20020730 Ver 4_Corps Comment Letter for SAW 2010-00175_MTS edits_20221020

Comment Letter for SAW 2010-00175 USS Battleship North Carolina Living with
Water Project
1) Please provide an "Alternatives Analysis" for this project or a description of the
alternatives considered. This should include at a minimum the "No Build" alternative
and others (examples increased culvert sizes, floodwall, etc.) Included in this discussion,
should be the living shoreline proposal. Please demonstrate a need for the living
shoreline.
2) What type of wetland plants will be planted at the created tidal creek wetlands (plugs,
seedlings, etc.?)? Will there also be shrub and tree planting? Please provide a wetland
planting plan and schematic.
3) Can the boardwalk across the created tidal creek and wetlands be elevated higher or
can the width be narrowed, please justify? If not, the current wetland area shaded by
this boardwalk will be considered an impact and must be removed from the wetland
creation total.
4) Why are the wetland impacts (0.43 ac.) associated with the vehicular entrances
considered to be temporary impacts? If the wetland impacts are re -considered to
permanent, please update the permanent impacts in Table 2.1 in the narrative.
5) For the wetland enhancement described for the tidal creek wetlands, can you elaborate
on why you believe this work qualifies as "wetland enhancement"? Please provide a
discussion (including a functional assessment i.e. NCWAM) on the current wetland area
and how the proposal will enhance/improve upon those functions.
6) You state in the application narrative "The wetland and tidal creek will capture, hold,
infiltrate, and direct tidal floodwaters to the Cape Fear River." Can you expand on this,
describing the flooding reduction mechanisms or processes? Also expand here
describing what conditions of the current site facilitate or cause flooding.
7) You state in the narrative "The estuarine wetland, tidal creek, and living shoreline will
create ecologically significant coastal habitat. They enhance shelter for juvenile fish
species such as striped bass, alewife, and blueback herring; provide developing areas for
juvenile finfish species, including flounder, red drum, Atlantic croaker, and American
shad; and support the recovery of fish species of concern such as the shortnose and
Atlantic sturgeon." Can you expand upon the habitat and environment created that will

enhance these fish species? Also, describe how this work will provide other ecological
lift, such as for non -fish species or other wetland function uplift.
8) Provide a Monitoring and Maintenance Plan. This monitoring plan should include
monitoring of hydrology, wetland plant success or changes in fauna diversity and how
this is related to ecological uplift predictions. Describe maintenance requirements to
ensure the continued viability of the resource once initial construction is completed.
This should include some sort of phragmites maintenance and control plan.
9) How will ecological uplift from this project be measured (i.e. measurement of tidal
events via piezometers, areal vegetative coverage, control of invasives-phragmites)?
Provide a plan on how this will be measured in the monitoring plan.
10) Provide Success Criteria for the project. This should include criteria for adequate
hydrology for the created wetlands and tidal creek and diversity and cover requirements
for wetland plantings. Also include criteria for the "stormwater" wetland area and the
"living shoreline" portions of the project.
11) Provide an Adaptive Management Plan". This should describe a management strategy to
address unforeseen changes in site conditions or other components of the project.