20050949 Ver 3_Other Agency Comments_20150310

Burdette, Jennifer a
From: Higgins, Karen
Sent: Tuesday, March 10, 2015 12:14 PM
To: Burdette, Jennifer a
Subject: FW: WRC Comments for Corps Project #SAW- 2007 -04137
Attachments: WRC Comments-Corps #SAW- 2007- 04137_Smithfield Construction.pdf
FYI
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: Garrison, Gabriela
Sent: Tuesday, March 10, 2015 12:13 PM
To: Shaeffer, David L SAW
Cc: Higgins, Karen
Subject: WRC Comments for Corps Project #SAW- 2007 -04137
Hi David,
I have attached WRC Comments in response to the Public Notice for the construction project in Smithfield - Partners
Equity Group (SAW- 2007 - 04137).
Thanks for the opportunity to comment.
Gabriela Garrison
Eastern Piedmont Habitat Conservation Coordinator
NC Wildlife Resources Commission
PO Box 149; Hoffman, NC 28347
Cell: 910 - 409 -7350
gabriela .garrison @ncwildlife.org
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9 North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission 9
Gordon Myers, Executive Director
MEMORANDUM
TO: David Schaeffer
Raleigh Regulatory Field Office
US Army Corps of Engineers
FROM: Gabriela Garrison
Eastern Piedmont Coordinator
Habitat Conservation
DATE: March 10, 2015
SUBJECT: Public Notice for Partners Equity Group to Modify and Extend an Individual Permit for
the Construction of Two Buildings in Smithfield, Johnston County, North Carolina.
Corps Action ID 9: SAW- 2007 -04137
Biologists with the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission ( NCWRC) have reviewed the subject
document. Comments are provided in accordance with provisions of the Clean Water Act of 1977 (as
amended), Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act (48 Stat. 401, as amended; 16 U.S.C. 661 -667e) and North
Carolina General Statutes (G. S. 113 -13 1 et seq.).
The applicant proposes a modification and 5 -year extension of an Individual Permit that was issued on
May 13, 2009 and expired on December 31, 2014. The project will permanently impact 1.68 acres of
jurisdictional wetlands in order to construct two buildings and associated parking areas. The project is
located within a 45.3 -acre commercial park that consists of 19 commercial lots and associated
transportation/ utility infrastructure, resulting in approximately 60% of impervious surface. Mitigation
includes the preservation of 30.925 acres of land adjacent to the Rudolph Buffer/ Nutrient Offset
Mitigation Site in Johnston County, approximately 12 miles from the proposed project site. In addition,
0.447 acres of onsite wetlands will be preserved with the request to plant the area with appropriate low -
growing species that would not be taller than eight feet.
The site drains to Polecat Branch in the Neuse River Basin. There are records for the federal and state -
endangered, red - cockaded woodpecker (Picoides borealis), southwest of the project site on Johnston
Community College property. Please contact John Hammond of the US Fish and Wildlife Service
(USFWS) at (919) 856 -4520 to address any potential issues related to federally listed species.
The NCWRC hesitates to concur with the filling of wetlands due to wildlife habitat value and the
beneficial functions they provide for flood control and water quality protection. Changes in land use and
increases in impervious surfaces may exacerbate channel degradation and sediment impacts to stream
ecosystems due to increased stormwater runoff and elevated flooding. In addition, pollutants (e.g.,
Mailing Address: Division of Inland Fisheries • 1721 Mail Service Center • Raleigh, NC 27699 -1721
Telephone: [phone] • Fax: [phone]

Page 2
March 10, 2015
Smithfield Construction
Corps Action ID No.: SAW- 2007 -4137
sediment, heavy metals, pesticides and fertilizers) washed from roads and developed landscapes can
adversely affect and extirpate species downstream. If the permit is approved, the NCWRC offers the
following recommendations to minimize impacts to aquatic and terrestrial wildlife resources:
1. The remaining wetland area on site should be protected from additional impacts by placing it in a
permanent conservation easement to prohibit filling, draining, flooding and excavation.
2. Use landscaping that consists of non - invasive, native species and Low Impact Development (LID)
technology. Using native species instead of ornamentals should provide benefits by reducing the
need for water, fertilizers and pesticides. A list of appropriate wetland plant species is available upon
request. LID techniques include permeable pavement and bioretention areas that can collect
stormwater from the parking areas. Additional alternatives include narrower roads, swales versus
curbs /gutters and permeable surfaces such as turf stone, brick and cobblestone.
3. Sediment and erosion control measures should be installed prior to any land clearing or construction.
These measures should be routinely inspected and properly maintained. Excessive silt and sediment
loads can have numerous detrimental effects on aquatic resources including destruction of spawning
habitat, suffocation of eggs and clogging of gills.
Thank you for the opportunity to review and comment on this project. If I can be of further assistance,
please contact me at (910) 409 -7350 or gabriela .garrison(a)ncwildlife.org.
ec: Karen Higgins, NCDWR
John Hammond, USFWS