HomeMy WebLinkAbout20140107 Ver 1_USACE eApproval Letter_20141008Strickland, Bev
From: Baker, Virginia
Sent: Wednesday, October 08, 2014 1:57 PM
To: Strickland, Bev
Subject: FW: NCEEP Draft Mitigation Plan Approval Letter with Comment Memo / Norman's
Pasture I & II Mitigation Projects / Sampson County / SAW - 2013 -00109
(UNCLASSIFIED)
Attachments: eApproval Letter-Normans Pasture I &II_2013- 00109.pdf
Bev, please put the attached email and letter in laser fishe, this applies to both 20140107v1 and 20140107v2.
- - - -- Original Message---- -
From: Tugwell, Todd SAW [ mailto :Todd.Tugwell @usace.army.mil]
Sent: Tuesday, September 30, 2014 2:00 PM
To: Fritz Rohde (Fritz. Rohde @noaa.gov); Chapman, Amy; Baker, Virginia; Beter, Dale E SAW; bowers.todd @epa.gov;
Crumbley, Tyler SAW; Karoly, Cyndi; Cox, David R.; Hall, Dolores; Emily Jernigan @fws.gov; Higgins, Karen;
Kathryn Matthews @fws.gov; McLendon, Scott C SAW; Gledhill- earley, Renee; Sollod, Steve; Wilson, Travis W.; Wicker,
Henry M JR SAW; Greer, Emily C SAW
Cc: Schaffer, Jeff; Miguez, Kristin; Joe Pfeiffer
Subject: NCEEP Draft Mitigation Plan Approval Letter with Comment Memo / Norman's Pasture I & II Mitigation Projects
/ Sampson County / SAW- 2013 -00109 (UNCLASSIFIED)
Classification: UNCLASSIFIED
Caveats: NONE
Mr. Baumgartner,
Attached is the approval letter for the Draft Mitigation Plan for the Norman's Pasture I & II Mitigation Projects, along
with all the comments that were generated during the IRT's review of the project on the Mitigation Plan Review Portal.
Please note that this letter approves the Draft Mitigation Plan. Please provide a copy of the final mitigation plan with
any necessary changes needed to address the comments on the attached memo when you submit the Preconstruction
Notice for the NWP 27. If no permit is required to construct the project, please be sure to submit a copy of the final
mitigation plan at least 30 days prior to construction on site. Also, please ensure that the Final Mitigation Plan is posted
to NCEEP's documents portal so that all members of the IRT have access to the Final plan.
Please let me know if you have any questions about the process or the attached letter.
Todd Tugwell
Special Projects Manager
Regulatory Division
Wilmington District
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
11405 Falls of Neuse Road
Wake Forest, NC 27587
(919) 846 -2564
Classification: UNCLASSIFIED
Caveats: NONE
Classification: UNCLASSIFIED
Caveats: NONE
DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY
WILMINGTON DISTRICT, CORPS OF ENGINEERS
69 DARLINGTON AVENUE
WILMINGTON. NORTH CAROLINA 28403 -1343
REPLY TO
ATTENTION OF: September 30, 2014
Regulatory Division
Re: NCIRT Review and USACE Approval of the Norman's Pasture I & II Mitigation Plan; SAW -2013-
00109; NCEEP Project # 95717 and 96310
Mr. Tim Baumgartner
North Carolina Ecosystem Enhancement Program
1652 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, NC 27699 -1652
Dear Mr. Baumgartner:
The purpose of this letter is to provide the North Carolina Ecosystem Enhancement Program
( NCEEP) with all comments generated by the North Carolina Interagency Review Team ( NCIRT)
during the 30 -day comment period for the Norman's Pasture I & II Mitigation Plan, which closed on
August 31, 2014. These comments are attached for your review.
Based on our review of these comments, we have determined that no major concerns have been
identified with the Draft Mitigation Plan, which is considered approved with this correspondence.
However, several minor issues were identified, as described in the attached comment memo, which must
be addressed in the Final Mitigation Plan.
