Owner/Client
CONSOL Energy, Inc.
Location
Washington County, PA
CEC Services
- Section 401/404 Permitting (delineation, T&E surveys, application preparation)
- Development of the Conceptual Mitigation Plan
- Assisting with Landowner Agreements for the Mitigation Sites
- Preparing Npdes Permit Applications for the Mitigation Sites
- Providing Construction Oversight and Weekly E&S Inspections for the Mitigation Sites
- Preparation and Submission of As-Built
Owner Objective
CEC worked with CONSOL Energy, Inc. to design a watershed-based restoration project to offset the impacts associated with development of a coal refuse disposal facility in Greene County, Pennsylvania. Development of the refuse area resulted in impacts to 32,000 linear feet of stream and 5.9 acres of wetland – the largest stream and wetland impacts approved by the USACE Pittsburgh District to date.
CEC Approach
To offset the loss of ecological functions at the impact site, CEC developed a mitigation plan to restore 40,000 linear feet of highly degraded stream, establish and/or preserve a minimum of 25’ wooded riparian buffers, create 6.7 acres diverse wetland habitat, and preserve 1.3 acres of riparian wetland.
The project started in the headwaters of Templeton Fork and addressed stream and riparian stressors as they were encountered working in a downstream manner. CEC restored stable stream channels by grading banks, installing habitat enhancement structures, planting native vegetation, and excluding cattle. Wooded riparian buffers and perpetual conservation easement were established along the entire length of the project. CEC established a 15-year monitoring program to evaluate channel stability through longitudinal profiles and monumented cross-sections. CEC is also monitoring physical stream and riparian habitat using USEPA methodologies and is evaluating benthic macroinvertebrate response to restoration using an index of biological integrity.
CEC was able to provide contiguous restoration and hydrologic connectivity between existing restoration projects in order to maximize the physical and biological potential of all projects. CEC worked in collaboration with CONSOL’s land agents to obtained access and conservation easements from nine different landowners.
