The URL can be used to link to this page

Home My WebLink AboutSite Viability Request March 13, 2024 Ms. Katie Merritt NCDWR – 401 and Buffer Permitting Branch 1617 Mail Service Center Raleigh, North Carolina 27699-1617 Subject: Request for Buffer Mitigation and Nutrient Offset Site Viability DWR Project: 20240156 - Rocking F Farms Mitigation Site Guilford County, North Carolina Dear Ms. Merritt; The Rocking F Farms Mitigation Site is being proposed as a stream and buffer mitigation bank located Guilford County, NC within the Cape Fear River Basin (USGS HUC 03030002). The site has been visited, and the stream features have been verified by NC DWR on December 14, 2023. The attached information is submitted for your review and determination of buffer mitigation site viability. As evidenced by historic aerial photos and site investigations, the streams at this site have been substantially modified by anthropogenic impacts associated with agriculture including channel straightening, impoundment, and livestock impacts. Wetlands have been negatively affected by livestock impacts and ditching, in addition to indirect impacts associated with the ditching of streams on the site. Historic clearing has removed the riparian buffers from this system. Restoring these streams, wetlands, and buffers will return this landscape to a stable ecosystem and will also lower the supply of sediment and nutrients entering the project streams, which feed into the Cape Fear River. The site has undergone significant modifications that have altered the site hydrology and vegetation. Historic aerials were examined for any information about how the site has changed over recent history. The reviewed aerials are included in Appendix A. Historic aerials were obtained from the USGS EarthExplorer and NCOneMap for 1948, 1950, 1964, 1969, 1973, 1978, 1981, 1993, 1998, 2002, 2010, 2014, and 2022. This evidence shows that the site has been systematically impacted by agriculture for over 75 years. The primary impacts to the system are associated with livestock production. In the earliest aerial photo from 1948, most of the site had already been cleared, channelized, and converted to agriculture/pasture. Between 1948 and 1950 the upstream and middle portion of T1 had been cleared. Between 1950 and 1964 the pond upstream of T5 was constructed. The site has remained relatively unchanged between 1964 and 2022. If you have any questions, need additional information, or would like to schedule a site visit, please contact me at your earliest convenience at (919) 278-2533 or joe.sullivan@kci.com. Sincerely, KCI Associates of North Carolina Joseph Sullivan Senior Environmental Scientist _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ NCDWR - 401 & Buffer Permitting Branch SEND COMPLETE REQUEST TO: katie.merritt@deq.nc.gov BUFFER MITIGATION &/OR NUTRIENT OFFSET SITE VIABILTY ASSESSMENT REQUEST (VERSION 7-2023) (Form must be complete and all attachments included to process request) ☐ BUFFER MITIGATION ☐ NUTRIENT OFFSET ☒ BOTH PARCEL/SITE DETAILS Has anyone from DWR or the USACE visited the site in the past 12 months? ☒ YES ☐ NO Have buffer/stream determinations been made by Division of Water Resources? ☒ YES ☐ NO Will any state or federal grant money be associated with this proposed project? ☐ YES ☒ NO Are any State, Local or Federal Permits associated with the parcel/land? ☐ YES ☒ NO ATTACHMENTS REQUIRED (provide items 1-6 as a separate attachment, not to exceed 10 pages) 1. Detailed description of the parcel/site including existing site conditions, constraints and permits affiliated with the property. 