19950122 All Versions_Complete File_20040729

NCDENR
North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources
Division of Water Quality
Michael F. Easley, Governor
William G. Ross, Jr., Secretary
Alan W. Klimek, P.E., Director
July 29, 2004
Currituck County
DWQ No. 950122
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
RE: Tucker Tract Mitigation Site, Currituck County, TIP No. 12228V `M-2228A/BA), DWQ No.
950122
Dear Mr. Harris:
This correspondence is in reference to your letter dated July 7, 2004, regarding the Tucker Tract Mitigation site
located in Currituck County, North Carolina. This site is being utilized by the North Carolina Department of
Transportation as compensatory mitigation for the road widening on NC 168 (TIP R-2228A/BA).
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 has been met.
Thank you for your time and cooperation. If you have any questions, please contact Nicole Thomson at
919-715-3415.
S' cerel ,
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an W. Klimek, P.E.
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cc: Wilmington District, US Army Corps of Engineers
Mr. Mike Bell, US Army Corps of Engineers, Washington Field Office
Mr. Gary Jordan, USFWS
Mr. Chris Militscher, USEPA
Mr. Travis Wilson, WRC
Mr. Mike Thomas, NCDWQ Washington Regional Office
Mr. Anthony Roper, P.E., Division 1 Engineer, 113 Airport Drive, Suite 100, Edenton, NC 27932
Mr. Clay Willis, Division 1 Environmental Officer, 113 Airport Drive, Suite 100, Edenton, NC 27932
Central Files
File Copy
Transportation Permitting Unit
1650 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, North Carolina 27699-1650 One
2321 Crabtree Boulevard, Suite 250, Raleigh, North Carolina 27604 NofthCarohna
Phone: [phone]/ FAX [phone]/ Internet: hgp://h2o.enr.state.nc.us/ncwetlands ;Vwumlly
An Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer - 50% Recycled/10% Post Consumer Paper
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STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
MICHAEL F. EASLEY
GOVERNOR
July 7, 2004
LYNDo TIPPETT
SECRETARY
Ms. Lynn Mathis 1 WETLANDS 1401 CROUP
J
Coastal Area Management (CAMA) JUL 13 2004
1367 US 17 South
Elizabeth City, NC 27909 WATER QUALITY SECTION
Re: Tucker Tract Mitigation Site, Currituck County, State Project No.
6.049009T, TIP No. R-2228WM (R-2228ABA); USACE Action ID No. 1995074770;
DWQ Project No. 95122; CAMA Permit No. 124-95
Ms. Lynn Mathis:
As you are aware, the Department has monitored the Tucker Tract Mitigation Site since
the completion of construction in September 1998. Located in Currituck County, the site
offers 36.6 acres of mitigation credit. The project included the restoration of 25.1 acres of
Prior Converted agricultural fields to forested wetlands the preservation of 2.8 acres of
forested wetlands and 8.7 acres of timbered wetlands. In March 1999, NCDOT installed
hydrologic monitoring gauges and began vegetation monitoring in March 1999.
NCDOT proposed to monitor the Tucker Tract site for five years; both hydrologic and
vegetation monitoring were conducted each year. After each growing season, annual
monitoring reports were submitted to the appropriate regulatory agencies.
Hydrologic success criteria stipulated that the site must be inundated or saturated within
12-inches of the surface for a minimum of a consecutive 12.5% of the growing season.
The growing season is 239 days in Currituck County, therefore, the criterion is a
consecutive 30 days. The 2003 Annual Monitoring Report 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 summary table in the 2003 Annual Monitoring Report indicates, the site has been
consistently inundated or saturated for the majority of each growing season since the site
was constructed. The region has experienced one year of average to above average
rainfall, two years of average, one year of average to below average, and one year of
below average. A more detailed analysis of site hydrologic conditions is provided within
each individual annual monitoring report.
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 WEssiTE: WWW.NCDOT.ORG RALEIGH NC
RALEIGH NC 27699-1598
After five years of vegetation monitoring, vegetation data for 2003 indicates that the site
has met vegetative success criteria by yielding an average density of 397 trees per acre
surviving. None of the three individual vegetation zones had a survival density that was
below the 5-year requirement. Individual yearly monitoring data is provided within the
annual monitoring reports submitted between 1999 and 2003.
