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Marston Mitigation Site
Annual Monitoring Report for 2006 (Year 3)
4.77 3.74 5.72 3.08
3.57 2.24 4.14 1.15
4.41 3.27 5.06 1.61
3.47 1.91 4.45 3.45
4.12 2.87 4.82 2.14
4.89 3.4 5.9 5.59
6.22 4.55 7.41 2.08
6.12 4.28 7.08 4.19
5.51 2.99 6.74 9.77
3.34 1.69 4.79 2.02
2.93 2.17 3.74 16.46
3.64 2.34 4.43 NA
3.4 Hydrology Conclusions
Data collected from all the groundwater monitoring gauges on Marston Mitigation Site indicate that all
six hydrology monitoring stations recorded hydroperiods of at least seven percent of the growing
season.
Rainfall data indicates that the 2006 growing season was generally within normal limits for the growing
season. March however was unusually dry. This is the first month of the growing season and is
historically the period when the water table is closest to the surface for the longest continuous period.
Based on the positive results from the monitoring gauges and the low rainfall totals, it was concluded
that the site is performing as designed.
4.0 VEGETATION
4.1 Vegetation Success Criteria
The interim measure of vegetative success for the Marston Mitigation Plan will be survival of at least
320 3-year old planted trees per acre at the end of year 3 of the monitoring period. The final
vegetative success criteria will be the survival of 260 5-year old planted trees per acre at the end of
year five of the monitoring period.
Up to 20 percent of the site species composition may be comprised of volunteers. Remedial action
may be required should these (i.e. loblolly pine, red maple, sweet gum, etc.) present a problem and
exceed 20 percent composition.
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Marston Mitigation Site
Annual Monitoring Report for 2006 (Year 3)
AW1 32 14 132 57 14
AW2 67 29 181 78 10
AW3 35 15 190 82 12
MW1 30 13 12
MW2 69 30 12
MW3 29 13 8
Model simulations performed during the design phase of the project indicated that the entire site
would range from slightly higher than the minimum wetland criteria of 5 percent to more saturated
areas that would exceed 12.5 percent. As the data collected for 2006 indicate, the site is performing as
described in the Mitigation Plan, with varying degrees of wetness documented and the entire site
exceeding the stated criteria of 7 percent.
Reference Data
The approved Mitigation Plan provides that if the rainfall data for any given year during the monitoring
period is not normal, the reference wetland data can be accessed to determine if there is a positive
correlation between the performance of the restoration site and the natural hydrology of the reference
site.
Data from the Webb reference wetland groundwater gauge failed to exhibit a wetland hydroperiod
during the 2006 growing season (Figure 4). Appendix C contains the groundwater gauge data.
Climate Data
Figure 5 and Table 3 are comparisons of the 2006 monthly rainfall to historical precipitation for Jones
County. Observed precipitation data were collected from an automated weather station in Trenton and
an on-site manual rain gauge. For the 2006 growing season on-site rainfall measurements correlate well
with the Trenton gauge data. The Trenton monthly rainfall amounts were lower than normal for the
months of January through March, May, July, and August; within normal limits for April, June, and
October; and exceeded normal limits in September and November. Monthly rainfall for data for
December 2006 were not available at the time this report was compiled.
8
Marston Mitigation Site
Annual Monitoring Reportfor 2007 (Year 4)
arison of Normal Rainfall to Observed Rainfall for Jones Coun
J an uary 4.77 3.74 5.72 6.34 1.57
February 3.57 2.24 4.14 2.44 10.69 0.44
March 4.41 3.27 5.06 4.65 1.78 0.92
April 3.47 1.91 4.45 3.93 2.55 1.67
May 4.12 2.87 4.82 3.52 3.90 1.07
June 4.89 3.4 5.9 2.67 1.75 -l.I5
July 6.22 4.55 7.41 3.79 5.45 -3.58
August 6.12 4.28 7.08 2.28 1.84 -7.42
September 5.51 2.99 6.74 1.89 2.60 -11.04
October 3.34 1.69 4.79 0.04 0.33 -14.34
November 2.93 2.17 3.74 1.I4 2.84 -16.13
December 3.64 2.34 4.43
Total 37.57 26.26 44.58
The entire state of North Carolina experienced increasingly severe drought conditions throughout
2007, with some areas experiencing the lowest average stream flows on record. The first signs of
drought began in February in the western part of the state. By early spring, abnormally dry
conditions had spread across the state, and the western edge of the state began to see "moderate"
drought conditions. From late spring through the summer, conditions steadily worsened. By
August, 98% of North Carolina's land area was designated as being in either "severe", "extreme",
or "exceptional" drought. Additionally, lowest-ever average stream flows were recorded at 13
monitoring stations in August, including 9 in central North Carolina, 2 in the mountains, and 2 on
the coastal plain. Nearly the entire state was categorized as experiencing "extreme" drought in
September, with the southwest portion of the state categorized as experiencing "exceptional"
drought. Figure 6 depicts the increasing severity of the drought throughout the year.
