Attachment - 7 Army_Corps_Permit_Application.pdf

Goodrich WRE Wetland Restoration USACE Permit Application

1/6/2020

The following numbers correspond to the Department of the Army Permit Application

5. Applicant’s Name:

U.S. Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service

(Please send all correspondence intended for the Applicant to the Authorizing Agent as well)

6. Address of Applicant:

356 Mountain View Drive, Suite 105 Colchester, Vermont 05446 James.Eikenberry@usda.gov

7. Applicant Telephone Number(s):

(802) 449-7255

8. Authorized Agent’s Name and Title:

Ryan Crehan, Fish and Wildlife Biologist, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

9. Agent’s Address:

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Lake Champlain Fish and Wildlife Conservation Office 11 Lincoln Street, Essex Junction, VT 05452 ryan_crehan@fws.gov

10. Agent’s Telephone Number:

(802) 662-5310

12. Project Name or Title:

Goodrich WRE Wetland Restoration Project

13. Name of Waterbody:

The project area is located in a wetland that is adjacent to Otter Creek, a traditional navigable water of the U.S. No work is proposed within Otter Creek. A

Attachment 7 field evaluation of the site determined that the proposed work is located within a wetland that was converted for agricultural use. Based on the field evaluation and review of aerial photography, it was determined that this ditched and farmed wetland is within Section 404 jurisdiction as it contributes to the chemical, biological, and physical integrity of downstream traditionally navigable waters, in this case, Otter

Creek. Based on soil pits, a review of soil maps, vegetation and position in the landscape, it was determined that all proposed impacts are located within a wetland.

Wetland data sheets are attached.

14. Proposed Project Address:

Approximately 1493 Shard Villa Rd, Salisbury, Addison County, Vermont 05769

(see attached Site Location Map)

15. Location of Proposed Project:

43°56'41.39"N 73° 9'47.44"W

The project is located in ditched agricultural fields adjacent to Otter Creek in

Salisbury, Addison County, Vermont. The project site is west of the farmstead at

1493 Shard Villa Rd, immediately west of the Burlington-Rutland railroad line and along the east bank of Otter Creek. (see attached Site Location Map).

16. Other Location Descriptions:

State Tax Parcel ID: SPAN: 561-177-10298

Municipality: Salisbury

17. Directions to the Site:

From U.S. Route 7 in Middlebury, Vermont head south on U.S. Route 7 for 2.1 miles and then bear right onto Halladay Rd. Follow Halladay Rd for 1.9 miles to a stop sign. Turn right on Three Mile Bridge Rd followed by a quick left onto Shard Villa Rd.

Follow Shard Villa Rd for 1.7 miles to a farmstead. Turn right and head west for about 0.4 miles on a farm road that goes through a gate, down a hill to another fence line. Park here and walk about 0.2 miles to the railroad tracks and the eastern edge of the project. (See attached Site Location Map)

18. Nature of Activity:

The overall project entails the restoration of wetland habitat on a wetland that was ditched, drained and cleared. The site has multiple man-made ditches, many spoil piles and is dominated by reed canary grass.

This project intends to restore the hydrology, topography, and natural communities of the site by constructing twelve ditch plugs, excavating depressional wetlands, constructing a berm and hummock features, removing spoil piles, filling ditches, creating pit and mound features, planting trees/shrubs, adding large woody debris and controlling reed canary grass. These actions will restore the preexisting hydrology, enhance wildlife habitat, improve wetland function, and increase overall nutrient cycling of the wetland while reestablishing the topography and natural communities that likely existed prior to agricultural impacts.

Excavators, bulldozers, and track trucks will be used to manipulate soil on site.

Excavated material from the small depressions will be used to construct the adjacent ditch plugs. Material from the large depressions will be used to construct the hummocks. Material from the spoil piles will be used to fill the ditches and create a berm. The material from the pits will be used to make the mounds.

No soil will be brought onto or off the site. Woody debris will be placed on the soil surface and erected upright within the depression to create simulated snags for wildlife to use. Published research has shown that woody debris placed in wetland restoration projects increases invertebrate diversity and provides important habitat.