2. Include a timeline of land use changes from 1990-Present supported by Google imagery; 3. Include the DWR Stream Call Determination letter with maps & figures; 4. Include an Aerial Map showing a proposed Conservation Easement/Project boundary 5. Include lidar imagery of the area within the proposed project boundary 6. Include ditch depths: measure center-line of ditch to top of bank every 100 ft to stream confluence Contact Name Joseph Sullivan Contact Company KCI Technologies Inc Mailing Address 4505 Falls of Neuse Rd, Suite 400, Raleigh, NC 27609 Email joe.sullivan@kci.com Phone: 919-278-2533 Do you have the right to access the property? ☒ YES ☐ NO Proposed Site Name Rocking F Farms Mitigation Site Address 6740 Monnett Rd City: Climax Site Coordinates County: Guilford River Basin Name Cape Fear 8-Digit HUC: 03030002 Sub-watershed (only include if in Jordan Lake or Falls) 14-Digit HUC: 03030002040010 Sub Basin: 03-06-03 Will this be part of a stream or wetland project/bank? ☒ YES ☐ NO FIGURE 1. PRO JECT SITE VICINITY MA PROCKING F FARMS MITIGATIO N SITE GUILFORD CO UNTY, NC ±0 0.50.25 Miles Project Easement ^_ Project Loca tio n:Guilfo rd Co unty, NC Data Source: ESRIWorld Street Map Rocking F Farms Mitigation Site Climax Creek T1 T2T1 T1 T3 Source: USGS National Map,ClimaxQuadrangle FIGURE 2. USG S TOPO GRAPHIC MAPROCKING F FARMS MITIGATIO N SITE GUILFORD CO UNTY, NC ±0 500250Feet Project Easement (18.79 ac) Rocking F Farms Mitigation Site 1948 1964 1969 1950 ±FIGURE 3A. HISTORIC AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHSROCKING F FARMS MITIGATIO N SITE GUILFORD CO UNTY, NC Image Source: USGS Earth Explorer01,000500Feet Project Easement Rocking F Farms Mitigation Site 1973 1981 1993 1977 ±FIGURE 3B. HISTORIC AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHSROCKING F FARMS MITIGATIO N SITE GUILFORD CO UNTY, NC Image Source: USGS Earth Explorer01,000500Feet Project Easement Rocking F Farms Mitigation Site 1998 2010 2014 2002 ±FIGURE 3C. HISTORIC AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHSROCKING F FARMS MITIGATIO N SITE GUILFORD CO UNTY, NC Image Source: NC OneMap01,000500Feet Project Easement Rocking F Farms Mitigation Site Climax Creek T1 T2T1 T1 T3 Source: Guilford CountyNRCS Survey (1977)Sheets 46 and 47 FIGURE 4. NR CS MAPROCKING F FARMS MITIGATIO N SITE GUILFORD CO UNTY, NC ±0 500250Feet Project Easement (18.79 ac) Rocking F Farms Mitigation Site Source: Contours derived fromNC Lidar BareEarth Data. FIGURE 5. LIDAR MAPROCKING F FARMS MITIGATIO N SITE GUILFORD CO UNTY, NC ±0 500250Feet Project Easement (1 8.79 ac)5' Co nto urs Rocking F Farms Mitigation Site Project Easement Rocking F Farms Mitigation Site Sources: NC StatewideOrthoimagery, 2022. FIGURE 6. AERIAL IMAGERYROCKING F FARMS MITIGATIO N SITE GUILFORD CO UNTY, NC ±0 500250Feet !! ! ! ! T1 T2T3 T1 T4 T5 Climax Creek Project Easement (18.79 ac) !Proposed BMPsStream Restoration (4,439 lf / 4,439 SMC)No CreditWetland Reestablishment (3.136 ac / 3.136 WMC)Wetland Rehabilitation (1.391 ac / 0.927 WMC)Wetland Enhancement (0.102 ac / 0.041) Rocking F Farms Mitigation Site Sources: NC StatewideOrthoimagery, 2022. FIGURE 7. PRO POSED MITIGATIONTYPE AND EXTENTROCKING F FARMS MITIGATIO N SITE GUILFORD COUNTY, NC ±0 400200 Fe et North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality Division of Water Resources 512 North Salisbury Street 1611 Mail Service Center Raleigh, North Carolina 27699-1611 919.707.9000 February 13, 2024 DWR Project: 20240156 Guilford County KCI Technologies Attn: Joe Sullivan Subject: On-Site Determination for Applicability to the Jordan Buffer Rules (15A NCAC 02B .0267) Project Name: Rocking F Farms Restoration Site Site Address / Location: 6740 Monnett Rd, Climax, NC 27233 Dear Joe Sullivan: On December 14, 2023, Sue Homewood and Samantha Wooten conducted an on-site review of features located on the subject property with you and other KCI Technologies staff to determine the applicability of the above-noted state regulations. The channels that were reviewed and their subjectivity to the above cited rules are described in the table below. The attached Figure(s) depicts the channels that were reviewed during the site visit as well as origin locations located within the property limits and were documented by KCI Technologies during the site visit. The channels that were reviewed and their subjectivity to the above cited rules are described in the table below. Please note that these regulations may be subject to change in the future. Please be aware that features identified as “not subject” may be considered jurisdictional according to the US Army Corps of Engineers and subject to the Clean