Halidon Hill

Halidon Hill Mitigation Bank is a 1,401-acre mitigation bank that is located on a 1,744-acre tract adjacent to the East Branch of the Cooper River in Berkeley County, SC. The Bank is in the Cooper watershed, 8-digit Hydrologic Unit Code 03050201. The property contains a series of historic rice impoundments that bisect the bank. The Bank is located within the Middle Atlantic Coastal Plain Level III Ecoregion.

Overall, the Bank will protect approximately 22,683 linear feet and approximately 1,110 acres of jurisdictional aquatic resources (streams and wetlands). The Bank will also protect approximately 292 acres of non-jurisdictional lands (uplands) that contribute to the ecological functioning of jurisdictional aquatic resources within the Bank. An average 150-foot upland buffer will be placed around all wetland resources.

The bank will preserve 356 acres of freshwater wetland and 802 linear feet of stream. In addition, 223 acres of freshwater wetlands will be enhanced through removal of loblolly pine and replanted with native hardwood species. 94 acres of wetland will be enhanced through filling ditches, breaching/removal of berms, removal of roads and culverts, and installation of bridges or low flow crossings. 237 acres of wetland will be enhanced through removal of loblolly pine, replanting native species, and removing hydrological impairments. 16.91 acres of freshwater wetland will be restored by removal of loblolly pine and restoring natural hydrology. 21,881 linear feet of stream will be restored through removal of undersized culverts, bank stabilization, and construction of a new channel. Over 181 acres of historic rice impoundments will be preserved as part of the bank. The owner will continue to manage these impoundments for wildlife habitat and flood control.

It is anticipated that the bank will be approved by fall 2022.