2017-00159 Hollowell Year 3 Monitoring Credit Release

DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY
WILMINGTON DISTRICT, CORPS OF ENGINEERS
69 DARLINGTON AVENUE
WILMINGTON, NORTH CAROLINA 28403-1343
December 21, 2021
Regulatory Division
Action ID No. SAW-2017-00159
Re: Year 3 Monitoring Report Review and Credit Release associated with WLS Neuse
01 Umbrella Mitigation Bank, Hollowell Mitigation Site
Ms. Cara Conder
Water & Land Solutions
7721 Six Forks Road, Suite 130
Raleigh, North Carolina 27615
Dear Ms. Conder:
This correspondence is in reference to the WLS Neuse 01 Umbrella Mitigation Bank,
Hollowell Mitigation Project, located east of Ferry Bridge Road and Stevens Mill Road, in
Goldsboro, Wayne County, North Carolina. The mitigation site is adjacent to and within
the Neuse River Basin, Hydrologic Unit Code (HUC) 03020201. The purpose of this letter
is to transmit comments provided by the NC Interagency Review Team (NCIRT) during
the review of the monitoring report (see attached) and to confirm the Year 3 credit
release for this mitigation site.
Pursuant to the Umbrella Mitigation Banking Instrument and the site -specific
Mitigation Plan, the following mitigation credits shall be available for sale provided the
annual monitoring report demonstrates interim performance standards are being met:
10% of the mitigation site's total enhancement and/or restoration Stream
Mitigation Units (SMUs) associated with the year 3 annual monitoring (721.20
SMUs)
15% of the total enhancement and/or restoration Wetland Mitigation Units
(WMUs) associated with the year 3 annual monitoring (0.686 WMUs)
Based on a review of the data provided for the restoration on the site, we confirm that
you have satisfied the above requirements for the Year 3 Monitoring credit release, and
721.2 stream mitigation units (SMUs) and 0.686 wetland mitigation units (WMUs) are
now available for sale. To date, 4,376.2 SMUs and 3.456 WMUs (65 percent of the total
restoration credits) have been released for sale.

Please review the comments provided by the NCIRT during their review of the
monitoring report. While it is not necessary to provide a response to specific comments
at this time, please be sure to address the issues raised in future monitoring report
submittals.
Thank you for your interest in restoring and protecting waters of the United States. If
you have questions regarding this letter, please contact me at
Casey. M.Haywood (a)usace.army. miI or telephone [phone].
Sincerely,
Todd Tugwell
Chief, Mitigation Branch
Regulatory Division
Electronic Copies Furnished:
NCIRT Distribution List

NCIRT Comments:
Erin Davis, NCDWR:
1. DWR appreciated the level of detail provided in this report, including the CCPV,
photos and responses to MY2 IRT comments.
2. DWR was glad that thorough signing/taping and planting actions were completed
to address the 2021 encroachments.
3. Please watch any XS aggradation, particularly if sediment aggradation is tied to in -
stream vegetation cover. Any sediment and/or vegetation channel maintenance
should be addressed early in monitoring in order for the IRT to observe how the
system is trending (stream vs wetland) later in monitoring.
Todd Bowers, EPA:
1. Headwater streams are showing some signs of channel formation but far from a
preponderance of evidence. The best stream only has 4 of the 9 indicators, with
some streams showing fewer from year to year. How many factors or indicators
are considered "preponderance"?
2. The MY3 planform geometry and dimensions fall within acceptable ranges of the
design parameters for all restored reaches. Noted.
3. Beaver activity on lower 100 feet of UT1-R2 with negligible impact noted. WLS
taking corrective action.
4. Intermittent stream flows of >30 consecutive days verified for MY3 in an
abnormally dry year. Noted.
5. Plentiful bankfull events on perennial streams noted.
6. All vegetation plots appear to be performing very well in density (538 stems/acre)
and diversity. Growth could be better (average height 3.0 feet) but not yet a cause
for concern.
7. Noted encroachments have been dealt with satisfactorily with new boundary
markings and replanted areas; thank you for including photos post -corrective
action.
8. 1 appreciated the detail in the photos of veg plots and cross sections. Only request
is to have the perpendicular angle of the culverts included with the cross sections.
9. Recommend providing the entire previous year of rainfall data so that 3 of 12
months prior to monitoring is not missing. These graphs are great at illustrating the

lack of rain in the spring and that a wet month in the summer can make a huge
difference in a dry year.
10. Corrective action for two vegetation problem areas were undertaken in December
2021 and replanted areas appear to be establishing themselves well. Noted.
11. No invasive species treatments in MY3. Noted.
12. Macroinvertebrates are becoming re-established and recovering in UT1 and UT2.
Noted.
Casey Haywood, USACE:
1. Concur with EPAs first comment. However, the drone footage and use of dye was
very helpful for this review. In addition to the drone footage, please include an
adequate number of photos in future monitoring reports to continue to help
document indicators of channel formation.
2. Please include the location of the beaver activity on UT1-R2 on the CCPV in future
reports.