Water Act. All Start and Stop Coordinates are based on coordinates taken by smart phone mapping application. Feature ID E/I/P/ Other Subject to Buffer Rules Start @ Stop @ Depicted on Soil Survey Depicted on USGS Topo Unnamed Feature Ephemeral No Entering Project Boundary Confluence of T1 No No T1 Perennial Yes Throughout Project Boundary Throughout Project Boundary Yes Yes T2 Intermittent Yes 35.919073, -79.708375 Confluence of T1 Yes No T3 Perennial Yes Entering Project Boundary Confluence of T1 Yes No T4 Ephemeral No Entering Project Boundary 35.915910, -79.703327 No No DocuSign Envelope ID: 49FF6C51-4DD9-4F53-B079-C64175AE2D76 North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality Division of Water Resources 512 North Salisbury Street 1611 Mail Service Center Raleigh, North Carolina 27699-1611 919.707.9000 DWR 20240156 Rocking F Farms Restoration Site Guilford County Page 2 of 3 T4 Intermittent Yes 35.915910, -79.703327 Confluence of Climax Creek No No T5 Other – Linear Wetland No Outlet of Pond Confluence of Climax Creek No No Climax Creek Perennial Yes Entering Project Boundary Throughout project boundary Yes yes This on-site determination shall expire five (5) years from the date of this letter. The owner (or future owners) should notify the Division (and other relevant agencies) of this decision in any future correspondences concerning this property. Landowners or affected parties that dispute this determination made by the Division may request a determination by the Director of Water Resources. This determination is final and binding, unless an appeal request is made within sixty (60) calendar days of the date of this letter to the Director in writing. If sending via U.S. Postal Service: Stephanie Goss - DWR 401 & Buffer Permitting Branch Supervisor 1617 Mail Service Center Raleigh, NC 27699-1617 If sending via delivery service (UPS, FedEx, etc.) Stephanie Goss -DWR 401 & Buffer Permitting Branch Supervisor 512 N Salisbury St. Raleigh, NC 27604 This letter only addresses the applicability of the stated regulations on the features identified on the subject property and/or within the proposed project area. This letter does not approve any activity within buffers or within waters of the state. There may be other regulated waters, streams or other features located on the property that do not appear on the maps or table referenced above. Any waters, streams, or other features on the site, including the features identified in this letter, may be considered jurisdictional according to the US Army Corps of Engineers and subject to the Clean Water Act. If you have any additional questions or require additional information, please contact Samantha Wooten at (919) 707-3631 or samantha.wooten@deq.nc.gov. This determination is subject to review as provided in Articles 3 & 4 of G.S. 150B. Sincerely, Stephanie Goss, Supervisor 401 & Buffer Permitting Branch DocuSign Envelope ID: 49FF6C51-4DD9-4F53-B079-C64175AE2D76 North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality Division of Water Resources 512 North Salisbury Street 1611 Mail Service Center Raleigh, North Carolina 27699-1611 919.707.9000 DWR 20240156 Rocking F Farms Restoration Site Guilford County Page 3 of 3 Enclosures: USGS Topographical Map Published NRCS Soil Survey Aerial Site Map with DWR notations Electronic cc: Steven and Marguerite Fields, landowners DWR, Winston-Salem Regional Office DocuSign Envelope ID: 49FF6C51-4DD9-4F53-B079-C64175AE2D76 Climax Creek T1 T2T1 T1 T3 T4 T5 Project Easement (19.95 ac) Ephemeral Channel Intermittent Stream Perennial Stream Rocking F Farms Restoration Site Sources: NC StatewideOrthoimagery, 2022. FIGURE 3. AERIAL IMAGERYROCKING F FARMS RESTORATION SITE GUILFORD COUNTY, NC ±0 500250 Feet Unnamed ephemeral feature E/I point 35.915910, -79.703327 T5 is a linear wetland - no identifiable channel present Start of T2 int. stream. Portion of channel above culvert is so over-widened that it presents as a wetland with no identifiable "channel". However it is likely to be a channel upon restoration. 35.919073, -79.708375 DocuSign Envelope ID: 49FF6C51-4DD9-4F53-B079-C64175AE2D76