The Marston restoration site experienced drought conditions consistent with state-wide trends.
The Trenton monitoring station, near the Marston site, received normal or above-normal
precipitation from January through May (Figure 5 and Table 3). From June through September,
precipitation levels fell below the normal range, varying from 2.22 to 3.84 inches below average.
The accumulated rainfall deficit - the difference between the long-term average and the observed
monthly precipitation levels, aggregated monthly - began to develop in the summer months, and
from June through September, the deficit increased rapidly from - I. I 5 inches to -I 1.04 inches.
Persistent and worsening drought conditions severely impacted the wetland hydroperiods at the
Marston restoration site.
I I
November 2007
Marston Mitigation Site
Annual Monitoring Report for 2007 (Year 4)
flooding, while precipitation is the primary hydrologic influence in wet flat areas. Model
simulations performed during the design phase of the project indicate that the entire site would
range from slightly higher than the minimum wetland criteria of 5 % to more saturated areas that
would exceed 12.5 %. The data collected for 2007 growing season for this site indicate it is
performing as described'in the Mitigation Plan, with varying degrees of wetness documented.
AWl 9 4 31 I3 7
AW2 16 7 35 15 5
AW3 I3 6 36 16 5
MW1 18 8 45 19 8
MW2 16 7 35 15 7
MW3 I I 5 27 12 3
Webb Reference 4 2 6 3 2
Because of the severe drought during the summer of2007 the monitoring data shows the site has
remained dry for extended periods. Three gauges met the specified criteria of a hydroperiod of at
least 7 % of the growing season. Two gauges recorded hyrdoperiods of at least 5 % of the
growing season. The gauge at the reference site documented a hydroperiod of 2 %. The reference
gauge was installed in April 2007 after the start of the growing season and after the target
hydrology was recorded for many of the on-site gauges. The longest cumulative saturation during
2007 was 18 days compared to 50 days recorded in 2006.
3.3.1 Reference Data
The approved Mitigation Plan provides that if the rainfall data for any given year during the
monitoring period is not normal, the reference wetland data can be accessed to determine if there
is a positive correlation between the performance of the restoration site and the natural hydrology
of the reference site.
The incomplete data from the Webb reference wetland groundwater gauge recorded a
hydroperiod of2% of the 2007 growing season (Figure 4). The groundwater gauge data is found
in Appendix C.
3.3.2 Climate Data
Comparisons of the 2007 monthly rainfall totals to historical precipitation for Jones County are
shown in Figure 5 and Table 3. Observed precipitation data were collected from an automated
weather station in Trenton and an on-site manual rain gauge. For the 2007 growing season on-site
rainfall measurements correlate well with the Trenton gauge data but were generally below the
weather station data. The Trenton monthly rainfall amounts were lower than normal for the
months of July through October; within normal limits for March through June; and exceeded
normal limits in January. Monthly rainfall for data for November and December 2007 were not
available at the time this report was compiled.
10
November 2007
Marston Mitigation Site
DRAFT Annual Monitoring Report for 2008 (Year 5)
January 4.77 3.74 5.72
February 3.57 2.24 4.14
March 4.41 3.27 5.06
April 3.47 1.91 4.45
May 4.12 2.87 4.82
June 4.89 3.4 5.9
July 6.22 4.55 7.41
August 6.12 4.28 7.08
September 5.51 2.99 6.74
October 3.34 1.69 4.79
November 2.93 2.17 3.74
December 3.64 2.34 4.43
Total 52.99 35.45 64.28
4.68
10.98
3.27
10.70
6.88
3.66
7.13
9.33
13.58
70.21
Figure 6. 2008 Precipitation for Marston
2008 Precipitation for Marston Site
15
14
Growing Season
13
12
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6.30
5.98
4.36
2.85
1.96
2.35
5.25
3.96
33.01
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- Trenton (318706) Daily Rainfall ~ On-site Raingauge . . . . . .. 3Othl7Oth Percentile -lr- Trenton Monthly Rainfall
11
Marston Mitigation Site
DRAFT Annual Monitoring Reportfor 2008 (Year 5)
column in Table 7. Trees are flagged in the field on a quarterly basis before the flags degrade.
Flags are utilized because they will not interfere with the growth of the tree. Volunteers are also
flagged during this process. The tallies shown on Table 8 include the volunteer stems within
each plot. Annual variation in stem count data can be attributed to mortality and regeneration
from the root stock of stems that were previously assessed to be dead.
