20210348 Ver 3_20210348 - Pickle Creek Phase II Construction Planting Complete Letter - Miscanthus Areas_20240220

3600 Glenwood Avenue, Suite 100
Raleigh, NC 27612

Corporate Headquarters
6575 West Loop South, Suite 300
Houston, TX 77401
Main: 713.520.5400

res.us

February 20, 2024

Ms. Katie Merritt
NCDEQ – Division of Water Resources
512 N. Salisbury Street, Archdale Building 9th Floor
Raleigh, NC 27620

RE: Pickle Creek Phase II Nutrient Offset Mitigation Project (DWR #2021-0348v3): Partial
Task 2 Vegetation Planting and Monitoring Device Completed (Secondary Planting) – 10
Percent Credit Release

Ms. Merritt,

Environmental Banc & Exchange, LLC (EBX), a wholly owned subsidiary of Resource
Environmental Solutions (RES) is pleased to inform you that remaining riparian vegetation
planting and associated monitoring devices installation have been completed at the Pickle Creek
Phase II Mitigation Project. Monitoring devices include 2 vegetation plots in the nutrient offset
mitigation areas where 3.73 acres have been treated for Miscanthus giganteus and planted. This
letter is being submitted to request a site visit with DWR as described in the RES Pickle Creek
Phase II Nutrient Offset Banking Instrument for nutrient offset credit.

To support your review and approval of the release of Task 2b credits, the following are included
with this letter:

- Short summary of activities completed as required per the approved BPDP (including
activities completed for the Pickle Creek DMS Full Delivery Project);
- Figures representing all riparian restoration, riparian enhancement, and riparian
preservation activities where applicable;
- A map showing the vegetation plot locations (including those for the Pickle Creek DMS
Full Delivery Project);
- Detailed Planting Plan information;
- Photos of the site, including examples of vegetation plots, easement markings, and the land
application hydrant removal (including those for Pickle Creek DMS Full Delivery Project).

Short Summary of Activities Completed:
The site was prepped in March this year by ripping, seeding and marking the DMS and Bank
Easements with signage. Due to dense Miscanthus giganteus, 6.63 acres of the total 25.89 acres
were not planted during initial planting (May 15, 2023) to allow for treatment of the crop and
provide better conditions for survival of planted bareroots. The 3.73 acres within the Bank
easement that were not planted initially, were treated over the summer with herbicide application

and mowing. Trees were planted on December 14th, 2023. The remaining As-Built site work to
establish fixed vegetation plots 15 and 17 was conducted on January 10, 2024. During as-built set-
up of these two plots, eleven planted tree species were recorded, and the plots yielded an average
of 748 stems per acre (Tables 1 & 2). The total planting area for the site was 6.63 acres.
Additionally, this area will be seeded with the same herbaceous seed mix that was sown after initial
construction. Changes to the established vegetation plots are limited to minor location changes.
There were no other changes to the planting plan (Table 2). The easement is marked with
conservation easement signs that include the restricted activities, and contact information attached
to t-posts at approximate 100-foot intervals. Until Final approval of the long-term steward as the
State the signs list RES as a contract and will be replaced with State signs upon their approval as
a long-term steward. An updated credit release schedule that reflects last-minute change of
planting is proposed in the Credit Release Request.

Comments from initial Task 2 site visit:

One small area will need some additional stems. DWR requested that RES plant the easement line between
plot 19 and 20 to ensure there are stems within 6 feet of the easement line.
This has been included in a maintenance request for completion by Spring 2024.

Considering how late EBX will be planting stems in the Miscanthus areas, DWR will require that the
vegetation data collected for the Year 1 monitoring report for the Pickle Creek Phase II site be delayed and
collected no earlier than Fall/Winter 2024
Year 1 monitoring data will be collected in the Fall of 2024.

EBX is intending to plant the Miscanthus area at a lower stem density per acre than what has already been
planted on the rest of the site. EBX will need to collect transect data, in addition to monitoring plot data to
document stem density when the area has been planted.
EBX ended up planting the Miscanthus areas at normal density (800 stems per acre), so transects were not
collected.

In addition to planting stems, EBX needs to commit to seeding the portions of the site where Miscanthus is
present,
Seeding with the original seed mix is in a maintenance request to be completed by Spring 2024. Photos of
the seeded area will be provided in the MY1 report after the herbaceous layer has had time to become
established.

