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Home My WebLink About20090048 Ver 2_IRT Site Visit (11-5-19) Meeting Minutes_20191114Strickland, Bev From: Wiesner, Paul Sent: Thursday, November 14, 2019 3:06 PM To: Kim Browning; Tugwell, Todd J CIV USARMY CESAW (US); Davis, Erin B; Haupt, Mac Cc: Tsomides, Harry; Allen, Melonie; Phillips, Kelly D Subject: Little Pine Cr. II_DMS# 856: IRT Site Visit (11-5-19) Meeting Minutes Attachments: Little Pine Cr. II_856_IRT Site Visit Memo -Nov. 2019.pdf Follow Up Flag: Flag for follow up Flag Status: Completed The meeting minutes from the November 5, 2019 Little Pine Creek II site visit are attached for your review. Please let us know if you have any additional comments, questions or concerns. Harry will include the final meeting minutes (including any additional IRT comments) in the MYO report as an Appendix. Thanks Paul Wiesner Western Regional Supervisor North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality Division of Mitigation Services 828-273-1673 Mobile Pau l.wiesnera-ncdenr.gov Western DMS Field Office 5 Ravenscroft Drive Suite 102 Asheville, N.C. 28801 f ---M 5-1 IEL Email correspondence to and from this address is subject to the North Carolina Public Records Law and may be disclosed to third parties. 1 ROY COOPER Governor MICHAEL S. REGAN Secretary TIM BAUMGARTNER Director NORTH CAROLINA Environmental Quality 11/14/2019 PROJECT SITE MEETING MINUTES Little Pine Creek II Stream and Wetland Restoration Site, Alleghany County Meeting Date: 11/5/2019 DMS Project ID 856 USACE ACTION ID: SAW 2009-00591 DWR # 09-0048 In attendance: Kim Browning (USACE), Erin Davis (NCDWR) Mac Haupt (NCDWR), Paul Wiesner (NCDMS), Harry Tsomides (NCDMS), Melonie Allen (NCDMS), Kelly Phillips (NCDMS) Meeting Summary The field review meeting was held at the request of DMS in order to view as -built conditions on this recently constructed Design -Bid -Build site, and identify any concerns heading into the project monitoring phase. This project recently got updated via a request from DMS to the IRT dated 9/9/2019, to update the monitoring period from 5 years to 7 years, outline updated monitoring requirements and performance standards, and introduce a formal credit release schedule. Project construction officially closed on 8/13/2019, subsequently had a monitoring contract awarded, and is currently undergoing baseline monitoring features set up. Mitigation success monitoring will be started in 2020 (MY01), and the MYO report should be made available in late January 2020. The following is a summary of the field review and items discussed during the meeting: • The group met at the wet crossing on project Tributary A, and briefly discussed the project status and recent history. It was noted that a monitoring firm had recently been awarded a contract and that the baseline monitoring feature installation would begin on 11/12/2019. Hard copies of the official designer as -built record drawings and a DMS proposed monitoring features map were distributed by DMS. • The group walked to the upstream end of the project (STA 100+00); the group then walked to the neighboring property upstream of the project to understand the nature of NORTHCAROLINAD_E Q Deft Bnf of Fn—*wwonf9l Qwl\ North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality I Division of Mitigation Services 217 W. Jones Street 1 1652 Mail Service Center I Raleigh, North Carolina 27699-1652 919.707.8976 the offsite stream and how it might be influencing onsite project streams. The IRT noted that during a previous mitigation plan review visit there had been concern about the offsite stream cutting into the project area across the right floodplain, but stream hydrology currently appears to be flowing into the project area in a more favorable orientation, with a possible oxbow forming (offsite). The geolift/riffle structure from STA 100+00 TO 101+00 installed as a post -hurricane Florence (Sept. 2018) storm repair appeared to be performing well and moving sediment through the system while protecting the stream banks adequately thus far. • Walking downstream to the bridge crossing on Glade Creek School Road, the stream appeared to reflect the record drawings and no major concerns were noted on Little Pine Creek or Tributary A. The boundary is well marked, and flood flows were evident on the left floodplain from an overbank event approximately 10 days earlier. The floodplain sills and associated brush material appeared to be intact and performing well. • The group