HomeMy WebLinkAbout20111013 Ver 1 - DMF_Marietta_Mine_401_Jan_2012 - 1/19/2012Strickland, Bev
From: Mcmillan, Ian
Sent: Thursday, January 19, 2012 3:17 PM
To: Strickland, Bev; Dennison, Laurie
Subject: FW: DMF- Martin Marietta Mine Comments
Attachments: DMF _Marietta_Mine_401_Jan_2012.pdf
DWQ 11 -1013
Ian J. McMillan, PWS, GISP
NCDENR/Division of Water Quality - Wetlands and Stormwater Branch
1650 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, NC 27699 -1650
Office: (919) 807 -6364
Fag: (919) 807 -6494
Email: ian.mcmillan.denr(a mmail.com SENT TO MY PHONE
Email: ian.memillan(a�,ncdenr.gov
E -mail correspondence to and from this address may be subject to the
North Carolina Public Records Law and may be disclosed to third parties.
From: Hart, Kevin
Sent: Thursday, January 19, 2012 3:16 PM
To: Mcmillan, Ian
Cc: Hardy, Jeanne
Subject: DMF- Martin Marietta Mine Comments
Ian,
We responded to the Corps public notice for the Martin Marietta Mine, but DMF's comments were not sent to DWQ for
the 401. Please accept our late comments.
If you have any questions let me know.
Thanks,
Kevin
Kevin Hart
Marine Biologist
Habitat Section
North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries
943 Washington Square Mall
Washington, NC 27889
252- 948 -3878
Email correspondence to and from this address is subject to the North Carolina Public Records Law and may be disclosed
to third parties unless the content is exempt by statute or other regulation.
AZi;L;AW
NCDENR
North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources
Division of Marine Fisheries
Beverly Eaves Perdue Dr. Louis B. Daniel III Dee Freeman
Governor Director Secretary
E-MA I LED
TO: Ian McMillan r 1/19/2012
THROUGH: Anne Deaton
FROM: Kevin Hart
DATE: January 3, 2012
SUBJECT: Martin Marietta. Materials Mine- Vanceboro Site (Beaufort/Craven County)
The following comments by the North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries ( NCDMF) on the subject project are
offered pursuant to G.S. 113 -131. The applicant is proposing mining a 649 acre site on a 1,664 acre site on the
Beaufort and Craven County border. During the mining process the site will impact 6.69 acres of jurisdictional
wetlands and 58,671 linear feet of jurisdictional waters. A total of 173.5 acres of wetlands and 40,388 linear feet of
jurisdictional wetlands were avoided on the project site. The pit has been designed to minimize wetland impacts
while not segmenting the mining site. The applicant has proposed payment to the EEP for the wetland impacts. In
addition to the wetland impacts the applicant proposes discharging 12 million gallons per day (MGD) into Unnamed
Tributaries of Blounts Creek. Six MGD will go into one branch, and the additional six MGD will go into another
branch as the mine grows.
The NCDMF has no comments on the direct wetland impacts proposed at this time. However NCDMF may have
concerns if additional wetland impacts are incurred in future phases. The NCDMF also has concerns regarding the
discharge and the significant adverse impacts on the Blounts Bay aquatic community. The discharges will be sent
to the headwater swamps of the Blounts Creek system, a brackish creek system supporting dense submerged aquatic
vegetation (SAV) beds. The system is used by anadromous fish (i.e. striped bass and historically river herring) for
spawning migrations and nursery areas, and resident species (catfish and pickerels). The salinity in the creek ranges
from 0 -5 ppt, depending on the season and weather and the depth contours in Blounts Creek allow for relatively
high salinities compared to the Pamlico River even during times of low salinity in Blount's Bay and the Pamlico
River. For example in drought years speckled trout occur in large numbers in the Blounts Creek. With changes in
salinity it is possible that speckled trout usage may decline. In addition to salinity changes, flows will change in the
headwater swamps of Blounts Creek. These changes of flows can have adverse impacts on all life stages of fishes as
well as changing the prey for these fishes. The applicant only describes impacts directly to the headwaters and the
ability of the swamp to handle these discharges but there is no mention of the mixing prior to reaching Blounts
Creek. In order to determine the full impacts of this project, this information needs to be provided.
In the project description the applicant mentions treatment of the water through a series of settling and attenuation
but no information is provided as to how this system is designed or where it will be located. In order to fully
describe the impacts of the discharge this information needs to be provided.
In the project description the applicant mentions that they will make visual observations of the channel stability, but
there is no mention of how often it will be monitored or the changes that will be made if the channel does become
unstable. Will other creeks be used?
In addition the fish community was not adequately sampled as one sampling day does not address seasonal
differences in the fish assemblage. Samples should have been performed during different time (i.e. seasonal) periods
to account for these differences. This system is an anadromous fish spawning area but no sampling was performed
to survey for early life stages and no information is provided on the affects of this mine on this life stage of the
resident or migratory species. Anadromous fish such as river herring are known to use forested wetlands as nursery
areas and may be negatively impacted ( NCDMF 2007). River herring are declining in numbers in NC and habitat
degradation is one of the leading causes for this decline (Limburg and Waldman 2009). Spawning and nursery
habitat of anadromous fish needs to be protected and preserved.
While NCDMF does not have comments on the current USACE 404 Individual Permit application, the division is
concerned about the potential significant adverse impacts that may arise from the overall project. NCDMF cannot
make a complete review of the mine project without additional information being provided regarding the discharge
system. The NCDMF intends on expressing these comments on the NCDWQ NPDES permit.
The NCDMF appreciates the opportunity to review and comment on this project. If you have any comments or
questions, please call me at (252) 948 -3878 or email me at Kevin.Hartkncdenr.gov. .
Deaton, A. S., W. S. Chappell, K. Hart, J. O'Neal. 2010. North Carolina Coastal Habitat Protection Plan. North
Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources. Division of Marine Fisheries, NC. 617
pages.
Limburg, K. E. and J.R. Waldman. 2009. Dramatic Declines in North Atlantic Diadromous Fishes. BioScience
59(11): 955 -965.
North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries ( NCDMF). 2007. North Carolina Fishery Management Plan
Amendment 1: River Herring. Morehead City, NC.