A Diospyros virginiana Persimmon FAC
B Platanus occidentalis Sycamore FACW-
C Fraxinus pennsylvanica Green Ash FACW
D Ulmus rubra Slippery Elm FAC
Ml 0 4 3 12 12 32 63 630 1 0 0 0 64 640
M2 0 44 6 1 2 4 57 570 I 0 0 0 58 580
M3 0 10 6 0 4 2 22 220 3 23 1 0 49 490
M4 25 0 I 1 3 24 54 540 0 0 0 0 54 540
M5 0 9 10 7 1 1 28 280 35 0 0 I 64 640
M6 0 2 3 11 14 4 34 340 0 0 0 3 37 370
M7 0 2 9 25 5 0 41 410 0 0 0 I 42 420
M8 14 0 0 5 2 22 43 430 0 0 0 0 43 430
Average Stems/Acre: 428
Range of Stems/Acre: 220-630
Volunteer species were monitored throughout the five year monitoring period. Volunteer woody
species were observed in most of the vegetation plots. The following tree species were identified
as volunteers within in the Wetland Restoration Area and were tallied in the plot stem counts:
Sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua), red maple (Acer rubrum), sycamore (Platanus
occidentalis) and persimmon (Diospyros virginiana).
4.4 VEGETATION OBSERVATIONS & CONCLUSIONS
Hydrophytic herbaceous vegetation is abundant onsite. Rush (Juncus effusus), spike-rush
(Eleocharis obtusa), climbing hempweed (Mikania scandens), tearthumb (Polygonum
sagittatum), boxseed (Ludwigia spp.), cat-tails (Typha spp.), woolgrass (Scirpus cyperinus) and
sedge (Carex spp.), all hydrophytic herbaceous plants, are observed across the site, particularly in
areas of periodic inundation. The presence of these herbaceous wetland plants helps to confirm
the presence of wetland hydrology on the site.
There are weedy species occurring on the site, though few seem to be posing any wide spread
problems for the woody or herbaceous hydrophytic vegetation. Commonly seen weedy
vegetation includes ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia), wild dill (Foeniculum vulgare), Chinese
I3
. .
Marston Mitigation Site
DRAFT Annual Monitoring Reportfor 2008 (Year 5)
AWl 17 7.3% 32 13.8% 5
AW2 42 18.1% 59 25.4% 5
AW3 27 11.6% 43 18.5% 7
MWl 18 7.8% 41 17.7% 8
MW2 35 15.1% 37 15.9% 3
MW3 35 15.1% 35 15.1% 1
Webb Reference 12 5.2% 26 11.2% 4
Data collected from all the groundwater monitoring gauges on the Marston Mitigation Site
document that hydrologic success criteria have been met during the 2008 growing season. All
gauges show consecutive saturated conditions within the 12 inches below soil surface for at least
seven percent of the growing season (17 consecutive days), and cumulative soil saturation within
12 inches of the ground surface for over 12.5 percent of the growing season (35 days of the entire
season). The groundwater gauge data is found in Appendix C.
This data, together with the corresponding climatic data for the area, demonstrate that the site
meets the hydrologic success criteria for the 2008 growing season. Rainfall is considered within
the normal long-term yearly range for rainfall totals.
3.3.2 Reference Data
The approved Mitigation Plan provides that if the rainfall data for any given year during the
monitoring period is not normal, the reference wetland data can be accessed to determine if there
is a positive correlation between the performance of the restoration site and the natural hydrology
of the reference site.
The data from the Webb reference wetland groundwater gauge recorded a hydroperiod of 5% of
the 2008 growing season (Figure 5). The groundwater gauge data is found in Appendix C.
3.3.3 Climate Data
Comparisons of the 2008 monthly rainfall totals to historical precipitation for Jones County are
shown in Table 5 and Figure 6. Observed precipitation data were collected from an automated
weather station in Trenton and an on-site manual rain gauge. For the 2008 growing season, on-
site rainfall measurements correlate well with the Trenton gauge data, but were generally below
the weather station data. The Trenton monthly rainfall amounts were above normal for the
months of February, April, May, July, and August, but within normal limits for January, March,
and June. Monthly rainfall data for September through December 2008 were not available at the
time this report was compiled. '
10
. . .
Marston Maintenance Records as of January 1, 2009
Date Contractor Work
07/27/04 G/P Jenkins, INC Beaver Dam Removal
01/04/05 Superior Wildlife Habitat Replanting beaver damaged areas
Services
10/15/05 Lightwood Knot Enterprises Kudzu spraying
04/16/06 Lightwood Knot Enterprises Kudzu control/ tree replant
05/11/06 Lightwood Knot Enterprises Kudzu control
05/31/06 Lightwood Knot Enterprises Lespedeza spray
06/22/06 Lightwood Knot Enterprises Kudzu spray
10/10/06 Lightwood Knot Enterprises Kudzu control
07/03/07 Lightwood Knot Enterprises Invasives Control
06/3/08 Trapper Removed 3 beavers
10/21/08 Lightwood Knot Enterprises Kudzu control
10/24/08 Trapper Removed 2 beavers
Hargett Maintenance Records as of January 1, 2009