_Approval Letter_20071210~F vvATFR ~ ;.' 1I ~ ~_ : iiir/~ --j {~ 'C ``I\~7'r~ ~r.-.~~~~"j Michael F. Easley, Governor LJ U William G. Ross Jr., Secretary North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources Coleen H. Sullins, Director Division of Water Quality December 10, 2007 Rick Busey Haw Mountain Enterprises, LLC Post Office Box 864 Weaverville, NC 28787 DWQ Project # 06-1046.Version 2 Madison County Subject Property: Scenic Wolf Airport Scenic Wolf Laurel, Madison County Approval of 401 Water Quality Certification with Additional Conditions Dear Mr. Busey: This Authorization is being reissued to address the expired, previously issued, 401 Water Quality Certification. You have our approval, in accordance with the attached conditions and those listed below, to place fill within or otherwise impact 0.32 acres of wetlands and 156 linear feet of streams for the purpose of property development at the subject property, as described within your application received by the N.C. Division of Water Quality (DWQ) on July 3, 2006. After reviewing your application, we have decided that the impacts are covered by General Water Quality Certification Number(s) 3705 (GC3705). The Certification(s) allows you to use Nationwide Permit(s) 29 when issued by the US Army Corps of Engineers (USAGE). In addition, you should obtain or otherwise comply with any other required federal, state or local permits before you go ahead with your project including (but not limited to) Erosion and Sediment Control, Non-discharge, stormwater, and buffer regulations. Also, this approval to proceed with your proposed impacts or to conduct impacts to waters as depicted in your application shall expire upon expiration of the 404 or CAMA Permit. This approval is for the activities described in your application. If you change your project, you must notify us and you may be required to send us 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 conditions. If total fills for this project (now or in the future) exceed one acre of wetland or 150 linear feet of stream, compensatory mitigation may be required as described in 15A NCAC 2H .0506 (h). This approval requires you to follow the conditions listed in the attached certification and any additional conditions listed below. The Additional Conditions of the Certification are: 401 Wetlands Certification Unit 1650 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, North Carolina 27699-1650 2321 Crabtree Boulevard, Suite 250, Raleigh, North Carolina 27604 Phone: 919-733-17861 FAX 919-733-6893 /Internet: http:;;h2o.enr.state.nc.usincwetlands NorthCarolina ~Naltrra!!~ An Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer - 50% Recycled/10% Post Consumer Paper Scenic Wolf Laurel Page 2 of 8 December 10, 2007 1. Impacts Approved The following impacts are hereby approved as long as all of the other specific and general conditions of this Certification (or Isolated Wetland Permit) are met. No other impacts are approved including incidental impacts: Amount Approved (Units Plan Location or Reference Wetland 1 0.04 acres Fill Wetland 2 0.05 acres Fill UT to Puncheon Fork 122 linear feet) Culvert UT to Puncheon Fork 34 linear feet Culvert 2. Erosion & Sediment Control Practices 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 measures 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 measures 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 measures must be designed, installed, operated, and maintained in accordance with the most recent version of the North Carolina Surface Mining Manual. d. The reclamation measures and implementation must comply with the reclamation in accordance with the requirements of the Sedimentation Pollution Control Act. Scenic Wolf Laurel Page 3 of 8 December 10, 2007 3. No Waste, Spoil, Solids, or Fill of Any Kind No waste, spoil, solids, or fill of any kind shall occur in wetlands, waters, or riparian areas beyond the footprint of the impacts depicted in the Pre-Construction Notification. All construction activities, including the design, installation, operation, and maintenance of sediment and erosion control Best Management Practices, shall be performed so that no violations of state water quality standards, statutes, or rules occur. 4. No Sediment & Erosion Control Measures w/n Wetlands or Waters Sediment and erosion control measures shall not be placed in wetlands or waters to the maximum extent practicable. If placement of sediment and erosion control devices in wetlands and waters is unavoidable, they shall be removed and the natural grade restored within six months of the date that the Division of Land Resources has released the project. 5. 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 the attached certificate of completion to the 401/Wetlands Unit, North Carolina Division of Water Quality, 1650 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC, 27699-1650. 6. Stream Stabilization (Final Plan Needed) Before any of the impacts authorized in this Certification occur, you must provide and receive written approval from this Office for a final stream restoration plan for the stream segments which currently flow downslope of the proposed runway, impacted by the previous logging operation. The plan must include designs and specifications that meet the definition of stream restoration (or enhancement if no relocation is proposed) according to the latest version of the Internal Technical Guide for Stream Work in North Carolina (available at http://h2o.ehnr.state.nc.us/ncwetlands/strmgide.html). The stream and buffer relocation must be constructed, maintained, and monitored according to the plans approved by this Office. Any repairs or adjustments to the site must be made according to the approved plans or must receive written approval from this Office to make the repairs or adjustments. The created stream must be preserved in perpetuity by use of a