20081295 Ver 1_Mitigation Site Visit_20081017

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William G. Ross Jr., Secretary
North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources
Coleen H. Sullins, Director
Division of Water Quality
October 17, 2008
Ms. Amanda Jones
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Asheville Regulatory Field Office
151 Patton Avenue, Room 208
Asheville, NC 28801-5006
Re: Farmer Creek Mitigation Bank
Avery County
Site Visit Comments
Dear. Ms. Jones:
Based on the site visit conducted on October 10, 2008, DWQ feels that the site has good potential as a
mitigation site, provided that the gaps associated with the trout ponds can be eliminated within Reaches
2 and 4. Maintenance of base flow in the relic stream channels, allowing for aquatic life passage, and
continuous forested riparian zones are necessary, in our opinion, for this project to be viable as a bank
providing compensatory mitigation credits. DWQ acknowledges that the stream between reaches 1 and
3 is not viable for inclusion into the bank due to the presence of the road and existing structures, and the
reach between Reaches 1 and 2 is not viable due to the proximity to the residence on the site.
Restoration Systems should further evaluate some of the areas indicated as preservation, as there
appeared to be opportunities for improvement of the riparian buffer and realization of more stream credit
(Enhancement 2 vs Preservation).
We hope the issue with the gaps can be addressed as was discussed in the field, and we look forward to
receiving updated plans reflecting these modifications.
Please feel free to contact Eric Kulz at [phone] if you have any questions regarding this letter or
the project.
cc: File Copy (Eric Kulz)
Central Files
Roger Edwards - ARO
Sincerely,
C? .
Cyndi B. Karoly, Program Manager
401 Oversight and Express Review Program
401 Oversight/Express Review Permitting Unit
1650 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, North Carolina 27699-1650
2321 Crabtree Boulevard, Suite 250, Raleigh, North Carolina 27604
Phone [phone] / Fax [phone]
Internet: http://h2o.enr.state,nc.us/ncwetlands
None hCarolina
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