Owner/Client
CONSOL Energy, Inc.
Location
Greene County, PA
CEC Services
- Section 401/404 Permitting (delineation, T&E surveys, application preparation)
- Conceptual mitigation plan development
- NPDES Permitting
- Construction stake-out, oversight, and weekly E&S inspections
- As-built survey
- Mitigation monitoring of restored streams and wetlands
Owner Objective
CONSOL Energy, Inc. prepared to design a restoration project to offset the impacts associated with development of a 4-mile overland conveyor in Greene County, Pennsylvania. Construction of the overland conveyor resulted in impacts to 5,700 linear feet of stream and 0.76 acre of wetland.
CEC Approach
To offset the loss of ecological functions at the impact site, CEC developed a mitigation plan to restore 4,400 linear feet of highly degraded stream, establish and/or preserve wooded riparian buffers, and create 1.25 acres of diverse wetland habitat. The project included restoration of 1,100 feet of the main stem of Crabapple Creek and 3,300 feet of second-order tributaries to Crabapple Creek. CEC restored the stream channels to a stable dimension, pattern, and profile based on surveyed reference conditions of nearby streams. Stream functions were maximized by incorporating in-stream habitat enhancement and grade control structures. Native herbaceous and woody vegetation were planted along banks and riparian buffers to provide long-term bank stabilization and wildlife habitat.
The wetland mitigation area was designed to create zones with different hydroperiods and plant communities that would develop diverse wetland habitats including deep and shallow marsh, shrub wet meadow, and mound forest. A perpetual conservation easement was established around the entire stream and wetland mitigation area to protect it from future disturbance. CEC established a 5-year monitoring program to evaluate channel stability, riparian habitat improvement, wetland development, and wildlife usage.
CEC was able to provide contiguous restoration and hydrologic connectivity between the restoration projects in order to maximize the physical and biological potential of all projects.
