WATERWAY AND LOCATION: The project would affect waters of the United States (WOTUS) associated with North Beaver Creek, including wetlands. The proposed site is located within Section 17, Township 90 North, Range 18 West, Butler County, Iowa at Latitude 42.60519 and Longitude -93.00350.
EXISTING CONDITIONS: The site consists of undeveloped areas of emergent wetland adjacent to North Beaver Creek. Land surrounding the proposed bank area is currently used for agricultural production. There are also remnants of oxbows within the bank boundary.
PROJECT PURPOSE/BANK OBJECTIVES: The fundamental objective of compensatory mitigation is to offset environmental losses resulting from unavoidable impacts to waters of the United States authorized by Department of Army Permits. Other Objectives include: provide economically efficient and flexible mitigation opportunities, return natural/historic functions to North Beaver Creek, enhance or reestablish additional wildlife and aquatic habitat, provide additional flood retention and reduce the impacts of downstream flooding, and improve water quality within the watershed.
PROJECT DESCRIPTION/BANK ESTABLISHMENT: The purpose of the Bank is to provide mitigation credits to satisfy compensatory mitigation requirements for adverse impacts to wetlands and Waters of the United States (WOTUS) within the Cedar Service Area. The sponsor proposes to complete activities on 47.66 acres of privately owned property that would result in the establishment of both stream and wetland mitigation credits. The goal of the bank is to restore 5,140 linear feet of North Beaver Creek to generate 53,822 stream credits and restore/enhance onsite wetlands to generate 11.82 wetland credits. The bank sponsor would use in-stream restoration methods including rock riffles, a step-pool grade control structure, and bank stabilization to generate credits. Riparian buffer creation and enhancement will generate credits by providing benefits by removing undesirable vegetation and establishing native vegetation which will important stream functions including sediment trapping, nutrient cycling, stream shading, energy dissipation, natural moderation of floods, bank stability, and delivery of organic matter to the stream. The wetland restoration and oxbow enhancement would include shallow excavation and wetland seeding to enhance species diversity.
SERVICE AREA: The proposed bank service area will be the Cedar Service Area in Iowa.
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