LOWE'S HOME CENTER WETLAND MITIGATION AREA Year 2 Monitoring Report For: MANKATO, MINNESOTA
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Year 2 Monitoring Report For:
WETLAND MITIGATION AREA
LOWE’S HOME CENTER
MANKATO, MINNESOTA
December 2008
Project No. 07-10439
LOWE’S HOME CENTER, INC.
WETLAND MONITORING REPORT
YEAR 2
ABSTRACT
This wetland mitigation monitoring report has been written to satisfy the requirements
under Minnesota Rules 8420.0620 for the Lowe’s Home Center, Inc. wetland mitigation
area. Subpart one of the rule states the purpose of the annual report is to describe actual
wetland restoration or creation activities completed during the past year and activities
planned for the upcoming year.
Included in this report is a description of the project, a comparison of the as-built
specifications versus the design specifications, hydrology measurements, vegetation, and
color photographs of the mitigation project area.
DESCRIPTION
The description of the project includes the location, size, current wetland type, and
desired wetland type (goal).
The wetland mitigation site is located south of the Lowe’s Home Center, Inc. store on the
east edge of Mankato, Minnesota. The site is within part of the NW ¼ of Section 15,
T108N, R26W and under the jurisdiction of the City of Mankato. The wetland
replacement plan was designed to provide 0.91 acres of New Wetland Credit (NWC) and
0.91 acres of Public Value Credit (PVC) with the upland buffer. The basin was
constructed in the spring of 2007. The constructed replacement area created 0.97 acres of
NWC and 1.24 acres of PVC based on the as-built survey. The shape, location, and size
of the basin match the design.
The mitigation site was designed to create a Type 4, deep marsh with a transitional Type
2, fresh (wet) meadow wetland fringe according to Circular 39 and Eggers & Reed
classification techniques. A Type 4 wetland is an inland deep fresh marsh with soils
usually covered with water during the spring and summer, anywhere from six inches to
three feet. A Type 2 wetland is an inland shallow fresh or wet marsh. Soils are generally
without standing water during most of the growing season, but are saturated below the
surface.
Currently, the majority of the wetland is functioning as a Type 4, deep marsh with a
transitional fringe.
Lowe’s Home Center, Inc. – Year 2 Monitoring 1
Mankato, Minnesota
HYDROLOGY
The hydrology monitoring for mitigation sites requires that a seasonal water level
elevation be recorded each year during the period April through October.
The water level was observed during site visits on May 23, 2008 and August 22, 2008.
The staff gauge measurement has been referenced to mean sea level (msl) by a licensed
land surveyor. The water level was below the measurement marks during both site visits.
The water surface was measured to be 6.75” above the soil surface next to the staff gauge
during the May site visit. The water surface was measured to be 4.00” above the soil
surface next to the staff gauge during the August site visit.
The precipitation that fell on the City of Mankato during the three month period prior to
the May hydrology reading was above the normal precipitation range, according to the
State Climatology Office. The precipitation prior to the August site visit was within the
normal precipitation range. The following table indicates the average monthly
precipitation.
Table 1. Local Precipitation Data
Month 2008 Precipitation Average Range
July 4.92” 2.63”-4.93”
June 4.01” 3.29”-5.68”
May 3.98” 2.68”-4.08”
April 4.34” 1.77”-3.25”
March 1.89” 1.25”-2.35”
February 0.41” 0.34”-0.84”
Total 19.55” 11.96”-21.13”
(Precipitation data obtained from the State Climatology Office)
VEGETATION
A list of the common wetland and upland plants identified during the site visits is
provided below.
