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Home My WebLink About20070489 Ver 1_More Info Received_20010810 (~- 3R~c~ United States Department of the Interior FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE Raleigh Field Office Post Office Box 33726 Raleigh, North Carolina 27636-3726 August 10, 2001 Mr. William D. Gilmore, P.E., Manager NCDOT Project Development and Environmental Analysis Branch 1548 Mail Service Center Raleigh, NC 27699-1548 Dear Mr. Gilmore: Thank you for your June 21, 2001, request for information from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) on the potential environmental impacts of proposed bridge replacements in Franklin and Wake Counties, North Carolina. This report provides scoping information and is provided in accordance with provisions of the Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act (FWCA) (16 U.S.C. 661-667d) and Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act (ESA) of 1973, as amended (16 U.S.C. 1531-1543). This report also serves as initial scoping comments to federal and state resource agencies for use in their permitting and/or certification processes for this project. The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) proposes to replace the following bridge structures: ~~ ir,~~ 1. B-4515 Bridge No. 40 on SR 1235 over Bear Swamp Creek; 1/~2. B-3916 Bridge No. 63 on US 401 over Middle Creek; and, ~~. B-4299 Bridge No~ 255 on SR 1006 over unnamed creek. The following recommendations are provided to assist you in your planning process and to facilitate a thorough and timely review of the project. Generally, the Service recommends that wetland impacts be avoided and minimized to the maximum extent practical as outlined in Section 404 (b)(1) of the Clean Water Act Amendments of 1977. In regard to avoidance and minimization of impacts, we recommend that proposed highway projects be aligned along or adjacent to existing roadways, utility corridors, or previously developed areas in order to minimize habitat fragmentation and encroachment. Areas exhibiting high biodiversity or ecological value important to the watershed and region should be avoided. Crossings of streams and associated wetland systems should use existing crossings and/or occur on a structure wherever feasible. Where bridging is not feasible, culvert structures that maintain natural water flows and hydraulic regimes without scouring, or impeding fish and wildlife passage, should be employed. Highway shoulder and \~ S median widths should be reduced through wetland areas. Roadway embankments and fill areas should be stabilized by using appropriate erosion control devices and techniques. Wherever appropriate, construction in sensitive areas should occur outside fish spawning and migratory bird nesting seasons. it The National Wetlands Inventory (NWI) maps of the Ingleside and Lake Wheeler 7.S,Minute Quadrangles show wetland resources in the specific work areas. However, while the NWI maps are useful for providing an overview of a given area, they should not be relied upon in lieu of a detailed wetland delineation by trained personnel using an acceptable wetland classification methodology. Therefore, in addition to the above guidance, we recommend that the environmental documentation for this project include the following in sufficient detail to facilitate a thorough review of the action. 1. The extent and acreage of waters of the U.S., including wetlands, that are to be impacted by filling, dredging, clearing, ditching, or draining. Acres of wetland impact should be differentiated by habitat type based on the wetland classification scheme of the National Wetlands Inventory. Wetland boundaries should be determined by using the 1987 Corps of Wetlands Delineation Manual and verified by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps). 