20151001 Ver 1_Sharpe Preservation Site viability letter_20160307

Water Resources
ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
March 7, 2016.
PAT MCC;RORY
Governor
DONALD R. VAN DER'VAART
Secretary, -
S. JAY ZIMMERMAN
Director
Melonie Allen DWR Project #: 2015-1001
DEQ -Division of Mitigation Services
1652 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, NC 27699-1652
(via electronic mail)
Re: Site Viability for Buffer Mitigation Sharpe Wetland Preservation Site (EEP #92241)
UTs to Lake Hunt near Intersection of Irving Farm Rd & Spring Garden Rd
Viability assessed under 15A NCAC 02B. 0295 (m)(2)(D)
Rockingham County
Dear Ms. Allen,
11
On July 22, 2015, KatieMerritt, with the Division of Water Resources (DWR), received a
Preservation Project and Baseline Documentation Report and a request from you on behalf of
Division of Mitigation Services (DMS), to review the report for Jordan Lakeriparian buffer
mitigation potential. This site is located in rural Reidsville, NC in the Haw River Sub -Watershed
of Jordan Lake in the Cape Fear River Basin. Based on correspondence from Katie Merritt with
DWR, it was requested that DMS request a stream and buffer determination as well as an onsite
mitigation viability assessment.
On November 4, 2015, DWR received a Stream/Buffer Applicability Determination request for
the subject site from DMS. Ms. Sue Homewood with DWR, accompanied by you and Kristie
Corson with DMS, performed a buffer mitigation viability assessment on December 10, 2015. If
approved; mitigating this site could provide riparian buffer Preservation credits within the Haw
River Sub -Watershed of Jordan Lake. Buffer mitigation in the form of Preservation cannot be
converted into nutrient.offset credits at this. time.
Ms.Homewood's evaluation of the features for buffer mitigation pursuant to Rule 15A NCAC
02B .0295 (effective October 24, 2014 to October 31, 2015) is provided below.,
UT 1 UT 2 & UT 3'
• Features are streams that are subject to the Jordan Lake Buffer Rule,
• Land use within the riparian areas of the Conservation Easement shown on the attached
map is natural forest. The riparian area along one side of Stream 1 and both sides of
Streams 2 and 3 are viable as a riparian preservation sites and suitable for buffer
mitigation only.
State ofNorth Carolina I Environmental Quality I Water Resources
1617 Mail service Center ( Raleigh, North Carolina 27699-1617
0198076300

Sharpe Wetland (EEP #92241)
March 7, 2016
Page 2 of 2
A map showing the project site and the features, is provided and signed by Ms. Homewood on
FiDbruary 12, 2016, If DMS proceeds with the use of these features for generating buffer
mitigation credits, they shall do so. in full compliance with the Temporary Consolidated Buffer
Mitigation Rule 15A NCAC 02B 0295, which was effective from October 24, 2014 until
October 31, 2015 and must apply all applicable, ratios according to that rule.
Please. contact Sue Homewood at 336-776-9693 or Katie Merritt at (919)-807-6371 if you have
any questions regarding this correspondence.
Sincerely,
Karen Higgins, Supervisor
401 and Buffer Permitting Branch
KAH/sh
Attachments: Site, Aerial, Map
cc: Todd Tugwell, USACE (via email)
Ginny Baker, DWR (via. email)
File Copy (Katie Merritt)

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