6December2016
AliciaRowe
DivisionofWaterQuality
SCDepartmentofHealthandEnvironmentalControl
2600BullStreet
Columbia,SouthCarolina29201
Re: PublicNoticeNo.SAC2015-00709(PermittoConstructin
NavigableWaters)
DearMs.Rowe,
UpstateForeverisamembership-basednonprofitorganizationworkingon
conservation,sustainabledevelopment,andwaterqualityissuesintheUpstate
regionofSouthCarolina.Ourmissionistopromotesensiblegrowthandprotect
specialplaces.Wehavenearly2,000membersintheUpstateregionofSouth
Carolina,manyofwhomlive,work,orrecreateintheriversandstreamsofthe
Upstate.
AccordingtoPublicNoticeNo.SAC2015-00709(theNotice)issuedbytheSC
DepartmentofHealthandEnvironmentalControl(SCDHEC,ortheDepartment),
DominionCarolinaGasTransmission(Dominion)hasproposedtoconstruct,install,
operate,andmaintain53.5milesof12-inchnaturalgastransmissionpipelines(the
Project)thatwillimpactnumerouswaterbodiesinSpartanburg,Laurens,
Greenwood,andNewberryCounties.TheNoticestatesthat43ofthe70proposed
aquaticcrossingsareunavoidable,andthat41willutilizeopencutcrossingsthat
willrequiretemporary10-foot-widetrenchesandfivefeetofpermanentclearingon
eachsideofimpactedstreams.Theopencutcrossingswilltemporarilyimpact
approximately520linearfeetofstreams.TheProjecthasreceivedSection404
authorizationfromtheUSArmyCorpsofEngineers(USACE)underNationwide
Permit#12;however,theProjectisnotqualifiedforSCDHECcertificationunderthis
NWP.
AccordingtoanEnvironmentalAssessment(EA)issuedbytheFederalEnergy
RegulatoryCommission(FERC)inOctober2016,theproposedMooretoChappells
Pipelinewilltemporarilyimpact532.9acresandpermanentlyimpact255.4acresof
land,includingimpactstoagricultural,forest,andresidentiallands,andwillinclude
73waterbodycrossingsintheUpstate.1Twoofthesecrossingswillbegreaterthan
100feet,41willcrossperennialstreams,24willcrossintermittentstreams,6will
crossephemeralstreams,and2willcrossjurisdictionalditches.Ofthosecrossings,
only33willbedoneusinghorizontaldirectionaldrilling(HDD).Theremaining
crossings-whicharemostofthem-willbeconductedbynon-trenchlessmethods,
whichwillhavegreaterimpactsbothduringandpost-construction.Inaddition,the
1DocketNo.CP16-98-000
Main Office:
P. O. Box 2308
Greenville, SC 29602
Phone: (864) 250-0500
www.upstateforever.org
Made with windpower using 100% recycled and chlorine-free fiber.
Spartanburg Office:
100 E. Main St., R-4
Spartanburg, SC 29306
Phone: (864) 250-0500
proposedProjectwillcrossthreeSourceWaterProtectionAreasincludingthe
intakesofWoodruffRoebuckWaterDistrict,theCityofClinton,andtheCityof
Newberry.
Asplanned,theProjectwillhavelastingandpermanentimpactstomyriad
Piedmontstreams,whichaccordingtotheSCDepartmentofNaturalResourceshave
someofthehighestdiversityofaquaticfaunainallofSC.2AccordingtotheEA,the
ProjectwillrequireapermanentRightofWay(ROW)easementthatis50feetwide
fornearlytheentire54.8miles(53.5accordingtotheNotice),furtherincreasing
habitatfragmentationandreducingshadetostreamsatthenumerouscrossings.
Theaccessroadsalonewillresultinpermanentimpactstoapproximately54linear
feetofstreams.Thispermitshouldalsotakeintoaccountthepermanent“clearing”
impactstowatersoftheROW,includinglossofshade,reductiontoherbaceous
buffers,andongoingapplicationofherbicides,whichareanythingbut“temporary.”
ThesheerscopeofthisProjectisimmenseandhascumulativeimpactsinexcessof
projectstypicalfortheState.TheProjectproposestocrossmorestreamsthanthere
ismilesofpipelineandtheEAspecificallyhighlightedsedimentasthegreatest
potentialimpactfromtheconstructionofthepipeline.Sedimentloadingdueto
channelandfloodplaininstabilitywouldresultfromchangesinerosionand
depositionpatterns,negativelyimpactingaquatichabitatinallfourcounties.
DominionproposestominimizeimpactsbyimplementingBestManagement
PracticesaccordingtoitsTranscotoCharlestonProjectUplandErosionControl,
Revegetation,andMaintenancePlan(T2CPlan),however,despitenumerous
attemptswewereunabletoobtaintheT2CPlantoassesswhetheritsufficiently
avoidsandminimizesimpacts.3
InitslettertoFERCregardingtheEA,SCDNRrecommendsthatDominionreevaluateopportunitiesformaximizingtheuseofexistingrightofwaysandalready
disturbedcorridorstofurtherminimizehabitatfragmentationandavoidsensitive
naturalandculturalresources.4Thisnotonlybenefitsfederallylistedspecies,such
asred-cockadedwoodpeckersinLaurensCountyneartheProjectsiteandbald
eaglesnearLakeGreenwood,butotherwildlifemanagementareasand
conservationfocusareas.In2010,UpstateForeverreleasedtheSpecialPlaces
InventoryforSpartanburgCounty(theInventory),whichusedmulti-levelmodeling
toidentifysixareasintheCountythatstillhavesignificantintactbiological
resources.5OneofthesixConservationFocusAreas(CFA)identifiedthroughthe
projectwastheareasurroundingtheconfluenceofFergusonCreekandTygerRiver.