moved farther downstream across the roadway and bridge, where DMS noted that a breakaway electrified cattle rope along a wet crossing adjacent to Glade Creek School Road had become entangled with a white pine branch and ripped loose (likely during the recent overbank event). DMS indicated that the landowner is expected to fix the fence and that he had been contacted. • The group moved farther downstream towards STA 112+00 and the confluence of Tributary B with Little Pine Creek. All structures appeared to be intact and performing as installed. Tributary B was observed. • The group walked along the right floodplain of Little Pine Creek to the downstream limits of the project. In general, there were no major issues noted, and all structures were intact and performing well but DMS and IRT agreed that floodplain woody vegetation did not seem very dense in areas, despite post -construction bare root planting at 605 stems/acre. Floodplain soils in some areas are gravel and cobble -dominated, where floodplain flows are moving sediments during overbank events. It was noted that vegetation density will be monitored closely upon receipt of the MYO baseline report and vegetation data, and supplemental planting will occur in the next dormant season if initial stem counts are poor. There were some concerns with the standing water in the vernal pool on the right floodplain near STA 113+50; while there had been a recent overbank event that likely filled the pool, ideally the vernal pools should not hold water for extended time periods. The IRT noted that planting of aquatic vegetation in the pools would improve these features in the event that they hold water longer than preferable. The other three vernal pools farther downstream were not holding water during the site visit. • DMS asked the IRT to observe preservation Tributaries E and F (two small wetland 2B tributaries that merge together near the edge of Little Pine Creek), since the lower section of Tributary F has appeared to down cut somewhat since project design. Tributaries E and F (50 LF and 153 LF, respectively) were jurisdictionally confirmed during the design stage. N (�%A Uepa tof E,H... a WOuality North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality I Division of Mitigation Services 217 W. Jones Street 1 1652 Mail Service Center I Raleigh, North Carolina 27699-1652 919.707.8976 The IRT indicated that, despite some stable segments of Tributary F upstream of the head cut, that recent impacts and a head cut along Tributary F have affected stream performance on these reaches to the degree that they should not yield stream preservation credits. DMS indicated that the upcoming MYO baseline report would reflect no mitigation crediting for preservation on Tributaries E and F. • The group walked upstream through Wetland 2B and inspected the boundary marking along Wetland 2B. The entire length of preservation Tributary D (655 LF) was walked, flow was evident, and no major concerns were noted. DMS noted where the conservation easement contained the spring source and entire headwater feature on Tributary D. The group walked into the floodplain of Tributary C (restoration tributary totaling 578 LF). The adjacent enhancement wetland 2A appeared wet and the IRT seemed fine with the mapped location of the enhancement wetland gauge, although a more ideal location 10- 15 feet closer to Tributary C was agreed on; if changed, the installed gauge will reflect this updated location and will be noted in the baseline report. Tributary C was observed and no major concerns were noted, other than the thick herbaceous vegetation making visibility of bare root plantings difficult. • Other than the minor location adjustment of the wetland 2A gauge, there were no requested changes to quantities or locations of any monitoring features/devices (as communicated in the 9/9/2019 update memo and monitoring map provided by DMS to IRT). • The meeting concluded with DMS indicating their intention to post the MYO baseline report when it is finalized, and discuss the project accordingly at the next credit release meeting. Meeting; notes compiled bv: HarryTsomides, Project Manager Division of Mitigation Services NC Department of Environmental Quality Tel. (828) 545-7057 HarryTsomides@ncdenr.gov NORTHCAROLINAD_E Q I DglaftWd of EnNr-to Qwl\ North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality I Division of Mitigation Services 217 W. Jones Street 1 1652 Mail Service Center I Raleigh, North Carolina 27699-1652 919.707.8976