Table 2. Wetland Species Observed
Common Scientific Indicator Status
Pondweed Potamogeton natans OBL Native
Marsh Milkweed Asclepias incarnata OBL Native
American Sloughgrass Beckmannia syzigachne OBL Native
Willow Seedlings Salix sp. OBL Native
Eastern Cottonwood Seedlings Populus deltoides FAC+ Native
Curly Dock Rumex crispus FAC+ Non-native
Narrowleaf Cattail Typha angustifolia OBL Non-native
Yellow Nutsedge Cyperus esculentus FACW Non-native
Swamp Smartweed Polygonum hydropiperoides OBL Native
Obedient Plant Physostegia virginiana FACW Native
Sneezeweed Helenium autumnale FACW+ Native
Lowe’s Home Center, Inc. – Year 2 Monitoring 2
Mankato, Minnesota
Table 3. Upland Species Observed Common Scientific Indicator Status *Oats Avena sativa UPL Non-native Annual Ryegrass Lolium italicum FACU Non-native *Black-eyed Susan Rudbeckia hirta FACU Native Canada Wild Rye Elymus canadensis FAC- Native Prairie Coneflower Ratibida columnifera UPL Native Golden Tickseed Coreopsis tinctoria FAC- Native Velvetleaf Abutilon theophrasti FACU- Non-native Blanket Flower Gaillardia aristata UPL Native *dominate The mitigation site plan called for native grasses, sedges, rushes, and forbs. The wetland area (996’ and below) was proposed to be seeded at a rate of 12 lbs/ac of a custom wetland seed mixture, and the upland area (above 996’) was to be seeded at a rate of 21 lbs/ac with a custom upland seed mixture. According to contractor the site was seeded in the summer of 2007. No seed tags were provided to I&S upon completion of the site seeding. The following tables represent the list of species proposed to be in the wetland and upland seed mixtures: Table 4. Wetland Custom Seed Mix Common Name Scientific Name Pounds or Ounces/Acre Fowl Blue Grass Poa palustris 2 lb Fringed Brome Bromus ciliatus 2 lb *American Slough Grass Beckmannia syzigachne 1 lb Reed Manna Grass Glyceria grandis 1 lb Switch Grass Panicum virgatum 1 lb Virginia Wild-Rye Elymus virginicus 2 lb Grass Totals 9 lbs /acre Dark Green Bulrush Scirpus atrovirens 2 oz Wool Grass Scirpus cyperinus 2 oz Soft Stem Bulrush Scirpus validus 1 oz River Bulrush Scirpus fluviatilis 2 oz Sweet Flag Acorus calamus 2 oz *Swamp Milkweed Asclepias incarnata 2 oz *Sneezeweed Helenium autumnale 1 oz Northern Blue Flag Iris Iris versicolor 2 oz *Obedient Plant Physostegia virginiana 2 oz Great Bur Reed Sparganium eurycarpum 2 oz Large Flowered Water Plantain Alisma triviale 2 oz Porcupine Sedge Carex hystericina 2 oz Fen Panicled Sedge Carex prairea 2 oz Lance Fruited Oval Sedge Carex scoparia 2 oz Boneset Eupatorium perfoliatum 2 oz Joe Pye Weed Eupatorium maculatum 2 oz Monkey Flower Mimulus ringens 2 oz Forb and Sedge Totals 2 lbs/acre Barnyard Grass Echinochloa crusgalli 1 lbs/acre Cover Crop Totals 1 lbs/acre Seed Mix Totals 12 lbs /acre *Growing on-site. Lowe’s Home Center, Inc. – Year 2 Monitoring 3 Mankato, Minnesota
Table 5. Upland Custom Seed Mixture
Common Name Scientific Name Pounds or Ounces/Acre
Big Bluestem Andropogon gerardii 1 lb
Indian Grass Sorghastrum nutans 2 lb
Switch Grass Panicum virgatum 1 lb
Side Oats Grama Bouteloua curtipendula 1 lb
Virginia Wild Rye Elymus virginica 1 lb
Little Bluestem Andropogon scoparius 1 lb
*Canadian Wild rye Elymus canadensis 1 lb
Slender Wheat Grass Agropyron trachycaulum 1 lb
Grass Totals 9 lbs/acre
Wild Bergamot Monarda fistulosa 2 oz
*Black-eyed Susan Rudbeckia hirta 2 oz
Prairie Blazing Star Liatris pycnostachya 2 oz
Rattlesnake Master Eryngium yuccifolium 1 oz
White Wild Indigo Baptisia leucantha 2 oz
Canadian Milk Vetch Astragalus canadensis 1 oz
Upland White Aster Aster ptarmicoides 2 oz
Smooth Blue Aster Aster laevis 1 oz
Nodding Onion Allium cernuum 1 oz
Butterfly Milkweed Asclepias tuberosa 2 oz
Compass Plant Silphium laciniatum 1 oz
Ohio Spiderwort Tradenscantia ohiensis 2 oz
Yellow Coneflower Ratibida pinnata 2 oz
Showy Tick Trefoil Desmodium canadense 1 oz
Purple Prairie Clover Petalostemum purpureum 2 oz
White Prairie Clover Petalostemum candidum 2 oz
Showy Goldenrod Solidago speciosa 1 oz
Sawtooth Sunflower Helianthus grosseserratus 1/2 oz
Golden Alexanders Zizia aurea 1 oz
Partridge Pea Cassia fasciculata 2 oz
False Indigo Amorpha fruticosa 1/2 oz
Lead Plant Amorpha canescens 1 oz
Forb Totals 2 lbs/acre
*Oats (Spring Seeding) Avena sativa 10 lbs/acre
Winter Wheat (Fall Seeding) 10 lbs/acre
Cover Crop Totals 10 lbs/acre
Seed Mix Totals 21 lbs /acre
*Growing on-site.