As there are few woody plants in the close vicinity of the proposed work, natural recruitment would be a very long process. By placing wood in these areas, we can advance the restoration and functioning of these wetlands. In addition, native trees and shrubs will be planted on site to improve the wetland and riparian habitat and further the restoration of the wetland. It is expected that the proposed restoration will reduce the area of reed canary grass but spot treatment will still likely to be necessary. No ground disturbance or fill would be associated with the reed canary grass control. Herbicide work would only be completed after receiving approval from the Vermont Wetlands Program and all of the above mentioned work is completed.

By restoring the hydrology of the wetland and discontinuing the agricultural use of the site, the historic wetland vegetation and functioning of the site can be restored. The depressional wetland would average 1.5 ft. deep with a maximum depth of 2 ft and would be constructed by removing soil from the wetland. These features were designed to restore the hydrology of the wetland and increase habitat diversity on site that was lost due to land leveling and past farming practices.

The project area was mapped by NRCS as predominantly Livingston clay, muck and peat and Limerick silt loam all of which are hydric soils. The site was most recently used for hay production. Natural communities associated with Livingston clay include

Wet Clayplain Forest Variant, Alder Swamp and Red Maple-Black Ash Swamp.

Muck and peat doesn’t have associated natural communities defined while Limerick silt loam is associated with Silver Maple-Sensitive Fern Riverine Floodplain Forest, Alluvial Shrub Swamp, Alder Swamp, River Mud Shore and Red Maple-Black Ash

Swamp.

The proposed work would be carried out as follows.

1. A benchmark elevation of 13.7 ft would be set at the top of a GPS-located plastic culvert on the south end of the site on the west side of the railroad tracks. All proposed features would be staked out and flagged by USFWS personnel using GIS data loaded onto a Trimble GPS.

2. The large depressional features would be excavated to a maximum depth of 24 inches and side slopes would be 10 to 1. Average depth would be 18 inches.

3. Material from the large depressions would be placed on the existing ground to create hummocks. Sides would be contoured to 5 to 1 side slopes with a maximum elevation of 24 inches.

4. Muck and vegetation would be stripped from the small depressions and ditch plug locations. A keyway would be dug in all plugs. Material from the small depressions would be excavated and used to construct the ditch plugs.

Topsoil and vegetation would be reapplied to the tops of the ditch plugs. Side slopes for the small depressions and the ditch plugs would be 5 to 1.

5. Spoil material areas would be excavated back to the surrounding existing grade and moved to construct the berm. Berm side slopes would be 4 to 1.

The remaining spoils would be placed in the adjacent ditches to fill in the ditches.

6. Twenty five pits would be excavated, each approximately 15 ft by 15 ft and

15 inches deep. Material from the pits would be placed on the adjacent ground to form 15 ft by 15 ft by 15 inch tall mounds. Side slopes 3.5 to 1.

7. The woody debris would then be placed on site and the snags erected in the depressions.

8. The hummocks, ditch fills, mounds, berm and ditch plugs would be seeded with a conservation mix and mulched with hay.

The following figures provide the basic schematic for the proposed restoration features. The diagrams below show the cross-sectional dimensions and longitudinal view for the large depressional wetlands. The proposed depressions would have 10 to 1 side slopes.

The proposed hummocks would have a maximum elevation of 2 ft with 5 to 1 side slopes on all sides as shown in the diagram below. The berm would have 4 to 1 side slopes and be 1 ft tall.

Approximate dimensions for the depressional features are listed below. Since they are irregularly shaped, variations in these dimensions exist. Area and volumetric totals were calculated using a GIS program for increased accuracy. A general idea of size (ft) is provided by the dimensions below.

Proposed Feature Length (ft) Width (ft)

Depression A 1000 100

Depression B 355 60

Depression C 600 100

Depression D 520 95

Depression E 420 95

Depression F 320 80

Side slopes for the ditch plugs are to be 5 to 1 as shown in the diagrams below. Top dressing consists of topsoil that was removed prior to excavation and then reapplied.

All hummocks and plugs would be seeded and mulched after construction. Cross sections are at the center of the features.

19. Proposed Project Purpose:

The purpose of the project is to restore the functions and values to wetland habitat that was ditched, farmed and degraded. Agricultural use of the site has degraded the wildlife habitat of the wetland by altering the hydrology, reducing microtopography, removing trees and shrubs, and creating areas of homogenous herbaceous community. By reestablishing the wetland hydrology through ditch plugging and filling, excavating depressional wetlands, and constructing hummocks and a berm, the water quality of area surface waters will likely benefit as well as improving wildlife habitat particularly waterbird, amphibian and songbird habitat. This project is intended to return this degraded wetland to its previous condition and thereby restore the functions and values of the wetland that were lost due to ditching and farming practices. Hydrology will be restored to approximately 57 acres of impacted wetlands.

