20070747 Ver 1_Comments to Year 3 Monitoring Rprt_20120131

Strickland, Bev
From:
Merritt, Katie
Sent:
Tuesday, January 31, 2012 2:08 PM
To:
Strickland, Bev
Subject:
2007 -0747
Bev,
Will you please add the email below to 2007 -0747? Name the file, "Comments to Year 3 Monitoring Rprt ". I have
already printed a hard copy for my files.
Thank you and have a great rest of the day!
Katie
From: Merritt, Katie
Sent: Tuesday, January 31, 2012 2:06 PM
To: 'Scott Frederick'
Cc: TIatSwampLLC'; Higgins, Karen
Subject: Comments -GV /FS Year 3 Monit. Rprt
Scott,
I have reviewed the 3rd Year Annual Monitoring report for the Flat Swamp Neuse River Riparian Buffer and Nutrient
offset Mitigation Bank (DWQ# 2007 - 0747). 1 have the following comments and requests:
• Section 1.0 Introduction:
o Please identify the date the monitoring was performed for 2011
0 3rd paragraph, last sentence: please revise the text to say that the banking instrument and an As -Built
report is expected to be amended in 2012. Since we haven't finalized anything, and an As -built report
has not been submitted (I only have a map), I'd rather we not state that anything has been determined,
deleted, added, etc.
Section 3.0 Conclusions:
o 2" paragraph, first sentence: please revise the text to say that "GV /FS will be submitting a proposal to
DWQ in 2012 to request approval to delete 50.51 acres planned for wetland mitigation to be added to
the nutrient offset acreage. DWQ and the Bank Sponsor have agreed that GV /FS will amend the original
banking instrument and revise the As -Built report to acknowledge and document the correct acreage
dedicated to NOV's and NBC's if DWQ approves the proposal.
• Were any of the 38 monitoring plots located on the 50.51 acre tract? If so, please state which of the 38
plots were on this tract somewhere in this section of the report or on Table 2.
• Before the As -built report can be approved, it will need to be amended to reflect portions of the tract
that include the 50.51 acres originally approved as stream /wetland mitigation. Without detailed
information of plantings, monitoring, etc, DWQ cannot proceed with approving the addition of the 50.51
acres to the nutrient offset portion of the bank. Additionally, DWQ will need all monitoring report data
for the past 3 seasons for this 50.51 acre tract to be included with the revised As -Built report (unless this
tract includes some of the 38 monitoring plots). Additionally, DWQ will need to perform a site visit to
confirm this acreage can be used as nutrient offset credits. Since I have never visited this site before,
I'm hesitant to make any decisions without seeing the sight first. A revised BPDP may be necessary as
well after further review.
• Please add a statement in the report that speaks to whether or not GV /FS had any encroachment of the
conservation easement. If there was any encroachment, please explain where that was, how the

encroachment affected the restoration of planted stems, and what measures will be or have already
been taken to resolve the issue.
• Table 2:
o Please identify planted vs volunteer species in each plot to be compliant with the Level I & II monitoring
level protocol approved in the BPDP. Level 11 includes counting both planted and volunteers stems;
therefore, please distinguish which of the counted stems were planted and which were volunteers.
o Please include the common names of all of the species
If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to give me a call.
Sincerely,
Katie
Katie Merritt
Environmental Compliance Specialist & Nutrient Offset Coordinator
Wetlands & Stormwater Branch
Division of Water Quality
Work: 919- 807 -6371
Website: http: / /Portal.ncdenr.org /web /wq /swp /ws /webscape
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