Attachment 6 Conservation Measures 260331.pdf

Appendix A: BMPs / Conservation Measures

CONSERVATION MEASURES

Forest Service (FS) is proposing conservation measures to reduce potential effects from project activities to candy darter resources associated with the replacement of road stream crossing structures on Forest Road (FR) 35 and FR999 in the Williams River and FR17 in the Little River of the West Fork Greenbrier River watershed. The following minimization and mitigation measures have been incorporated into the project. References to FS are understood to mean the

FS and authorized agents acting on behalf of the FS (e.g., contractors, partners, etc.).

1. STANDARD SPECIFICATIONS: Except as modified by Forest Service Supplemental

Specifications, all standards in The Standard Specifications for Construction of Roads and Bridges on Federal Highway Projects (FP-14) will be strictly followed, including:

a) materials will be stored only in designated areas, excess material will be disposed of legally off-site (FP-14, 203.05)

b) adherence to the Spill Prevention Control, and Countermeasure (SPCC) Plan and the controls set forth in the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (Clean Water Act) and permit conditions set by US Army Corps of Engineer permits (FP-14, 107.10)

2. PROJECT ADMINISTRATION: A construction engineer, FS contract administrator

(e.g., COR), or FS agent (e.g., partner) will be on-site throughout all in-channel activities to ensure that contract requirements or agreement specifications are being satisfied.

3. UPLAND PERIMETER CONTROL - INSTALLATION: ESC BMPs will be installed as perimeter controls to minimize the potential for increased sediment delivery to designated critical candy habitat from project activity occurring outside of stream channels. If conventional ESC methods fail to effectively control project-generated soil erosion and associated stream sedimentation, more effective ESC installations that exceed standard practices shall be employed. For example, triple-high stacks of fiber rolls may need to be installed along all LODs with aquatic resources, rolled erosion control product may need to be installed in ditches that connect work sites to project area streams, areas with exposed soil disturbance may need to be covered/protected from heavy precipitation/run-off, or sediment laden run-off may need to be captured and treated with sediment filter bags prior to reaching project area streams.

4. UPLAND PERIMETER CONTROL – MAINTENANCE: ESC devices will be properly inspected and maintained. All ESC BMPs will be inspected at least once every calendar week and within 24 hours after any storm event greater than 0.25 inches per 24-hour period, or when the occurrence of run-off from snow melt is sufficient to cause a discharge. BMPs will be immediately repaired when damage or disfunction is observed.

Sediment deposits will be removed from behind ESC barriers when they reach half the height of the device; sediment will be disposed of and stabilized at locations that are pre-approved by the FS.

5. CONSTRUCTION EQUIPMENT - ACCEPTANCE: Construction equipment will be cleaned of all sediment, vegetation, and seeds and inspected prior to entering MNF lands.

6. CONSTRUCTION EQUIPMENT – MANAGEMENT: All construction equipment will be parked in designated areas when not in use and maintained in areas designated as such.

This equipment will also avoid tracking excessive levels of sediment outside of the

Limits of Disturbance (LOD).

7. CONTRUCTION EQUIPMENT – CHANNEL ACCESS: Except at project site FR135

(bridge replacement across the Williams River at Tea Creek campground), construction equipment will only enter the bankfull stream channel area at work sites that have at least one mile of upstream separation from the nearest location where candy darter presence was detected by recent candy darter eDNA sample results or 2021 focused candy darter electrofishing and snorkeling survey efforts.

8. CONSTRUCTION EQUIPMENT - RELEASE: When work is performed in areas of known or observed infestations of non-native invasive plant species (NNIS), equipment will be cleaned before being moved to another work location within the MNF.

9. REFUELING: Equipment will be refueled as far from aquatic resources as necessary to contain potential fuel spills from contaminating aquatic resources. Fuel operators will visually observe all fuel transfers until operations are completed to prevent over filling.

Fuel hose nozzles and all hose couplings will have drip pans with absorbent pads designed to contain minor fuel drips. Potentially persistent fuel leaks must be corrected immediately. A hazardous material spill kit complete with absorbent pads, booms, and other absorbent material will always be on-site and readily available to contain potential spills.

10. STOCKPILED SOILS: All stockpiled soils and similar materials will have appropriate

ESC installed around their base and will only be stored in designated staging areas.