2. If unavoidable wetland impacts are proposed, we recommend that every effort be made to identify compensatory mitigation sites in advance. Project planning should include a detailed compensatory mitigation plan for offsetting unavoidable wetland impacts. Opportunities to protect mitigation areas in perpetuity, preferably via conservation easement, should be explored at the outset. The document presents a number of scenarios for replacing each bridge, ranging from in-place to relocation, with on-site and off-site detours. The Service recommends that each bridge be replaced on the existing alignment with an off-site detour. The enclosed list identifies the federally-listed endangered and threatened species, and Federal Species of Concern (FSC) that are known to occur in Franklin and Wake Counties. The Service recommends that habitat requirements for the listed species be compared with the available habitats at the respective project sites. If suitable habitat is present within the action area of the project, biological surveys for the listed species should be performed. Environmental documentation that includes survey methodologies, results, and NCDOT's recommendations based on those results, should be provided to this office for review and comment. FSC's are those plant and animal species for which the Service remains concerned, but further biological research and field study are needed to resolve the conservation status of these taxa. Although FSC's receive no statutory protection under the ESA, we would encourage the NCDOT to be alert to their potential presence, and to make every reasonable effort to conserve them if found. The North Carolina Natural Heritage Program should be contacted for information on species under state protection. The Service appreciates the opportunity to comment on this project. Please continue to advise us during the progression of the planning process, including your official determination of the impacts of the project. If you have any questions regarding these comments, please contact Tom McCartney at 919-856-4520, Ext. 32. Sincerely, ,'' ~~ ~~/~. r. Garland B. Pardue ~'" Ecological Services Supervisor Enclosures cc: COE, Raleigh, NC (Eric Alsmeyer) NCDWQ, Raleigh, NC (John Hennessey) NCDNR, Creedmoor, NC (David Cox) FWS/R4:TMcCartney:TM:08/10/01:919/856-4520 extension 32:\bdgfran.wak COMMON NAME SCIENTIFIC NAME STATUS EDGECOMBE COUNTY Vertebrates Henslow's sparrow Ammodramus henslowii FSC Southern hognose snake Heterodon simus FSC* Red-cockaded woodpecker Picoides borealis Endangered Invertebrates Yellow lance Elliptio lanceolata ~ FSC Tar spinymussel Elliptio steinstansana Endan ered g Atlantic pigtoe Fusconaia masoni FSC Yellow lampmussel Lampsilis cariosa FSC FORSYTH COUNTY Vertebrates Bog turtle Clemmys muhlenbergii T(S/A)' Red-cockaded woodpecker Picoides borealis Endangered**** Vascular Plants Small-anthered bittercress Cardamine micranthera Endangered FRANKLIN COUNTY Invertebrates Dwarf wedge mussel Alasmidonta heterodon Endangered Yellow lance Elliptio lanceolata FSC Tar spinymussel Elliptio steinstansana Endangered Atlantic pigtoe Fusconaia masoni FSC Yellow lampmussel Lampsilis cariosa FSC Vascular Plants Wavyleaf wild quinine Parthenium r•adfordii FSC Michaux's sumac Rhus michauxii Endangered GASTON COUNTY Vertebrates Bog turtle Clemmys muhlenbergii T(S/A)' Vascular Plants Georgia aster Aster georgianus FSC Schweinitz's sunflower Helianthus schweinitzii Endangered January 1 S, 1999 Page 18 of 49 vOMitiION NAME SCIENTIFIC NAME STATUS WAKE COUNTY Vertebrates ' Bachman's sparrow Aimophila aestivalis FSC Bald eagle - Southern hognose snake Haliaeetus leucocephalus Threatened Southeastern myotis Heterodon simus Myotis austroriparius FSC* " Red-cockaded woodpecker Picoides borealis FSC Endangered Invertebrates Dwarf wedge mussel Yellow lance Alasmidonta heterodon Endangered Atlantic pigtoe Elliptio lanceolata FSC Green floater Fusconaia masoni FSC Diana fritillary butterfly Lasmigona subviridus Speyeria Jana FSC FSC* Vascular Plants Sweet pinesap Michaux's sumac Monotropsis odorata FSC Carolina least trillium Rhus michauxii Trillium pusillum var pusillum Endangered . FSC WARREN COUNTY Vertebrates Bachman's sparrow Aimophila aestivalis. FSC Invertebrates Dwarf wedge mussel Yellow lance Alasmidonta heterodon Endangered Tar spinymussel Elliptio lanceolata FSC Atlantic pigtoe Elliptio steinstansana Endangered Fusconaia masoni FSC Vascular Plants Heller's trefoil Lotus helleri FSC WASHINGTON COUNTY Vertebrates Red wolf Canis rufus Rafinesque's big-eared bat EXP Corynorhinus (=Plecotus) rafinesquii FSC Waccamaw killifish Fundulus waccamawensis Bald eagle FSC Haliaeetus leucocephalus Threatened r,. Page 45 of 49