Wetlands, like other natural resources, are vital to the Carolina’s landscape. An incredibly complex and important ecosystem, wetlands are home to a wide variety of wildlife.
Wetland Mitigation Banking is a federally approved and state encouraged program that allows developers to fill wetlands on one site in exchange for credits associated with wetland improvement on another site.
In the Carolina’s, Priority Management Areas such as those providing substantial natural wildlife habitats are valued as mitigation areas. Priority management areas are areas of the Carolina’s identified by State and Federal natural resource agencies as specific target areas for the preservation, restoration, and or enhancement of natural resource values. High risk wetlands associated with rapidly growing urban areas may also be included in this category.
1h Each mitigation bank must be supported by a formal, written banking instrument, developed in cooperation with state and federal agencies that typically includes all involved parties as signatories. The instrument may be in the form of a Memorandum of Understanding or other document as applicable. Depending upon the nature of the bank, a permit for wetland alteration may be required as a condition of the banking instrument.
2h Mitigation banks generally must be functioning, consistent with the success criteria developed for each particular bank, prior to withdrawal of credits. In certain instances, limited withdrawal of credits may be allowed prior to demonstrating functional success. All of the following requirements must be satisfied prior to pre-function early credit withdrawal:
ah The bank sponsor has performed a functional assessment on the bank site and demonstrated to the agencies that the site has a high probability for functional success;
bh A banking instrument and final mitigation plan has been approved;
ch A bank site has been secured; and
dh Appropriate financial assurances have been established.
3 It is the responsibility of the applicant and or the bank sponsor to demonstrate to the agencies that the related wetland impacts will be successfully offset prior to use of the bank.
6 Generally, in-kind compensation is preferable to out-of-kind compensation unless the out-of-kind ecosystem is one which is generally regarded to be more desirable than the impacted ecosystem as determined by the agencies.
9 Mitigation bank credits used for a particular project must provide maximum practicable replacement of the functions lost as a result of the activity.
12 Where impacts from an activity will be offset by reliance in whole or in part on a mitigation bank the permit or state certification shall include purchase of bank credits as a condition.
15 Individual site-specific banking agreements must specify that the bank sponsor is responsible for the long-term success, perpetual protection, and or passive management of the bank or for providing alternative compensation if the bank fails.
18 Individual site-specific banking agreements must authorize Right-of-Entry to any representative of the agreement.
MITIGATION SITING AND DESIGN
19 In general, selection of a bank site should be based on restoration, enhancement, preservation potential, existing resource value, size, location, cost, adjacent land uses, presence of contaminants, potential for human intrusion, and the ability to protect aquatic and or wetland functions over the long-term.
20 Potential bank sponsors should place a high priority on siting banks in previously drained or degraded wetlands that can be restored and enhanced.
21 To the maximum extent possible, mitigation banks are expected to be located in the same area as anticipated impact sites.
UNLOCKING ECONOMIC VALUE
The environmental asset of land can be substantial. A four-step process can assist in providing economic return through environmental-based credit trading programs.
22 Comprehensive definition of a property’s physical characteristics, including current use of the property must be ascertained. A snapshot of the potential environmental assets based on current regulatory and market conditions. Market drivers and demand must be taken into account to determine current, as well as potential future value.
23 Determining all potential assets, such as mitigation credits or water resource rights, which are applicable to the property and position in the landscape. Property is viewed as a bundle of economic rights, each with its own intrinsic value.
24 An analysis of a broad range of evolving market drivers, such as incentives and development projects, which give value to the identified environmental assets
25 Develop and implement a plan to fully realize the value of these assets and to integrate their use with other uses of the property. Environmental Land value is inclusive of more than wetland mitigation sales.
THE AUTHOR AND THE EARTHWORKS GROUP
Established in 1994, The EARTHWORKS Group, Inc. is a multi-discipline Turnkey consulting firm providing Engineering, Environmental, Land Planning, Geographic Information, Building Design, Construction Management, and Project Marketing Services. We are proud of the many combined years of professional experience brought to the firm by our staff. Having such diverse talent enables this firm to provide our clients with the highest level of comprehensive service possible.
Our Firms President, Steven G. Strickland, P.E. and the Director of Environmental Services, Gene Euchler are both former SC Department of Health and Environmental Control employee. Mr. Euchler has also been employed by the SC Wildlife and Marine Resources Department, the South Carolina Coastal Council and Department of Health and Environmental Control. This experience has provided an excellent record of accomplishment in dealing with the regulatory agencies that are involved in all aspects of land use and permitting. With today’s rapidly changing environmental regulation and guidance, environmental assessment methods are applied to provide services, which unlock the value of property. The EARTHWORKS Group has developed innovative strategies that address state regulatory master planning guidance while providing for reasonable client desires and economic return.
Our baseline assessment, permitting, and modeling procedures generally entail focusing on the greater area or system as opposed to individual constructions, basins, resources or aquatic areas. Defining the tasks successfully creates a road map for a successful project completion. Once assessment is complete, the client has a permanent, developing database upon which to base marketing, economic analysis, or other deliverables.
It should be noted, that staff members have received awards and recommendations from some of the most prominent environmentalists in the state of South Carolina. Our involvement with large and complicated projects and issues has provided the firm with a high level of expertise. This degree of exposure has also confirmed staff’s reputation of achievement in dealing with a high variety of challenging projects from the aspect of design as well as regulatory permitting.
The EARTHWORKS Group is an active participant in the emerging field of Natural Resource Mitigation, and we are pursuing potential mitigation projects in the Carolinas, either as a technical consultant for mitigation bank developers or a partner in a joint venture. Gene Euchler from our staff is a co-author of the South Carolina Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for calculating mitigation credits during his time at Coastal Council and DHEC-OCRM, and is intimately familiar with the requirements for establishing a cost-effective and profitable mitigation bank. Since this field is relatively new, our technical skills allow us to quickly determine feasibility of a potential site for mitigation banking.
The EARTHWORKS Group
658 Wachesaw Rd
Murrells Inlet, SC 29576
843-651-7900 Phone
843-651-7903 Fax
www.earthworksgroup.com