20. Reason(s) for Discharge:

The reason for the discharge is to restore the hydrology, topography and vegetation of this impacted wetland. By plugging and filling the ditches, the wetland hydrology of the site can be restored and the functioning of the wetland as a floodplain community can be improved. The proposed berm allows the wetland hydrology to be restored by preventing the wetland from being artificially drained by the railroad ditch.

By creating hummocks and depressions, a diversity of topography can be restored.

Soil from the depression will be discharged to create the adjacent hummocks thereby restoring the hydrology and topography. Soil from the pits would be used to create the mounds to mimic the natural pit and mound topography of the reference wetlands. And finally, woody debris will be discharged to provide habitat for birds, amphibians, reptiles and invertebrates and to provide structure and aid in the functioning of the wetland.

21. Type(s) of Material Being Discharged and the Amount of Each Type in

Cubic Yards: 23,752 cubic yards soil, 170 cubic yards muck/topsoil, 120 cubic wood

Breakdown of soil volumes:

Approximately 21,665 cubic yards of soil will be excavated from the large depressional features and discharged to create the hummocks.

Approximately 672 cubic yards of soil would be excavated from the small depressions and discharged into the ditches to build the ditch plugs. Approximately

170 cubic yards of topsoil/muck will be reapplied on the ditch plugs following their construction.

Approximately 955 cubic yards of fill would be excavated from the spoil piles and used to fill the ditches. Another 200 cubic yards of fill would be discharged to create the berm.

Approximately 260 cubic yards of soil would be excavated from the pits to form the mound features.

In addition to the soil, approximately 120 cubic yards of woody debris in the form of branches, trunks, limbs and stumps will be discharged into the wetland for habitat and nutrient cycling purposes.

22. Surface Areas of Wetlands or Other Waters Filled:

Wetland will be filled only where the proposed ditch plugs, ditch fills, hummocks, berm, mound features and woody debris are located. These areas need to be filled in order to restore the hydrology and topography of the site that was altered by agricultural use of the site. No material will be reapplied to depressions, pits or spoils removal area. All areas of impact are shown below though fill is simply removed from the depressions, pits and spoils removal areas. Surface areas filled: 327,844 sq ft

(7.53 acres) – ditch plugs, ditch fills, berm, mounds, hummocks, and woody debris.

The area of impact from the components of the project would be as follows.

23. Description of Avoidance, Minimization, and Compensation:

This is a wetland restoration project.

24. Is Any Portion of the Work Already Complete?: No

No earthwork or large woody debris placement has been completed within the

Waters of the U.S. at this time. Work will commence following approval by USACE

Proposed action Sq. feet Acres

Large Depressions 278,784 6.40

Ditch fills 42,689 0.98

Spoils removal area 68,389 1.57

Hummocks 250,470 5.75

Berm 14,810 0.34

Pit features 5,200 0.12

Mound features 5,200 0.12

Ditch plugs 11,660 0.27

Small depressions 11,326 0.26

Large woody debris 3,015 0.07

Total area of disturbance 691,543 15.88 and receipt of General Permit Authorization along with the approval of any state and local permits.

25. Names and Addresses of Adjoining Property Owners, Lessees, etc., Whose

Property Adjoins the Project Site:

Goodrich Family Farm LLC

1960 Shard Villa Rd

Salisbury, VT 05769

Vermont Agency of Transportation

219 North Main Street

Barre, VT 05641

26. Information about Approvals or Denials by Other Agencies:

Since this is a wetland restoration project, a State Wetland Permit is not required.

The State Wetlands Coordinator will review the project through this USACE General

Permit Application. A town permit application is being prepared along with this application.

Monitoring and Maintenance

Management of the site will be consistent with the purpose of the restoration project and the intentions of the NRCS Wetland Reserve Easement Program. The 183-acre site has a conservation easement that was signed between the landowner and the

U.S. Department of Agriculture. This permanent easement does not allow the site to be farmed, logged or developed and will maintain it as wetland habitat in perpetuity.

Monitoring of the site will be performed by NRCS personnel to insure the conservation values are maintained and the easement values are protected.

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