19970616 Ver 1_More Info Received_19970912

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STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA `
DEPARTMENT OF TMNSPORTATION
JAMES B. HuNT JR. P.O.BOX25201,RALEIGH,N.C. 27611-5201 GARLAND B. GARRETT JR.
GOVERNOR SECRETARY
September 12, 1997
U. S. Army Corps of Engineers
Regulasory Field Office
P. O. Box 1890
Wilmington,North Carolina 28402-1890
ATTN: Mr. Cliff Winefordner
Chief, Southern Section
Dear Sir:
Subject: Watauga County,US 421 new location from South Fork New River in
Boone to the Blue Ridge Parkway in Deep Gap. Federal Aid Project No.
FR-86-1(6), State Project No. 8.1750601, TIP No. R-529BA, BB & BD.
'The North Carolina Department of Transportation(NCDOT) submitted an individual
permit application for impacts to 1.02 acres of jurisdictional wetlands and 5,324 linear
feet of surface waters on July 08, 1997. A field review was held on August 19, 1997 at
the pro
ject site. Representatives from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (COE),N.C.
Division of Water Quality(DWQ),N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission(WRC) and
NCDOT were in attendance. Representatives of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and
WRC also conducted a separate field review of the project on August 12, 1997.
The review agencies expressed a number of concerns regarding impacts to 0.69 acres of
wetland at site 1 on section BB. The NCDOT Roadway Design Unit is currently
assessing the feasibility of altering the current design in order to avoid the wetland. Their
findings will be presented at the September 18th Southern Section permit review meeting.
The COE also stated that the permit application would have to be revised before they
could issue a public notice including drawings for sites 5, 7, 8, and 10 for section BA and
sites 3, 5, 6, 10, 12, 13, and 14 for section BB,to complete the application. The
requested revisions have been made and are included here for review. In addition, it was
determined during the field review that the project would impact an additional three

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hundred eleven (311) linear feet of stream channel, previously shown as a channelized
ditch. The additional stream impact brings the total linear feet of stream impact to five
thousand six hundred thirty five (5635).
It is evident that mitigation will be required for both stream and wetland impacts. A
consultant hired by the NCDOT has already completed a site search for potential stream
mitigation sites in the project vicinity. This search identified 18 sites, most of which
have multiple property owners. At this time, no property owners have been contacted,
but the NCDOT plans to initiate this process soon.
Attempts have also been made to locate a suitable wetland mitigation site. The project
area has been reviewed by both NCDOT staff and our consultant without locating a good
site in the immediate project area. Consequently, the NCDOT has also been investigating
a property currently for sale in Alieghany County near the town of Sparta. The property
consists of about 324 acres of wetlands, pasture, cropland, and mountainside. This
property contains a site known as Sparta Bog that has been known to the natural resource
community for some time. The N.C. Natural Heritage Program and Nature Conservancy
consider the site to be of national significance due to the presence of a number of rare
plant species and the bog turtle. The Nature Conservancy completed a"preserve design"
on this site in 1992, which means that they investigated who the property owners were,
wrote a brief description of the wetland area, and listed the rare species present. Most of
the site identified as important is contained within the 324 acre property currently for
sale.
The NCDOT has undertaken an assessment of the tract for stream and wetland mitigation
potential, which is a different matter altogether from the Nature Conservancy document.
The NCDOT has completed a wetland delineation on the property, and the wetland
boundaries were surveyed last week. Much of this wetland area has been altered or
disturbed via ditches, subsurface agricultural drainage structures, and placement of spoil.
Most of the wetland areas have also been subject to frequent mowing of the vegetation,
either by cows or haying operations. There are also small areas of hydric soil which
currently show no evidence of wetland hydrology. Consequently, it appears from
NCDOT's assessment that there is potential on the site for wetland restoration,
enhancement and preservation. While the acreage of wetland is not large, there should be
enough to accommodate the US 421 project.
From NCDOT's perspective, the most compelling feature of the site is the amount of
potential stream restoration it offers. An unnamed tributary to the Little River runs
through the tract, which was examined in the field by WRC and NCDOT staff.
Approximately 2000 feet of this tributary consists of a channelized section at the lower
end of the tract. This section has eroding banks, and may also offer an opportunity to
restore stream meanders or construct in-stream enhancement structures. The section of
the stream at the upper end of the site still retains a meandering character, but also
exhibits bank erosion. Consequently, a potential for bank stabilization also exists in this

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area. Due to the density of surrounding vegetation and limited fieldtime, the extent of
potential stream work in this section was not precisely determined. However, the
property contains about 1500-2000 feet of stream reach in this upper section.
The NCDOT has also assessed the remainder of the property to prepare a complete
natural resources assessment and to identify wetland areas not picked up by the natural
heritage surveys. This information is being compiled into a report which should be
completed by the end of the month. Based on our findings, the NCDOT is negotiating to
obtain an option to purchase this site,pending its approval by the regulatory and
regulatory review agencies as a mitigation site. The NCDOT proposes this site as
mitigation for both wetland and stream impacts of the US 421 project.
The department submits these revisions and additional information for your review and
asks that a public notice be issued for this project as soon as possible. If you have any
questions or need any additional information,please contact Mr. Lindsey Riddick at
[phone], extension 315. Thank you for your attention to this matter.
Sincerely,
H. Franklin Vick,PE, Manager
Planning and Environmental Branch
HF4J/plr
Attachments
cc: Mr. Steve Lund, COE, Asheville
Mr. John Dorney, DWQ
Mr. Kelly Barger, PE, Program Development Branch
Mr. R. L. Hill, P.E., State Highway Engineer-Design
Mr. A. L. Hankins, P.E., Hydraulics Unit
Mr. William J. Rogers, P.E., Structure Design Unit
Mr. Tom Shearin, PE, State Roadway Design Engineer
Mr. W. E. Hoke, PE, Division 11 Engineer
Mr. Jim Buck, P.E., Project Planning Engineer
Mr. Joe Mickey, Eastern Mt. Region Coordinator