To facilitate your review RES intends to submit the final As-Built Report shortly. The major
modifications from the approved RES Pickle Creek Phase II Nutrient Offset Banking Instrument
that was made during site construction was the need to mow and spray the Miscanthus giganteus.
Should you require further documentation, please let us know. Finally, we anticipate a site visit to
be required for the release of Task 2 credits. We will be in touch to schedule this with you.

Thank you,

Katie Obenauf | Project Manager
21
20
19
22
23
18
16
15
17
D3
D
4
J1
D1
D2
D5
NC CGIA, Maxar, Microsoft
Monitoring Device
Locations
Pickle Creek Phase II
Mitigation Project
Wayne County,
North Carolina
Date: 2/20/2024 Drawn by: KTO
Do
c
u
m
e
n
t

P
a
t
h
:

R
:
\
R
e
s
g
i
s
\
P
r
o
j
e
c
t
s
\
N
C
\
1
0
5
5
4
7
_
P
i
c
k
l
e
_
C
r
e
e
k
_
P
h
a
s
e
_
I
I
\
P
R
O
\
P
i
c
k
l
e
C
r
e
e
k
P
h
a
s
e
I
I
.
a
p
r
x
Restoring a resilient earth for a modern world
0 300150
Feet
Legend
Easement 10.59 ac (Bank)
Easement 18.08 ac (DMS)
Buffer Credit Type
Nutrient Offset (0-100')
Nutrient Offset (101-200')
Stream Type
Ditch
Ephemeral
Intermittent
Perennial
MY0 Veg Plots
>320 stems/acre
Treated Miscanthus and Planting Area
Checked by: JRM1 inch = 300 feet
Areas diffused
while ripping
Culvert Removed
Irrigation Hydrants Removed
D3
D
4
J1
D1
D
2
D5
Esri, HERE, Garmin, (c) OpenStreetMap contributors
©
Figure 2 - As-BuiltPlanting
Pickle CreekMitigation Project
Wayne County,North Carolina
Date: 12/6/2023 Drawn by: HKH
Document Path: R:\Resgis\Projects\NC\102870_Pickle_Creek\MXD\6_MonitoringMaintenance\M
Y0\Remaining Planting Plan - Pickle Creek.mxd
Restoring a resilient earth for a modern world
1 in = 300 feet
0 300150
Feet
Legend
Planting Area (6.63 ac)
DMS Easement - 18.06 ac
Bank Easement - 10.59 ac
Stream Type
Perennial
Intermittent
Ephemeral
Ditch
Checked by: xxx
Planting Area (6.63 ac)Planting Area (6.63 ac)
Planting Area
Common Name Scientific Name Mit Plan % As-Built % Total Stems Planted
American sycamore Platanus occidentalis 10% 10% 530
River birch Betula nigra 10% 10% 530
Willow Oak Quercus phellos 10% 10% 530
Swamp chestnut oak Quercus michauxii 10% 10% 530
Water oak Quercus nigra 10% 10% 530
Northern red oak Quercus rubra 10% 10% 530
Shumard's oak Quercus shumardii 10% 10% 530
Overcup oak Quercus lyrata 10% 10% 530
Persimmon Diospyros virginiana 10% 10% 530
Green Ash Fraxinus pennsylvanica 5% 5% 265
Buttonbush Cephalanthus occidentalis 5% 5% 265
5,300
6.63
800
Table 1. Planted Species Summary
Total
Planted Area
As-Built Stems/Acre
Pickle Creek Phase II Vegetation Monitoring Plot Photos

Vegetation Plot 15 (1/10/2024)

Vegetation Plot 16 (5/24/2023)

Vegetation Plot 17 (1/10/2024)

Vegetation Plot 18 (5/24/2023)

Vegetation Plot 19 (5/24/2023)

Vegetation Plot 21 (5/24/2023)

Vegetation Plot 20 (5/24/2023)

Vegetation Plot 22 (5/24/2023)

Vegetation Plot 23 (5/24/2023)

Pickle Creek Phase II Site Photos

Easement Marker

Second Removed Hydrant on J1

First Removed Hydrant on J1