11. IMPORTED MATERIALS: All imported materials, such as rock, culverts, and precast concrete elements will be free from excessive sediment, chemicals, or nonnative plant materials to the extent possible.

12. IN-CHANNEL OPERATIONS – STREAM FLOW RESTRICTION: All in-channel work will occur under low-flow conditions. In-channel work is defined as, “any physical alteration or manipulation that occurs within a stream channel from the top of bank on one side to the top of bank on the opposite side regardless of the presence of water.” Top of bank is defined as, the elevation along the banks of stream channels that represents the height of the water surface during regularly recurring flows that are responsible for creating and maintaining stream channel morphology; this is synonymous with the highest elevation of the cross-sectional profile of the approximate 1.5-year bankfull channel (Rosgen 1994). Low-flow conditions are defined as “the quantity of stream discharge that can be effectively managed during project operations to prevent harm to candy darter from exceeding the level of take that is permitted in the project Biological

Opinion (BiOp).”

Based on average monthly discharge volumes from USGS stream gage stations for the Williams River (at Dyer, WV), the Cranberry River (near Richwood, WV), and the Greenbrier River (at Durbin, WV), low flow conditions are more likely to occur during the months of July to October. Existing stream flow conditions and extended weather forecasts for the project area will be considered prior to initiating in-channel project work and will continue during all in-channel operations. In-channel project work will only commence when stream flows and weather forecast monitoring (daily, at a minimum) indicate favorable conditions for successfully implementing these operations while remaining in compliance with water quality standards described in the project BiOp.

Regardless of existing stream flow conditions, if the equivalent of 1.0 inch or more of rainfall (including contributions from snowmelt) is forecast for the project watershed area, all in-channel work will cease except as needed to immediately stabilize and prepare active in-channel work sites for rising waters.

Project operations shall be prepared for the need to temporarily stabilize project sites when Doppler radar indicates heavy precipitation/run-off is likely, or as unexpected pop-up storm events cause project area streams to begin to rise to a level that may violate low-flow conditions required for in-channel work. In-channel work may resume once low-flow conditions are re-established, a favorable weather forecast exists, and stream turbidity associated with the project is within the water quality standards recognized in the project BiOp.

13. IN-CHANNEL OPERATIONS – CANDY DARTER RESTRICTION: No in-channel work will occur during the typical candy darter spawning period that is defined as April

15 to June 30.

14. IN-CHANNEL OPERATIONS – TROUT WATERS RESTRICTION: No in-channel work will occur from September 15 – March 31 (trout spawning period) without an approved waiver from WVDNR.

15. STREAM FLOW MANAGEMENT - GENERAL: Unless an equally or more effective approach is pre-approved by the FS and FWS, temporary stream channel diversions, active flow by-pass operations (e.g., water pumps), or coffer dams will be utilized to dewater and isolate in-channel work areas from active or potentially active in-stream flows. These installations will be inspected daily and maintained as frequently as necessary to function properly for the duration of associated in-channel work.

16. STREAM DIVERSION AND DEWATERING PLAN: Project contractors or FS partners that will implement projects will prepare a Stream Diversion and Dewatering Plan and submit it to the FS and FWS for review. The FS and FWS will provide comments on the plan within 6 business days of receiving the plan. Plan approval is required prior to starting any in-channel work activities.

17. TEMPORARY CHANNELS AND COFFERDAMS: Temporary channels and cofferdam walls made of semi-permeable substances (e.g., sandbags) will be lined with impermeable membrane to minimize the potential for water leakage.

18. TEMPORARY CULVERTS, PUMPS, AND HOSES: All temporary culverts, pumps, and hoses will be large enough to accommodate flow volumes that could reasonably be anticipated during their expected period of operation.

19. WATER PUMPING OPERATIONS: Measures will be employed during water pumping operations to reduce the potential for harm to candy darter and other aquatic organisms.

A series of protective mesh screens (from 1” to 1/8” mesh size) will be placed over the intake pipe to help prevent aquatic organisms from entering the pipe. Water pumps will be run at lowest revolutions per minute (RPM) necessary to achieve dewatering objectives. Water pumps will be located as far from the water resource as necessary to minimize risks to aquatic resources associated with accidental fuel leaks/spills.

Contingencies (e.g., backup water pumps) will be available on site in case primary water pumps fail.

