North Fork Mitigation Bank
Location
Breathitt County, KY
Resource
Stream
Solution
Mitigation Bank
Status
Approved
NORTH FORK MITIGATION BANK, in the Eastern Kentucky coal field physiographic region in Breathitt County, is located approximately 15 miles northeast of the Daniel Boone National Forest, an area that spans more than two million acres. Prior to EIP’s restoration work, streams within this watershed were impacted by physical alterations, sedimentation, bacteria from sewage, nutrient loading, algal blooms, and acid mine drainage. EIP’s restoration objective was to return the hydrology of the system to a more natural state that includes a dense riparian buffer, increased wetlands and vernal pools along stream corridors, addition of detritus and leaf pack to the system for nourishment of the downstream ecosystem, and overall reduction in stream sediment load.
Prior to restoration and in coordination with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) EIP discovered a Kentucky arrow darter (Etheostoma spilotum), a threatened fish species under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Currently, this species is known or believed to occur in only 10 counties across Kentucky. Over the years, the arrow darter’s habitat had been impacted by degrading water quality and sedimentation. EIP’s efforts have restored, constructed, and stabilized stream channels, which have enhanced water quality and resulted in a “population explosion” of the arrow darter within our project site.
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Credits from North Fork Mitigation Bank are approved by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to fulfill mitigation requirements of Section 404 Clean Water Act permits. Credit purchases also promote large-scale conservation and restoration of Kentucky’s stream corridors for future generations.
CREDITS
Stream
SERVICE AREA
USACE Pre-Defined Service Area 10, including HUC 8 Watersheds
– North Fork Kentucky (05100201)
– Middle Fork Kentucky (05100202)
– South Fork Kentucky (05100203)
Our Partners
Beaver Creek Hydrology’s expert team understands the complexities of stream restoration and addresses them with the highest degree of innovation and creativity. They work with EIP to help us design our large-scale stream restoration projects across Appalachia. BCH, one of the leading stream design firms in the country, invented the natural channel design software, BANKWELL, that efficiently tackles our large-scale projects. They have published and presented widely about hydrologic and hydraulic modeling.
Stream Restoration Specialists, based in Corbin, Kentucky, is one of the best stream builders in the industry. EIP has worked on multiple projects with SRS’s expert construction team. Their team members from a range of backgrounds, including former road builders, coal miners, and self-taught stream contractors, are efficient, self-sufficient, and top-notch with project logistics and scheduling. Working in tandem with both EIP and Beaver Creek Hydrology, SRS’s stream building expertise takes design concepts and turns them into reality.