Mitigation: Stream and Wetland Credits, and Deciduous Forest

The Kansas City District Corps of Engineers has the requirement to fulfill adverse impact factors for riverine systems requirements as stated in the July 2017 and September 2019 Supplemental Environmental Assessments (EA) for the Missouri River Levee System Units L-455 and R471- 460 Flood Damage Reduction Study Kansas and Missouri as well as associated Finding of No Significant Impact Statements and Clean Water Act Section 404 (b)(1) Evaluations. One of the mitigation measures included in the L-455 Supplemental EA is to mitigate the unavoidable impacts to a jurisdictional
stream (Browns Branch) within the project area utilizing an approved stream mitigation  program  in Missouri.  One  of  the  mitigation  measures  included  in  the  R471-460 Supplemental EA is to mitigate unavoidable impacts to jurisdictional wetlands within the project area utilizing an approved mitigation bank in Missouri. The EA states that 7.5 acres of wetlands would be filled in Missouri and would be mitigated in-kind; 3.6 acres of forested and 3.9 acres of emergent wetland. The remaining mitigation measure regarding the R471-460 EA is the restoration of deciduous forest. The EA and associated habitat modeling indicates that 17.3 average annual habitat  units  (AAHUs)  of  deciduous  forest  would  fully  mitigate  for  implementation  of  project designs. This equates to approximately 22 acres of deciduous forest with a habitat suitability index (HSI) of no less than 0.8 based on the hairy woodpecker HSI species model. Refer to Deciduous Forest Requirements discussion later in the document for further details.