conservation easement or other similar mechanism as part of this approval. A. Deed Restrictions -Deed restrictions or similar mechanisms shall be placed on the lot /lots to assure compliance with the conditions of this variance approval. These mechanisms shall be put in place prior to Scenic Wolf Laurel Page 4 of 8 December 10, 2007 impacting any waters or buffers. The Deed Restrictions shall include the following paragraph. "The areas shown on the recorded plat as Riparian Buffer Protection Areas shall be maintained in perpetuity in their natural or mitigated condition. No person or entity shall fill, grade, excavate, or perform any other land disturbing activities; nor cut, remove, or harm any vegetation; nor construct any structures or add any additional impervious surfaces, on such protected areas without written authorization from the Division of Water Quality (DWQ). This covenant is intended to ensure continued compliance with authorizations issued by the State of North Carolina, Division of Water Quality, DWQ Project Number 03-1030, and therefore may be enforced by the State of North Carolina. This covenant is to run with the land, and shall be binding on the Owner, and all parties claiming under it." All Deed Restrictions shall be recorded with the County Records Office within 30 days of issuance of this authorization and copies be submitted to this office within 30 days of recording. B. Riparian Buffer Protection Areas -The "Riparian Buffer Protection Areas" shall include all restored riparian buffers as a condition of this approval. (25 linear feet from top of bank on both sides of all jurisdictional streams and around all wetlands). 7. Diffuse Flow Devices shall be constructed such that the discharge of any flows less that the 10 year storm event shall not be discharged at erosive velocities. All constructed stormwater conveyance outlets shall be directed and maintained as diffuse flow at non-erosive velocities through the protected stream buffers such that it wilt not re-concentrate before discharging into a stream. If this is not possible, it may be necessary to provide stormwater facilities that are considered to remove nitrogen. These devices will require additional approval from this Office. 8. Protective Fencing The outside buffer, wetland or water boundary and along the construction corridor within these boundaries approved under this authorization shall be clearly marked with orange warning fencing (or similar high visibility material) for the areas that have been approved to infringe within the buffer, wetland or water prior to any land disturbing activities. Scenic Wolf Laurel Page 5 of 8 December 10, 2007 9. Turbidity Standard The turbidity standard of 10 NTUs (Nephelometric Turbidity Units) shall not be exceeded as described in 15 A NCAC 2B. .0200. Appropriate sediment and erosion control practices must be used to meet this standard. Continuous monitoring by onsite, calibrated, continuous recording, equipment must be performed both upstream and downstream of any instream work. The results of this monitoring must be submitted along with the below required stability monitoring. Additionally, should the results indicate a violation of the turbidity standard, all work shall cease until such a point the measures are implemented to protect surface waters form further violations. 10. Construction stormwater Permit NCG010000 Upon the approval of an Erosion and Sedimentation Control Plan issued by the Division of Land Resources (DLR) or a DLR delegated local erosion and sedimentation control program, an NPDES General stormwater permit (NCG010000) administered by DWQ is automatically issued to the project. This General Permit allows stormwater to be discharged during land disturbing construction activities as stipulated by conditions in the permit. If your project is covered by this permit [applicable to construction projects that disturb one (1) or more acres], full compliance with permit conditions including the sedimentation control plan, self-monitoring, record keeping and reporting requirements are required. A copy of this permit and monitoring report forms. may be found at http~//h2o.enr.state.nc.us/su/Forms Dacuments.hfm. 11.Temporary Fills All temporary fill and culverts shall be removed and the impacted area returned to the original grade, including each stream's original cross sectional dimensions, planform pattern, and longitudinal bed and bed profile after construction is complete or within 6 months of the establishment of the crossing, which ever is sooner, and the various sites shall be stabilized with natural woody vegetation (except for the maintenance areas of permanent utility crossings) and restored to prevent erosion. If the crossings are not completely removed and restored as described above within the specified time above, additional written approval from this Office must be obtained to modify this condition. 12. Culvert Installation Culverts required for this project shall be installed in such a manner that the original stream profiles are not altered. Existing stream dimensions (including the cross section dimensions, pattern, and longitudinal profile) must be maintained Scenic Wolf Laurel Page 6 of 8 December 10, 2007 above and below locations of each culvert. Culverts shall be designed and installed to allow for aquatic life movement as welt as to prevent head cutting of the streams. If any of the existing pipes are or become perched, the appropriate stream grade shall be re-established or, if the pipes installed in a perched manner, the pipes shall be removed and re-installed correctly. Culvert(s) shall not be installed in such a manner that will cause aggradation or erosion of the stream up or down stream of the culvert(s). Existing stream dimensions (including the cross section dimensions, pattern and longitudinal profile) shall be maintained above and below locations of each culvert. Therefore, you must provide plans with adequate details that indicate that the current stability of the stream will be maintained or enhanced. You must receive written approval from this Office for the above plans before the culvert(s) is installed. Culvert(s) must be installed according to approved plans. The establishment of native, woody vegetation and other soft stream bank stabilization techniques must be used instead of rip rap or other bank hardening methods. If rip-rap is necessary, it shall not be placed in the stream bed, unless specifically approved by the Division of Water Quality. 