20. SEDIMENT FILTER BAGS: When sediment filter bags must be used (e.g., pump sediment laden seepage water from isolated in-channel work areas), they will be set up in a FS-approved upland area that facilitates effective sediment filtering and cleaner water discharge from the filter bags back into the environment. Sediment trapped in filter bags will be emptied and stabilized at locations that are pre-approved by the FS to deter its re-introduction back into the aquatic environment.

21. IN-CHANNEL PERIMETER CONTROL – SET-UP: To help reduce the potential for increased stream turbidity, only the in-channel rocks and other material that are necessary to be disturbed when establishing stream diversions, by-passes, or coffer dams will be disturbed at that time. Remaining in-channel rocks and other material that must be disturbed as a consequence of project implementation will be moved only after isolated in-channel work areas are established.

22. IN-CHANNEL PERIMETER CONTROL – FISH RELOCATION: Prior to installing stream diversions (active or passive) or coffer dams and dewatering associated in-channel work areas, the target areas will be isolated with block nets and electrofished by qualified personnel to capture and relocate all fish of any species (and potentially other aquatic organisms). In addition, in-channel work areas will continue to be inspected during dewatering to rescue fish that are not captured during electrofishing removal efforts.

23. FISH REMOVAL PLAN: The following will be provided to the FS and FWS for review and approval prior to any electrofishing activities: qualifications/experience of the lead personnel proposed to perform electrofishing surveys; plan that details the means and methods of electrofishing, capture, transport, and proposed fish relocation area. Suitable habitat for candy darter relocation will be identified by a qualified aquatic specialist prior to electrofishing activities; this habitat should be located as close as possible to each work site where electrofishing will occur. The Forest and the Service will provide comments on the plan within 6 business days of receiving the plan.

24. CANDY DARTER MONITOR: Personnel with the necessary qualifications (training and experience) to be familiar with candy darter and its habitat, will be present during all in-channel operations that occur beyond the limits of a secured, isolated, and dewatered work cell. This includes structure demolition and construction activities that may occur over the stream channel without the benefit of a protective debris shield.

25. CANDY DARTER CAPTURE: The FS and FWS will be notified within 24 hours of capturing or otherwise positively identifying a candy darter specimen during project activities. The following special conditions apply.

a) Candy darter observations will be documented by recording the general condition and taking a picture of each specimen that is observed.

b) Captured candy darter will be temporarily held in one or more clean (free from potentially harmful contaminants/residues), large containers (e.g., 5-gallon bucket) that are designated for candy darter only. Each container will be filled and maintained with fresh stream water from the capture location; and

c) Container(s) with candy darter will be immediately transported and released at the predetermined/pre-approved relocation site upstream from potential project impacts.

26. TURBIDITY MONITORING: Stream turbidity will be monitored according to the

Turbidity Monitoring Plan that is included as Appendix B: Proposed Turbidity

Monitoring Plan to the Biological Assessment.

27. ON-SITE CONCRETE OPERATIONS: Planning and implementation of on-site wet concrete operations will exercise extreme caution to prevent spills, seepage, or other potential forms of wet concrete introductions from contaminating streams. This will be accomplished by strictly applying and managing all applicable BMPs for negligible risk of non-compliance. The most critical time period for preventing concrete contamination of streams is during pouring operations and for the first 48 hours to approximately 5 days of the curing period.

28. CROSSING STRUCTURE DEMOLITION: Demolition of existing crossing structures and subsequent rehabilitation of the disturbed channel area will occur within work cells that are isolated from live stream flows to help minimize the potential for temporary impacts to water quality and facilitate effective recovery of demolition material.

29. STREAM REHABILITATION: Rehabilitation of in-channel aquatic habitats (e.g., reconstruction of stream channels, habitat composition, in-stream structure) associated with these projects will occur in consultation with FS aquatic specialists to help re-establish stable channel conditions that conform to the new hydrologic influences.

30. SEEDING AND MULCHING: Permanent seeding and mulching will be applied to help stabilize soils in all disturbed project areas within 4 days of reaching the final grade. If project areas will not have soil-disturbing construction activity for more than 14 consecutive days, temporary seeding and mulching will be applied within the first 4 days of construction inactivity.

31. SEED MIX: FS-approved seed mixes will be used for all temporary and permanent seeded.

32. NNIS MONITORING: During construction and for one year post-construction, monitoring and selective hand removal of NNIS will be performed at project construction sites by the FS designated responsible party as warranted.