The Final Mitigation Plan is to be submitted with the Preconstruction Notification (PCN)
Application for Nationwide permit approval of the project along with a copy of this letter. Issues
identified above must be addressed in the Final Mitigation Plan. All changes made to the Final
Mitigation Plan should be summarized in an errata sheet included at the beginning of the document. If it
is determined that the project does not require a Department of the Army permit, you must still provide a
copy of the Final Mitigation Plan, along with a copy of this letter, to the appropriate USACE field office
at least 30 days in advance of beginning construction of the project. Please note that this approval does
not preclude the inclusion of permit conditions in the permit authorization for the project, particularly if
issues mentioned above are not satisfactorily addressed. Additionally, this letter provides initial
approval for the Mitigation Plan, but this does not guarantee that the project will generate the requested
amount of mitigation credit. As you are aware, unforeseen issues may arise during construction or
monitoring of the project that may require maintenance or reconstruction that may lead to reduced
credit.
Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter, and if you have any questions regarding this
letter, the mitigation plan review process, or the requirements of the Mitigation Rule, please call me at
919 - 846 -2564.
Sincerely,
Todd Tugwell
Special Projects Manager
Enclosures
Electronic Copies Furnished:
NCIRT Distribution List
CESAW -RG -W /Greer
Kristin Miguez, NCEEP
Jeff Schaffer, NCEEP
TUGWELL.TODD.JASON.1048429293
2014.09.30 13:42:19 - 04'00'
i
REPLY T
O
ATTENTION OF:
DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY
WILMINGTON DISTRICT, CORPS OF ENGINEERS
69 DARLINGTON AVENUE
WILMINGTON, NORTH CAROLINA 28403 -1343
CESAW -RG /Tugwell September 4, 2014
MEMORANDUM FOR RECORD
SUBJECT: Norman's Pastures I & II Wetland Restoration Projects - NCIRT Comments During 30-
day Mitigation Plan Review
PURPOSE: The comments listed below were posted to the NCEEP Mitigation Plan Review Portal
during the 30 -day comment period in accordance with Section 332.8(g) of the 2008 Mitigation
Rule.
NCEEP Project Name: Norman's Pasture I & II Restoration Projects, Sampson County, NC
USACE AID #: SAW- 2013 -00109
NCEEP #: 9535117/96310
30 -Day Comment Deadline: 31 August, 2014
1. Eric Kulz, NCDWR, 15 August 2014:
• Page 31 describes grading and filling of ditches. Are the ditches to be filled by
grading spoil piles? It is unclear what is being graded. Please describe in detail or
provide plan sheets with existing and proposed grades.
• The planting list did not include species like American elm and tulip poplar, both of
which were identified in on -site wetlands. DWR recommends adding these species
to the planting list.
• Stream T1 is proposed for enhancement II, and the plan indicates some structures
are to be added. Please provide a detail sheet showing the number and location of
structures to be added. DWR understands that the final number and location of
structures will be decided in the field, but an approximation of the number and
location of structures would be helpful.
• On the proposed monitoring plan in Appendix C, DWR requests the addition of a
vegetation plot within the footprint of the pond on the north side of the site.
2. Todd Tugwell, USACE, September 04, 2014:
• The project easement boundaries are irregular, and include several areas that are
not part of the easement but are entirely encompassed by the easement. This could
cause confusion in enforcing easement conditions and is not optimal with regard to
the amount of fragmentation that might result. It is not clear what can be done in
these areas or what is proposed for these areas. Can these areas just be included in
the easement, using specific language that allows for certain activities so there is still
some level of control?
• Section 6.0 — the release schedule includes wetlands but does not appear to cover
stream credits.
• The discussion on hydrology performance in Section 9.0 indicates that gauge data
will be "supplemented by documentation of wetland hydrology indicators as defined
in the 1987 USACE Wetland Delineation Manual." Please make it clear that this does
not mean that hydrology indicators can replace gauge data for the purpose of
determining success for the hydrology performance standards.
• Please change the vegetation performance standards to indicate that the stem /acre
density is only for planted vegetation.
/s/
Todd Tugwell
Special Projects Manager
Regulatory Division