American Mitigation Company (AMC) received approval for the Point Farm Salt Marsh Mitigation Bank (PFSMMB). The 1,313-acre bank is located on Wadmalaw Island in Charleston County, SC. The USACE approved the bank in June 2021. The bank will result in the protection and restoration of 1,166 acres of tidal salt marsh and 147 acres of upland buffers. The bank is in the Edisto watershed and serves the entire Charleston area. Mitigation credits from the bank can also be used in other watersheds in coastal SC.

The bank includes:

• The enhancement of a 23-acre brackish water impoundment
• The restoration of a 15-acre freshwater impoundment
• The restoration of 15 acres of old agricultural fields to tidal saltmarsh.
• The preservation of over 1,107 acres of saltmarsh.

Specific goals within the Bank include:

• Preserve existing functional tidal channels that have a hydrological and ecological connection with the North Edisto River and Leadenwah Creek watersheds and floodplains;
• Restore connections and normal flow regimes within existing slightly brackish and saltwater impoundments to promote tidal exchange with the Leadenwah Creek;
• Establish natural hydroperiods, hydrodynamics, and vegetative communities within restoration and/or enhancement wetland areas to reflect the tidal ranges and vegetation structure of nearby reference wetlands;
• Preserve existing uplands that provide filtration of floodwaters and habitat corridors within the floodplain of the Leadenwah Creek; and
• Improve hydraulic and biological connectivity to reflect a more natural tidal condition.

The Conservation Easement is held by Unique Places to Save.

https://www.amitco.org/our-banks/point-farm/

https://www.uniqueplacestosave.org/

Lt. Col. Rachel Honderd from the USACE, Charleston District, conducted a site visit at our Toms Branch Mitigation Bank (https://www.amitco.org/our-banks/toms-branch/) in Lexington County, SC. During the tour, USACE leadership discussed wetland and stream restoration and the mitigation banking process. The proposed restoration plans for Toms Branch were highlight. We also discussed several projects in the area that will require mitigation credits from the bank.

During the meeting, the USACE presented David Wilson with a commemorative coin to recognize his hard work and leadership in the mitigation banking process. David is the chair of the SC Interagency Review Team. He coordinates review and approval of all mitigation banks and credit release request for all of the banks in the state. We were honored to be a part of the USACE's recognition of his hard work.

Toms Branch is expected to be approved in early 2021. The bank will provide wetland and stream mitigation credits throughout the Congaree, Wateree, and Lake Marion watersheds. The site will be protected with a conservation held by Congaree Land Trust (https://congareelt.org/).

AMC (http://amitco.org) is working the SCDOT to develop a unique In-Lieu Fee (ILF) Program. When approved, the program will use guidance from RGL 18-01 to generate mitigation credits through the repair and replacement of perched and undersized culverts. TRB recently included an article about the program in one of their newsletters. Check it out here:

https://environmentalanalysis974038017.wordpress.com/2021/02/12/s-c-infrastructure-repairs-to-generate-mitigation-credit-a-story-of-rgl-18-01/