During the annual monitoring report meeting on April 29, 2004, NCDOT and resource
agencies agreed that the Tucker Tract Mitigation Site could be closed and that monitoring
could be 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,
Philip S. Harris, III, P.E., Manager
PDEA- Office of Natural Environment
cc: Mr. John Hennessy, NCDWQ
Mr. Bill Biddlecome, NCACOE
Mr. Gary Jordan, USFWS
Mr. Chris Militscher, EPA
Mr. Travis Wilson, WRC
Mr. Don Conner, PE, Division Engineer
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Michael F. Easley, Governor
William G. Ross Jr., Secretary
North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources
Alan W. Klimek, P.E. Director
Division of Water Quality
October 27, 2003
Dr. Greg Thorpe, PhD., Manager
Planning and Environmental Branch
North Carolina Department of Transportation
1548 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, North Carolina, 27699-1548
Re: Review of the Haithcock Mitigation Site Plans . Richmond County
TIP No. R 2231WM
Dear Dr. Thorpe,
The Division of Water Quality has reviewed your latest submittal for the aforementioned site. Condition 10 of the
401 Water Quality Certification Number 3419, dated April 4, 2003, stated:
Condition 10
A final plan for the Haithcock Mitigation Site shall be submitted, and written approval received from the NC
Division of Water Quality, by October 1, 2003.
A modification to the 401 Water Quality Certification dated September 15, 2003 modified Condition 10 to read:
Condition 10
A final plan for the Haithcock Mitigation Site shall be submitted, and written approval received from the NC
Division of Water Quality, by December 31, 2003. If a plan is submitted to the NCDQW that cannot be approved,
DOT will need to provide mitigation through use of another mitigation site.
While we continue to believe that the site holds potential to be a good mitigation site, some additional information is
required prior to the site being approved.
1) Given the large channel plugs being proposed, we have some concern about their design, method of
construction, and material used. Please provide additional information including a design detail, the proposed
materials to be employed in their construction, and the construction methodology to be used.
2) The proposed width to depth ratio of the proposed stream is approximately 5. Our experience as been that
streams constructed with a width/depth ration of less than 10-12 often have unstable banks. Please describe the
rationale for the proposed stream width to depth ratio. Please modify your design to incorporate a wider
channel or explain why this site requires the proposed channel width.
3) The proposed maximum riffle slope is 3.3%. This is very steep. Based on substrate analysis, we believe that the
proposed riffle would not be stable. Please provide the median riffle slope (as opposed to the mean). In
addition, please explain how the design provides for a stable stream riffle at 3.3 percent. On other projects in
this area, we have recommended a constructed riffle for any steep riffles slopes made of non-deformable bed
material. If the aforementioned information is insufficient to provide a stable riffle, we may require a
constructed riffle(s) for the stream reach. If you consider the need for such steep slopes in the stream design,
we recommend that you consider including a constructed riffle(s) in your future designs for this site.
4) Some of the buffers on the stream restoration portion are only 30 feet. Please explain why a 50-foot buffer is
not proposed for this stream reach.
N. C. Division of Water Quality 1650 Mail Service Center Raleigh, NC 27699-1650 [phone]
Customer Service: 1 800 623-7748
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5) Please explain how you intend to tie-in all of the ditches that enter the stream.
6) ""&eM *e1? ' ? ' t . =_4Lfl pp ?e 4:1 credit for preserving and fencing one side of a stream.
Please provide fencing and buffer preservation of the other stream bank. -Otherwise, we will need to reduce the
amount of available mitigation from this site. , i„??'m
1 1? &V;A ,
Hopefully, we can work together to expedite the processing of your project. If you have any questions or require '?
additional information, please contact John Hennessy at 919-733-5694, or Todd St. John at 919-9584.
Sincerely,
Alan W. Klimek, P.E.
