20230801 Ver 1_SouthFork-IRT Site Visit Minutes

Date: July 17, 2023

From: Eco Terra, LLC

Attendees: Erin Davis – USACE – [e-mail]
Steven Kichefski – USACE – [e-mail]
Olivia Munzer – WRC – [e-mail]
Maria Polizzi – NC DEQ DWR – [e-mail]
Norton Webster – Eco Terra – [e-mail]
Jordan Burbage – Eco Terra – [e-mail]
Mike Eagan – Eco Terra – [e-mail]
Jennifer Burdette – Natural Resource Consultants – [e-mail]
Rebecca Stubbs – McAdams – [e-mail]
Cameron Jernigan – McAdams – [e-mail]

RE: South Fork Wetland Mitigation Site – IRT Site Walk

MEETING MINUTES

General Site
Eco Terra: Introduction to site and overview of the project.
Eco Terra: The site’s topography is such that all of the mitigation area flows south.
Eco Terra: The culvert at the southwest corner of the proposed easement boundary will likely be removed/replaced with a hardened feature such as a hardened ford crossing but the exact
feature has not yet been finalized.
Eco Terra: The existing landowner is aware that building structures any cutting/mowing within the conservation easement is not allowed.
Jennifer Burdette: The existing vegetation at the site best reflects that of a Piedmont Swamp Forest wetland community so this community is targeted in the proposed planting plan in
addition to Piedmont Bottomland Hardwood Forest species.
IRT Member: The draft prospectus identifies two service area HUCs. Change the prospectus, UMBI, and mitigation plan to include language that allows for the service area to change if
it happens during the life of the project.
IRT Member: Additional groundwater monitoring wells are not required during pre-construction monitoring but they are preferred. Identify any additional potential well locations on a
map and include with the meeting minutes.
IRT Member: Include the entire limits of disturbance in addition to the conservation easement on maps released for public comment.

IRT Member: Consider researching nearby gage stations and running a HEC-RAS model to determine the frequency and inundation depths of the mitigation area. Gaston (Indian Creek) and
Gastonia (S. Fork Catawba ) are the closest.

Credit Areas
Eco Terra: The existing spoil pile along the western boundary of the existing vegetation areas are anticipated to be sufficient to fill/intermittently plug the existing drainage ditch.

Eco Terra: Plugs will be installed to ~6” above surrounding grade to accommodate for compaction and settling over time.
IRT Member: Max depth of the ditch between the intermittent plugs shall be no more than 14”. Ensure ponded area is dry to avoid creating habitat for predatory fish.
Eco Terra: Existing trees will be selectively removed from the existing spoil and reused as woody debris within the mitigation area. Large hardwood trees in good condition will not be
removed.
IRT Member: Keep existing ephemeral wetland pools as ephemeral features post-construction to maintain and create habitat for crayfish
IRT Member: Evidence of crayfish habitat was observed and will need to remain undisturbed
IRT Member: Keep some of the dead tree/leaf material in existing vegetation areas for foraging and shelter for Tri-Color Bat
IRT Member: The proposed work appears to be close to meeting the threshold for wetland creation. Verify there will be no wetland creation and include a detailed grading plan in the mitigation
plan.
IRT Member: Include a detailed grading plan that shows grading 6” increments as color coded polygons within the mitigation plan.
IRT Member: The site does not appear wet and depth to hydric soils appears to be over 12”. Consider how increasing standing water at the site will affect the existing vegetation and
the proposed species of the planting plan.
IRT Member: Consider changing proposed Preservation areas to low level Enhancement to allow for supplemental planting if increased standing water will affect the existing vegetation.
IRT Member: Consider making topographic features to provide a variety of upland and lowland conditions.
IRT Member: Consider planting a diverse selection herbaceous species (including flowering pollinator varieties)
IRT Member: Supplemental planting would need to consider maintaining/promoting strata diversity and include species that can endure a longer hydroperiod if groundwater hydroperiod is
anticipated to increase.

Proposed Drainage Ditch
Eco Terra: DRAINMOD or equivalent lateral effect hydrologic model will be used to model hydrologic effects of the proposed ditch on the mitigation area, and it will be used to size the
ditch and proposed credit area boundary.

IRT Member: Include DRAINMOD or equivalent lateral effect hydrologic model results in the appendices of the mitigation plan and include worst case scenario modeling to show hydrologic
effects of an overly deepened ditch channel.
Eco Terra: The proposed ditch will not be a part of any easement type associated with the mitigation area. It will be owned and maintained by the adjacent property owner. The proposed
conservation easement boundary will run parallel to the top of ditch, allowing space for future ditch maintenance.
Eco Terra: The proposed credit area will be internally offset from the conservation easement boundary so that any potential hydrologic effects/future ditching outside the easement will
not affect the proposed mitigation credit areas.

Easement Crossing
Eco Terra: The easement crossing and its location is crucial to the current landowner for access to property adjacent to the conservation easement.
IRT Member: Expressed preference for the easement break to be reduced in width (a maximum of 30’) and exist inside the conservation easement as an internal crossing so that it falls
under the responsibility of the long-term steward. It should be maintained more like a path than an access road.
IRT Member: Use of culverts in the easement break should be minimized.
Eco Terra: The easement crossing will be at grade, hardened, and designed like a series of ford crossings rather than utilizing culverts.

Final Prospectus Revisions
Update crossing from external to internal, reduce width, revise crossing type
Confirm proposed mitigation treatment in existing vegetation areas
Revise Service Area Map (Figure 2) to only show Catawba 02
Add overall Project area to Proposed Conditions Map (Figure 9)