13. Riparian Zone Replanting Replanting of vegetation within disturbed areas located within 25 feet of the streambank or wetland edges, associated with any land disturbing activity, repair, replacement and/or maintenance must be done in a manner consistent with the Guidelines for Riparian Buffer Restoration immediately following construction. (Please see attached.) 17.In stream construction and disturbance shall be prohibited within 25 feet of the top of banks except where permitted crossings will occur. 14.If concrete is used during construction (e.g., headwalls), a dry work area must be maintained to prevent direct contact between curing concrete and stream water. Water that inadvertently contacts live concrete should not be discharged to surface waters due to the potential for water chemistry change and a fish kill. Any impact areas due to grading for impervious structures (such as driveways /runways / taxiways) shall utilize retaining walls as opposed to fill slopes to minimize impacts. 15. Rock, sand, or other materials should not be dredged from the stream channels except in the immediate vicinity of the crossings. Instream dredging has severe effects on aquatic life and disturbance of the natural form of the channel can cause downstream erosion problems. The natural dimension, pattern, and profile of the channels adjacent to the crossings should not be modified by widening or changing their depths. 16.Sandbags, flexible pipe, or other diversion structures should be used to avoid excavation in flowing water. Materials used for flow diversions must be removed from the stream bed after completing the construction work. Any diversion channels must be lined with fabric and/or rock. Scenic Wolf Laurel Page 7 of 8 December 10, 2007 17. Storm water from roads /driveways /impervious areas throughout the project should be directed to vegetated buffer areas (e.g. level spreaders) or retention basins and not routed directly to streams. Drop inlets on streams must not be constructed. 18. Any riprap placed for inlet or outlet stabilization should be clean and limited to the stream bank below the high water mark and vegetation should be used above. Rip rap must not be placed in stream channels in a manner that obstructs fish passage. 19.A11 crossings should be constructed as close to perpendicular to the stream channels as possible to minimize stream and buffer disturbance. Road and utility alignments should be set-back as far as possible from stream channels to minimize sedimentation and buffer disturbance. 20.A11 mechanized equipment operated near surface waters should be inspected and maintained regularly to prevent contamination of stream waters from fuels, lubricants, hydraulic fluids or other toxic materials. Discharging hydroseed mixtures and washing out hydroseeders and other equipment in or adjacent to surface waters is prohibited. 21.The remaining lengths of streams, wetlands and riparian areas on the tract should be protected in either their existing or improved state (i.e. with native vegetation reestablished where absent) in perpetuity from fill, vegetation removal, and other forms of disturbance with deed restrictions or similar instrument. A riparian buffer width of 25 feet is minimally consistent with the "trout buffer rule", but wider buffers are recommended to provide more water quality and habitat functions. 22.A11 jurisdictional waters on the site shall be inspected weekly for stability (longitudinal profile, cross sectional dimension, and pattern) and a monthly report submitted to the Asheville Regional Office within 15 days of the end of each month. 23. Bottomless Culverts must span from high bank to high bank. The digging of footers which change the flow of the stream, or otherwise impact the natural course on the stream are prohibited. Violations of any condition herein set forth may result in revocation of this Certification and may result in criminal and/or civil penalties. The authorization to proceed with your proposed impacts or to conduct impacts to waters as depicted in your application and as authorized by this Certification, shall expire upon expiration of the 404 or CAMA Permit. If you do not accept any of the conditions of this Certification (associated with the approved wetland or stream impacts), 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, which conforms to Chapter 150B of the North Carolina General Statutes to the Office of Administrative Hearings, 6714 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, N.C. 27699-6714. This certification and its conditions are final and binding unless you ask for a hearing. Scenic Wolf Laurel Page 8 of 8 December 10, 2007 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 telephone Cyndi Karoly in the Central Office in Raleigh at 919-733-9721 or Kevin Barnett in the DWQ Asheville Regional Office at either Kevin.Barnett@ncmail.net or at 828-296-4657. Sincerely, for Coleen H. Sullins, Director Division of Water Quality AW Klkhb Enclosures: GC 3705 Certificate of Completion Guidelines for Riparian Buffer Restoration cc: USACE Asheville Regulatory Field Office Cyndi Karoly, DWQ 401 Central Office DLR Asheville Regional Office David McHenry, NC Wildlife Resources Commission File Copy Central Files Filename: 06-1046Version2.ScenicWolfAirport.approval