Director
cc: DWQ Fayetteville Regional Office
US Army Corps of Engineers Wilmington Field Office
Todd St. John, DWQ 401/Wetlands Unit
Heather Montague, DOT Natural Systems Unit
File Copy
C:\ncdot\TIP R-2231WM\correspondence\Haithcock Mitigation Site Comments.doc
Michael F. Easley, Governor
William G. Ross Jr., Secretary
North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources
Alan W. Klimek, P.E. Director
N. C. Division of Water Quality 1650 Mail Service Center Raleigh, NC 27699-1650 [phone]
Customer Service: 1 800 623-7748
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Michael F. Easley, Governor
William G. Ross Jr., Secretary
North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources
Alan W. Klimek, P.E. Director
Division of Water Quality
October 31, 2003
Dr. Greg Thorpe, PhD., Manager
Planning and Environmental Branch
North Carolina Department of Transportation
1548 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, North Carolina, 27699-1548
Re: Review of the Haithcock Mitigation Site Plan in Richmond County
TIP No. R-2231 WM
Dear Dr. Thorpe,
The Division of Water Quality has reviewed your latest submittal for the aforementioned site. Condition 10 of the
401 Water Quality Certification Number 3419, dated April 4, 2003, stated:
Condition 10
A final plan for the Haithcock Mitigation Site shall be submitted, and written approval received from the NC
Division of Water Quality, by October 1, 2003.
A modification to the 401 Water Quality Certification dated September 15, 2003 modified Condition 10 to read:
Condition 10
A final plan for the Haithcock Mitigation Site shall be submitted, and written approval received from the NC
Division of Water Quality, by December 31, 2003. If a plan is submitted to the NCDQW that cannot be approved,
DOT will need to provide mitigation through use of another mitigation site.
While we continue to believe that the site holds potential to be a good mitigation site, some additional information is
required prior to the site being approved.
1) Given the large channel plugs being proposed, we have some concern about their design, method of
construction, and material used. Please provide additional information including a design detail, the proposed
materials to be employed in their construction, and the construction methodology to be used.
2) The proposed width to depth ratio of the proposed stream is approximately S. Our experience as been that
streams constructed with a width/depth ration of less than 10-12 often have unstable banks. Please describe the
rationale for the proposed stream width to depth ratio. Please modify your design to incorporate a wider
channel or explain why this site requires the proposed channel width.
3) The proposed maximum riffle slope is 3.3%. This is very steep. Based on substrate analysis, we believe that the
proposed riffle would not be stable. Please provide the median riffle slope (as opposed to the mean). In
addition, please explain how the design provides for a stable stream riffle at 3.3 percent. On other projects in
this area, we have recommended a constructed riffle for any steep riffles slopes made of non-deformable bed
material. If the aforementioned information is insufficient to provide a stable riffle, we may require a
constructed riffle(s) for the stream reach. If you consider the need for such steep slopes in the stream design,
we recommend that you consider including a constructed riffle(s) in your future designs for this site.
4) Some of the buffers on the stream restoration portion are only 30 feet. Please explain why a 50-foot buffer is
not proposed for this stream reach.
N. C. Division of Water Quality 1650 Mail Service Center Raleigh, NC 27699-1650 [phone]
Customer Service: 1 800 623-7748
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Michael F. Easley, Governor
William G. Ross Jr., Secretary
North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources
Alan W. Klimek, P.E. Director
5) Please explain how you intend to tie-in all of the ditches that enter the stream.
6) DWQ cannot support 4:1 credit for preserving and fencing one side of a stream. Please provide fencing and
buffer preservation of the other stream bank to receive full mitigation credit. Otherwise, we will need to reduce
the amount of available mitigation from this site.
Hopefully, we can work together to expedite the processing of your project. If you have any questions or require
additional information, please contact John Hennessy at 919-733-5694, or Todd St. John at 919-9584.
Sincerely,
cc: DWQ Fayetteville Regional Office
US Army Corps of Engineers Wilmington Field Office
Todd St. John, DWQ 401/Wetlands Unit
Heather Montague, DOT Natural Systems Unit
File Copy
Central Files
C:\ncdot\TIP R-2231 WM\coaespondence\Haithcock Mitigation Site Comments 02.doc
N. C. Division of Water Quality 1650 Mail Service Center Raleigh, NC 27699-1650 [phone]
Customer Service: 1 800 623-7748