2015-01799 Hannah Bridge Year 4 Monitoring Credit Release

DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY
WILMINGTON DISTRICT, CORPS OF ENGINEERS
69 DARLINGTON AVENUE
WILMINGTON, NORTH CAROLINA 28403-1343
February 1, 2023
Regulatory Division
Action ID No. SAW-2015-01799
Re: Year 4 Monitoring Report Review and Credit Release associated with Neu -Con
Umbrella Mitigation Bank, Hannah Bridge Stream and Wetland Mitigation Site
Ms. Jamey McEachran
EBX-Neuse, LLC
3600 Glenwood Avenue, Suite 100
Raleigh, North Carolina 27612
Dear Ms. McEachran:
This correspondence is in reference to the Neu -Con Umbrella Mitigation Bank,
Hannah Bridge Stream and Wetland Mitigation Site located in eastern North Carolina.
Specifically, the site is located along Green Pasture Road, near Four Oaks, Johnston
County, North Carolina, within the Hannah Creek watershed of the Upper Neuse
Cataloging Unit (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 4 credit release for this mitigation site.
Pursuant to the Mitigation Banking Instrument (UMBI) entitled, Neu -Con Umbrella
Wetland Mitigation and Stream Restoration Bank, approved April 2, 2001 and amended
April 10, 2009; the site -specific Hannah Bridge Stream and Wetland Final Mitigation Plan
dated March 2018 (with supplemental information received May 2018) and approved
June 27, 2018; and the Hannah Bridge Stream and Wetland Mitigation Site Year 4
Monitoring Report dated November 2022, 5 percent of the mitigation site's total stream
restoration and enhancement credits shall be available for sale, plus 10% for completion
of the bankfull performance standard provided the Year 4 Monitoring Report
demonstrates interim performance standards are being met.
Based on a review of the data provided for the stream restoration and enhancement
on the site, we confirm that you have satisfied the above requirements for the Year 4
Monitoring credit release, and 669.800 stream mitigation units (SMUs) are now available
for sale. To date, 3,256.4 SMUs (75 percent of the total restoration and enhancement
credits and 100 percent of the total preservation credits) have been released for sale.

As discussed, wetland credits will not be released until gauge data demonstrates that
the wetland areas are meeting performance standards. At this point, we have released
5.73 WMUs of the 10.73 potential WMUs (50 percent of the total restoration and
enhancement credits and 100 percent of the total preservation credits) and most of those
credits (5.18 WMUs) have already been sold.
The cover letter included with the monitoring report indicates that RES is exploring the
option of converting wetland areas to buffer/nutrient credit. Unfortunately, it appears that
the failing gauges are located across the site, which makes it difficult to identify a specific
area where adverse conditions are preventing development of appropriate wetland
hydrology. As such, it would be difficult to identify a specific area that could be removed
from wetland credit and converted to another credit type. Additionally, because so many
of the gauges on the site are failing to meeting the performance standards and more than
50 percent of the site's wetland credits have already been released, any proposal to
modify the instrument to remove wetland credit at this point would potentially lead to a
wetland deficit based on the trajectory of the wetlands on site, therefore, we would not be
willing to consider conversion of wetland areas to buffer/nutrient credit at this time.
Finally, 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 Casey Haywood at
casey.m.haywood(a)usace.army.mil or telephone [phone].
Sincerely,
Todd Tugwell
Chief, Mitigation Branch
Regulatory Division
Electronic Copies Furnished:
NCIRT Distribution List

DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY
WILMINGTON DISTRICT, CORPS OF ENGINEERS
69 DARLINGTON AVENUE
WILMINGTON. NORTH CAROLINA28403-1343
CESAW-RG/Haywood
MEMORANDUM FOR RECORD
February 1, 2023
SUBJECT: Action ID # SAW-2015-01799, NCIRT Review Comments on the Neu -Con
Umbrella Mitigation Bank, Hannah Bridge Stream and Wetland Mitigation Site Year 4
Monitoring Report
Casey Haywood, USACE:
1. Three encroachments were identified this year, two were addressed with the
installation of new fencing and easement markers. Will new fencing and
easement markers also be installed in the area where the horse pasture was
constructed north of HB1 once the landowner removes it from the easement?
2. Thank you for providing more information and a map identifying wetlands at risk.
Eleven out of 13 groundwater gauges did not meet success this year. Below
average rainfall also contributed to decreased wetland hydrology this year. No
wetland credits are being requested at this time.
3. Please discuss the proposed easement adjustment shown on Figure 2 in the
narrative. I know this has been discussed previously with IRT so it may be helpful
to include any correspondence in an appendix.
4. Noted that a supplemental planting around veg plot 16 was performed in
February 2022, and approximately 4.7 acres of the site was controlled/treated for
privet, sweetgum and loblolly pine. Please capture some of the treated areas with
random plots in the MY5 report
Casey Haywood
Regulatory Specialist
Regulatory Division