The site will be monitored on a regular basis during the 2009 growing season to make
sure desirable vegetation establishes on the site.
MAINTENANCE RECOMMENDATIONS
With any wetland mitigation project there are recommended maintenance activities
during the first years of establishment. The following summarizes the activities planned
for next year (2009):
1. Mow to a height of 6-10 inches at least 3 times during the growing season to
control annual weeds.
Lowe’s Home Center, Inc. – Year 2 Monitoring 4
Mankato, Minnesota
2. Spot spray perennial non-native undesirable weeds, if present:
• Canada Thistle (Cirsium arvense)
• Narrowleaf Cattail (Typha angustifolia)
• Reed Canary Grass (Phalaris arundinacea)
• Purple Loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria)
• European Buckthorn (Rhamnus cathartica)
Use an aquatic approved herbicide, such as Rodeo® or Garlon® 3A
3. The vegetation will be monitored closely during the 2009 growing season to
ensure a successful seeding. If desirable plant species are not present, consider
interseeding or reseeding in fall 2009.
FUTURE PLANS
During the 2009 growing season monitoring will be conducted to satisfy requirements.
Hydrology measurements will be observed, measured, and recorded. The staff gauge
measurements will be referenced to mean sea level. Pictures will be taken at the
designated photo points during the growing season. A survey of dominant vegetation
will be prepared to include all vegetation in the wetland exceeding 20 percent coverage.
A map of plant communities will be included in next year’s monitoring report. A third
year monitoring report will be prepared and submitted that includes all of the required
information by next year at this time.
Lowe’s Home Center, Inc. – Year 2 Monitoring 5
Mankato, Minnesota
CERTIFICATION
LOWE’S HOME CENTERS, INC.
WETLAND MONITORING REPORT
NW ¼ of Section 15, T108N, R26W
I herby certify the above-described monitoring inspection occurred during the 2008
growing season and the report was prepared by me or under my direct supervision. The
monitoring activities completed for this report satisfy Minnesota Rule 8420.0620.
____________________________________
Brooke Hacker, Wetland Delineator Certified
Natural Resources Specialist
I&S Group
____________________________________
Nick McCabe
Natural Resources Specialist
I&S Group
Date: December 17, 2008
Lowe’s Home Center, Inc. – Year 2 Monitoring 6
Mankato, Minnesota
I&S Group
Natural Resources Management Lowe’s, Mankato, MN
YEAR 2 PHOTO LOG
Figure 1: View of inlet to wetland from west stormwater pond, standing in the northwest
corner of the upland buffer (8/22/08).
Figure 2: View of wetland and upland buffer from the northwest corner of the upland
buffer (8/22/08).I&S Group
Natural Resources Management Lowe’s, Mankato, MN
Figure 3: View of wetland and upland buffer from the northeast corner of the upland
buffer (8/22/08).
Figure 4: View of the inlet to the wetland from the east stormwater pond, standing in the
northeast corner of the upland buffer (8/22/08).You can also read
