Mitigation
What is Mitigation Banking?
Mitigation banking is the process of restoring streams, wetlands, and riparian buffers to compensate for unavoidable industrial impacts. When roads are built, subdivisions are erected, and other infrastructure developments take place, Federal and State regulations ensure that steps are taken to avoid, minimize, and offset environmental impacts. This process ensures that there is no net loss of environmentally sensitive areas. Once a stream or wetland has been restored to its natural state and function, a conservation easement is placed over the project area to protect the land in perpetuity.
Types of Mitigation Banking
Stream Mitigation
Licensed professionals will assess a stream and site characteristics to determine stream restoration or enhancement credit generation potential. Design engineers will ensure vital ecological functions are returned by restoring a stable stream system with appropriate channel dimension, pattern, and profile, as well as aquatic and riparian habitats. Water quality improvements may also be documented.
Wetland Mitigation
Degraded wetlands and areas previously converted to agricultural land are assessed for wetland credit generation potential by appropriate licensed professionals. Ecologists and design engineers strategically determine the most suitable plan for restoring the wetland hydrology, soil, and vegetation, while maintaining adjacent land uses, connecting wildlife corridors, improving water quality, and documenting ecological value uplift.
Riparian Buffer Mitigation
Buffer credits are generated by restoring vegetative communities including native grasses, trees, & shrubs along a stream in order to slow down rainfall runoff, filter surface and subsurface water from the adjacent land, stabilize stream banks, and minimize impacts from flooding. Riparian buffer communities may be restored along many kinds of features conveying water across the land entering streams and surface waters with the goal of maintaining and improving water quality.
Permittee-Responsible Mitigation (PRM)
Permittee-Responsible Mitigation (PRM) is required when permitted impacts are not in the service area of an approved mitigation bank or in-lieu fee program that does not have the appropriate number and resource types of credits available. Eco Terra has the experience and extensive knowledge working with the client to develop a mitigation solution that meets the permitting needs. We have successfully worked with regulatory, resource agencies, and environmental groups to develop a comprehensive mitigation plan. We will prepare a successful mitigation plan and design, implement all construction and maintenance, and perform annual monitoring to ensure the project is successful. The regulatory, design, implementation, and long-term success of the mitigation is contractually transferred to Eco Terra under a turnkey contract with milestone-based payments. In developing a PRM plan there are often opportunities to develop multiple types of mitigation offset needs such as wetlands, streams, nutrient and/or buffer mitigation on a single mitigation site. Please contact us to discuss your future project mitigation needs.