TheproposedProjectwouldimpacttheFergusonCreek-TygerRiverCFAwith
numerouscrossings.AlthoughDominionhasimplementedminorroutevariations
2SCDNRletterfromLorianneRiggintoSecretaryKimberlyBose(FERC)regardingDominionTransco
toCharlestonProject(FERCNo.PF-15-29-000)anddatedNovember30,2015
3FERCeLibraryAccessionnumber20160602-5125
4SCDNRletterfromLorianneRiggintoSecretaryKimberlyBose(FERC)regardingDominionTransco
toCharlestonProject(FERCNo.PF-15-29-000)anddatedNovember30,2015
5Seehttps://upstateforever.org/pdfs/other/SpartSpecialPlacesInventory2010.pdf.
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toreduceimpactsinthisarea,anumberofimportanttributariesintheCFAwillstill
becrossedusingtraditionaltrenchingmethods.Dominionshouldminimizeimpacts
tothisspecialareabyboringallwetlandandstreamcrossingsintheCFA.
Theproposedimpactsto520linearfeetofstreamexceedsthe300feetlimitas
statedintheUSArmyCorps’RegionalCondition#10forNationwidePermitsaswell
astheDepartment’sNationwidePermit401SpecificConditionsforNationwide
PermitNumber12.Theseimpactsshouldrequirecompensatorymitigation,
includingfortemporaryimpactstostreams.TheDepartmentshouldfullyassessthe
cumulativeimpactsoftheProjectandconsiderwhetherDominionwilladequately
mitigateforimpactsbyfollowingtheWetlandandWaterbodyConstruction
MitigationProcedures(T2CProcedures).6SimilartotheT2CPlan,theT2C
ProcedureswerealsonotavailablefromtheFERCeLibrarydespitenumerous
attemptstolocateit.Thereforewewereunabletoevaluatewhetherappropriate
mitigationhasbeenproposed.
Inaddition,29ofthe385AdditionalTemporaryWorkspaceStations(ATWS)
identifiedbyDominionfortheProjectarewithin50feetofawetlandorwaterbody,
and19oftheseareascloseas10feet.Dominionhasproposedtoinstalldoublesilt
fencesattheATWSincloseproximitytowaterbodiesandisrequiredtohaveFERC
approvalforeachsiteforreviewandapprovalpriortouse.However,Dominion
shouldentirelyavoidATWSsitesthatwillbesituatedwithintenfeetofawetlandor
waterbodytofurtherminimizeanypotentialimpactstowatersoftheState.
AlthoughwewereunabletoevaluatetheT2CProcedures,FERChasprovidedsome
detailsintheEA,whichincludesuseoftemporaryandpermanenterosioncontrol
measuresthroughouttheprocessandinsomecasesincludesvegetationasameans
offiltration.Wesupporttheuseofvegetationforerosioncontrolinadditionto
othermeasuresandrequestitsuseforallportionsoftheProject,includingnonstreamimpactssuchasATWSandlaydownareas.Oneofthemeasureshighlighted
byFERCincludesrestrictingspoilplacementnearsurfacewaterswithin
constructionright-of-waystoatleast10feetfromwatersedge,orinotherapproved
additionalextraworkspacesawayfromthewater'sedge.Tenfeetisentirelytoo
closetowater’sedgeandwerequestthatallspoilplacementbeatleast50feetfrom
anywater’sedgetoadequatelyprotectwaterresources.Dominionalsoproposesto
includerevegetationmeasuresthatwould“allow”forriparianareastonaturally
revegetate.WehighlyrecommendthatDominionberequiredtonotonlyactively
revegetatetheseareaswithminimalchemicalorfertilizerapplication,butalso
includemonitoringandmaintenancefortwoyears,ataminimum,toensure
streambankclearingsandriparianareasarerestoredtooriginalconditionsor
better.
Finally,theDepartmentshouldholdthe401certificationuntilithasconfirmedthat
theProjectincludessufficientmitigationforalltemporaryandpermanentimpacts
6FERCeLibraryAccessionnumber20160602-5125.
3
andisincompliancewithallRegionalConditions,includingcondition#35,which
statesthatalltemporarystructures,fills,and/orworkoftheoverallprojectmustbe
removedandthedisturbedareasrestoredtopre-disturbanceconditionswithin90
days.DominionprovidesaProjecttimelineontheirwebsitewithconstruction
beginninginFebruary2017andendinginNovember2017.7Evenifa90-day
extensionisgrantedbytheUSACE,wearenotconvincedtheProjectwillbe
completedwithinthetimerequiredbycondition#35.
Thankyouforyourconsiderationofourcomments.Ifyouhaveanyquestionsabout
ourcomments,pleasedonothesitatetocontactus.
Sincerely,
ChrisStarker
ProjectManager,CleanAir&WaterProgram
Cc:
MikeMontebello,SCDHEC
7Seehttps://www.dom.com/corporate/what-we-do/natural-gas/dominion-carolina-gas-
transmission/operations/charleston-project
4