The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality Division of Water Resources (DWR) has issued a water quality certification with conditions to strengthen protections for wetlands, waterways and streambanks impacted by Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line Co. LLC’s (Transco’s) proposed expansion of a natural gas pipeline.
In North Carolina, the natural gas expansion project, known as the Southeast Supply Enhancement Project, includes upgrading of existing pipeline infrastructure and the installation of about 4.4 miles of 42-inch diameter pipeline in Rockingham County, known as the Eden loop, and approximately 24.1 miles of 42-inch diameter pipeline in Guilford, Forsyth and Davidson counties, known as the Salem loop.
Because the construction will disrupt wetlands, waterways and streambanks, Transco applied to DWR for a Clean Water Act Section 401 Individual Water Quality Certification, a Jordan Lake Riparian Buffer Authorization and a Randleman Lake Riparian Buffer Authorization.
The riparian buffer, or streambank vegetation, authorizations are required because the proposed project would remove vegetation and trees along streams located in the Jordan Lake and Randleman Lake watersheds where vegetation is required to be maintained within a certain distance of waterways.
"Safeguarding water quality and North Carolinians' health remains paramount to the department," DEQ Secretary Reid Wilson said. "That's why DWR's certification for the pipeline expansion project included conditions to protect wetlands and streams."
In assessing Transco’s water quality certification application, DWR considered 1,002 comments received during the public comment period and during two public hearings held Sept. 2 and Sept. 4. DWR has required Transco to:
- Provide an environmental inspector to oversee construction and environmental compliance including maintenance of erosion and sediment control practices in wetlands, streams and open waters, and to hold a pre-construction meeting to understand compliance with certification conditions;
- Use best management practices to avoid and minimize disruption to streams and wetlands, including limiting the construction right-of-way at wetland and waterbody crossings;
- Restore streambeds and banks disrupted during construction to pre-existing conditions, and restore wetland ground surface to pre-existing conditions and re-plant with a native seed mix;
- Monitor restored wetlands and streams quarterly for at least three years;
- While Transco is not required to offset the temporary or permanent disruption to streams or wetlands by paying for restoration or preservation projects in other locations, Transco has agreed to purchase credits for preservation projects through a process known as mitigation.
- Transco is required to mitigate, by purchasing preservation credits, to offset disruption, to the riparian (streambanks with vegetation) buffers in the Jordan and Randleman lake areas.
DWR received numerous comments on issues related to the economic need for the pipeline, concerns about carbon emissions and safety. However, the scope of DWR’s review under Section 401 of the Clean Water Act is limited to the project’s impacts on water quality.
DWR’s responses to comments can be found in the hearing officer’s report. The project file, including the certification, is also online.